Norwich urged to beat Birmingham and Sheffield United and secure ‘great signing’

Add as preferred source on Google

A handful of Championship promotion-chasers have expressed an interest, from Sheffield United to Birmingham, but Lee Hendrie is backing Norwich City to get the deal done for an exciting young forward with second-tier pedigree.

Now, this would hardly be the first eye-catching addition made to Liam Manning’s Norwich City roster.

Mathias Kvistgaarden is ‘a better player’ than Teemu Pukki was when the Carrow Road legend made his own move to East Anglia from Brondby seven years earlier. Ex-Metz winger Papa Diallo is a ‘hugely exciting’ addition, to quote Manning himself, while Vladan Kovacevic and Jeffrey Schlupp arrive from the respective champions of Portugal and Scotland.

And then there’s Jakov Medic. EFL Analysis can confirm that Norwich beat Middlesbrough and West Brom to the former Ajax centre-half, with Medic expected to form a new-look defensive partnership alongside Manning favourite Harry Darling.

Now, Norwich would have to repeat the trick if Manning is to get his mitts on Liverpool youngster Lewis Koumas. But this is a battle Lee Hendrie, the former England international, believes can be won.

Lee Hendrie tells Norwich City to sign Liverpool starlet Lewis Koumas

Reports suggest that, in addition to Norwich, Lewis Koumas has admirers at Sheffield United, Hull City, Preston North End, Oxford United, Wrexham and Birmingham City.

But, speaking to Football League World, Hendrie is intrigued to see what the former Stoke loanee can do when surrounded by more talented footballers than those on offer in the Potteries.

“I’m a real big fan of Lewis Koumas,” says Hendrie, who played for Stoke himself as well as the aforementioned Sheffield United.

“He started off well at Stoke and really showed that he is capable of kicking on. I think there’s no surprise again that there will be clubs that will be looking to take him, and Norwich obviously being one of them.

“I think he will be a great signing for them. He still has got a lot to offer. Playing in that style and playing under Liam Manning, he likes a football-minded player, and who better than him?

“I think he would be a real good addition for Norwich, and I think he would enjoy it there as well. I think it was a little bit hard for him last season playing in a team that struggled a little.”

Mark Robins was a big fan of ‘brilliant’ Koumas at Stoke

Koumas started 26 Championship matches for a Stoke side who finished only two points above the relegation zone.

Highly versatile and extremely quick, the six-time Wales international was fielded on the right, the left and even through the middle as a centre-forward or in a more withdrawn, ‘second striker’ role.

His most memorable outing in a Stoke shirt came during a thrilling FA Cup clash with Cardiff City back in January. The Bluebirds raced into a 3-0 lead but, thanks to two well-taken Koumas finishes either side of half-time, Mark Robins’ side fought back brilliantly before exiting on penalties.

The Liverpool academy graduate beautifully glided through the home defence for his second of the day, but it was Koumas’ first which Robins felt summed up what the jet-heeled teenager is capable of.

“A brilliant move and brilliant goal from Lewis Koumas”, Robins said after watching his adaptable attacker burst in behind the Cardiff defence from wide before fizzing a fierce left-footed strike across the goalkeeper.

“I thought that sort of typifies everything that we want from him and know he is capable of.”