Why Lucas Piazon would be a useful signing for Norwich City

According to claims from Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Eastern Daily Press), Norwich City have been linked with a move for Chelsea winger Lucas Piazon. 

Championship rivals Stoke City and French outfit Bordeaux are also monitoring the 26-year-old Brazilian. Piazon is currently on loan at Rio Ave in the Portuguese top-flight but Chelsea are planning to recall him this month. That could open the door for Norwich to snap him up before the deadline. (Tuttomercatoweb h/t Eastern Daily Press)

Profile

Piazon joined Chelsea from Sao Paulo in his homeland back in 2012 but has never really featured in the club’s first-team plans. The attacking midfielder has spent time on loan at seven different clubs over the course of his career at Stamford Bridge, featuring for Malaga, Eintracht Frankfurt, Vitesse Arnhem, Chievo Verona, Reading, Fulham and Rio Ave.

The 26-year-old scored twice in 19 league appearances for Rio Ave in the previous campaign before rejoining the club on loan for the 2020-21 season. However, Piazon has struggled for regular game time in Portugal this term, making only 8 appearances in the Primeira Liga so far. 

Norwich could do with an attacker like Lucas Piazon

Norwich are well-stocked at both ends of the pitch but Daniel Farke should have one eye on the January market for players who could potentially help his side in their pursuit of promotion.

The Canaries are hardly short of creative firepower but could find themselves in a big mess if the likes of Todd Cantwell and Emiliano Buendia end up departing amidst heavy interest from the top-flight clubs.

With back-ups Kieran Dowell, Onel Hernandez and Placheta either injured or offering very little, Norwich would be wise enough to weigh up some alternatives in the market. Lucas Piazon ticks plenty of boxes to come through the door at Carrow Road as a useful addition to the Canaries’ attack this month.

Essentially a left-winger by trade, Piazon is more than capable of operating on the right and through the middle in a No.10 role behind the striker. Such a trait of versatility would make him a perfect fit for Farke’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system. He would also offer the manager more depth and quality heading into a hectic second half of the season where squad rotation will surely have to come into play. 

Furthermore, Piazon has shown in the past that he has the knowhow and the skill set to excel at the Championship level. The Brazilian racked up an overall tally of 13 goals and 10 assists in 73 appearances for Fulham and Reading on loan earlier in his career. Those numbers should make him an appealing target for a promotion-chasing Norwich. 

Read more

• Why Norwich City should keep hold of Teemu Pukki amidst interest
• Why Norwich City made the right decision by signing Przemyslaw Placheta

Verdict

Norwich currently have enough depth in their attack and would surely need to look for alternatives should they end up losing Cantwell or Buendia this month. Lucas Piazon ticks plenty of boxes at Carrow Road and still potentially has his best years ahead of him at 26. Having said that, the Canaries shouldn’t hesitate to take a punt on the Brazilian trickster to bolster their promotion hopes.