Why Norwich City must beat Wolves to the signing of Danny Loader
According to The Daily Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Reading forward Danny Loader gained interest from Norwich City and Wolves, who are ready to wait until the summer to sign him.
Loader, 19, came through Reading’s youth ranks and played 36 games for the club’s U23 side, scoring 18 goals and providing 5 assists. Though he made his senior debut in September 2017 in a 3-1 win in the EFL Cup against Millwall, he was promoted to the first-team only last January.
He has featured in 35 senior games for the club and has represented England in the U20 level, despite being eligible to play for Cameroon and Nigeria.
A natural striker, Loader is capable of playing anywhere in the attacking line. Last season, he scored 10 goals in 11 Premier League 2 games and one in the Championship for the Royals.
The 19-year-old has continued his fine form this season, scoring 3 goals in two Premier League 2 games and since then, he has played in the league 7 times.
With Norwich and Wolves set to battle for the young centre-forward, let’s take a look at who needs to sign him.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have been brilliant in this campaign – both domestically and in Europe. After a goalless draw against Manchester United, the Black Country club are currently 8th in the league standings.
Meanwhile, the Canaries are going through a torrid time, having won just 4 of their 25 league games. They are currently at the bottom of the table and are at risk of facing relegation by the end of the season.
Finnish striker Teemu Pukki is their top scorer with 11 goals and apart from him, no other forwards have contributed. Midfielder Tod Cantwell is next with 6 goals.
Swiss international Josip Drmic was signed last summer from Borussia Monchengladbach but he has spent the majority of the season on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. And they didn’t sign any striker in January.
On the other hand, Wolves have a prolific striker in the form of Raul Jimenez, who has scored 11 goals this season. He has led the line brilliantly in the last two seasons under Nuno. Apart from that, the transformed Adama Traore has supported the Mexican brilliantly with 4 goals.
Youngster Pedro Neto looks to be in good form and he is also capable of scoring at a decent rate. They also bought Leonardo Campana from Barcelona last month to bolster their attack along with Daniel Podence from Olympiacos.
Nonetheless, Wolves have scored 35 goals in 25 games, whereas the Canaries have found the back of the net only 24 times.
Verdict
Having a closer look suggests that Daniel Farke needs to bring in reinforcements to bolster his side’s attack – and to help the likes Pukki and the wingers.
Therefore, Norwich City must beat off competition from their rivals and secure the services of the Reading-born forward for the next season.
