According to the latest reports from Birmingham Mail, Norwich City are in the race with various other clubs to sign Crystal Palace playmaker Jonny Williams. The Wales international spent the second half of the last season on loan with Charlton Atheltic where he made 19 appearances for them in all competitions.
Williams has been under contract with Palace since 2011, but he has had six different loan spells now. His contract with the Eagles has come to an end, and he is a free agent. Along with the Canaries, West Brom, Derby County, Luton and Brentford are in the mix to sign him.
The former Sunderland player is a 17 times Wales international, and he was part of their impressive campaign in 2016 Euros where they reached the semi-finals of the competition against all the odds. The playmaker never really managed to establish himself at Crystal Palace, but he has been a crucial player for quite a few teams on loan over the years.
Norwich City have moved up a division, and it is expected that they would look to reinforce their squad to take on the challenges of the Premier League. Not many expected the Canaries to finish on top of the Championship table as the season before that they had finished 14th on the table. A lot of credit needs to go to Daniel Farke for being able to extract the best out of individual players who were not considered to be good enough to deliver the promotion.
Williams’ strengths and weakness
The Welshman has good close quarter controls, and he has quick feet, which allows him to manoeuvre out of tight spaces. The 25-year-old is a decent passer of the ball as well. However, Williams struggles on the physical front, and he can be outmuscled off the ball due to his body built. The midfielder is also not blessed with too much pace.
Is Williams worth having at Norwich?
Williams managed to provide just one assist for Charlton in 19 appearances last season, but he was a crucial player for them in their build-up play. However, we think that Norwich needs to aim a bit higher if they want to survive in the Premier League as we don’t see Williams as a player who will make a significant impact in the English top flight.
Maybe Farke is only looking at him as a squad player, and probably on a free transfer, Williams might make a case for himself. However, the club should look to aim higher after moving to the Premier League as the Palace ace is at best a Championship quality player.
