Why Norwich City parting ways with Timm Klose is the right move

According to BBC, Norwich City defender Timm Klose sealed a deadline day loan move to FC Basel, with the Swiss heavyweights holding the option to make his stay for an undisclosed fee next summer. 

Klose’s only appearance in the 2020-21 campaign came in the EFL Cup first-round defeat against Championship rivals Luton Town last month before the centre-back completed a temporary return to his homeland in search of regular game time. 

Profile

Timm Klose completed his development with BSC Old Boys and FC Basel before beginning his professional career with FC Thun in his native Switzerland. The 32-year-old went on to enjoy a successful career in the German Bundesliga with Nurnberg and Wolfsburg, which eventually paved the way for a move to the Premier League with Norwich City in January 2016.

The towering centre-back put in a string of impressive displays towards the back end of the 2015-16 campaign but that wasn’t enough to save the Canaries from relegation. 

Klose continued to feature as a regular starter for Norwich in the second-tier over the next three campaigns, featuring prominently as the Anglian outfit secured promotion to the PL as the outright winners of the Championship at the end of the 2018-19 season. The Swiss international put pen to paper on fresh terms at Carrow Road until 2022 last summer but a dreadful cruciate ligament injury condemned him to a long spell on the sidelines.

Klose regained his place as a starter for Farke’s men following the restart in June and made 7 league appearances, but struggled to hit the ground running as the Canaries suffered relegation.

Klose no longer fit enough for English football

The long-term injury to Timm Klose last summer dealt a massive blow to Norwich’s chances of survival in the Premier League, especially after they failed to bring in a quality replacement. The Canaries eventually ended up conceding as many as 75 goals in the top-flight last term, with Klose’s absence cited as one of the main reasons behind the club’s defensive woes.

The 32-year-old looked way off the pace following his return from injury towards the back end of the previous campaign and it wasn’t surprising to see the veteran slipping down the pecking order this term following the arrival of Ben Gibson on loan from Burnley. 

There were serious doubts over whether Klose would be able to maintain his fitness levels over the course of a 46-game season in the Championship, considering the gruelling physicality of the English second-tier. He still has something to offer at 32, so it wouldn’t have made sense for him to warm the benches at Carrow Road and get paid for doing next to nothing.

A return to Switzerland represents a massive step down, both in terms of quality and intensity, and Klose perhaps needed that step to prolong his career at the highest level. He was close to a spent force in England after his cruciate ligament injury last summer and a move to Basel should now offer him better prospects of regular first-team football. 

With Klose’s loan move to Basel coinciding with Ben Godfrey’s departure to Everton, Norwich now find themselves somewhat light in central defence.

Read more

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Verdict

Make no mistake, Timm Klose has been a wonderful servant to Norwich City over the past few years and will always be remembered fondly by the fans at Carrow Road for several top-notch performances. However, it was about time the Canaries parted ways with him this summer, with the Swiss veteran now nearing the latter stages of his career at 32.