Norwich City face looming Josh Sargent transfer threat: View | OneFootball

The January transfer window will approach very quickly, and Norwich will no doubt be forced to fend off interest in Josh Sargent.

Norwich City will be looking to improve after the international break, with the hope that the wanted Josh Sargent can score the goals to fire them through the Championship.

The Canaries have not enjoyed the best of starts to their Championship campaign so far, as they sit 13th in the table after their first four games. Their solitary win came away to Coventry City, but draws against Sheffield United and Blackburn, as well as a 2-0 loss to Oxford United have left them in mid-table.

In their defence, it has been a tough opening month, as the club have had to deal with some big departures. Gabriel Sara was arguably the biggest of the bunch, as he got picked up by Turkish giants, Galatasaray.

As well as that, Jon Rowe secured a move to Marseille, meaning Norwich had lost two of their most valuable stars from last season.

Both Rowe and Sara were undroppable last term, when fit, so it was a shock to the system for Norwich going into this new league campaign.

With new manager Johannes Hoff Thorup coming in, the initial weeks of the campaign have been something of a teething period, but they Canaries will be hoping to crack on after the international break and pick up a run of positive results.

Norwich's team remains full of very talented players, but with the January transfer window at the back of people's minds, it is of paramount importance that they keep hold of their key stars to avoid any more disastrous departures.

Josh Sargent will likely be targeted again in January

Josh Sargent has arguably become Norwich's most important player, meaning they will almost certainly have to fend off any interest coming his way this January.

The forward was a wanted man this summer by many clubs, with the likes of Premier League Bournemouth and MLS sides, St Louis City and FC Cincinnati all linked with a potential summer move.

It was quite an ambitious move for the American clubs, as Sargent is arguably better than that level, but with Premier League interest from the Cherries, there would have been concerns that he was going to return to the Premier League and depart Carrow Road.

Sargent has started this season very well, with two goals from four league games, so perhaps Bournemouth or other Premier League clubs will be keeping an eye on him ahead of a potential January move, which would be disastrous for Norwich and any chance they have of repeating last year's top-six finish - particularly after losing Sara and Rowe.

In the summer, it was revealed by The Sun's live transfer blog that the Canaries had placed a £30 million valuation on Sargent, which in today's market is not a terribly high fee for a 24-year-old striker with four years remaining on his contract. There is a real lack of consistent goalscoring strikers at the level, so Bournemouth would be sensible to keep him on their radar.

Norwich can not afford to lose Josh Sargent in January

As mentioned, the Canaries have already lost some of their most important players from last season, meaning there is an added weight of expectation on Sargent's shoulders to perform week in, week out.

The forward has already contributed to three goals in four league games so far this season, which is the type of form that Norwich and Hoff Thorup will need him to continue going forward.

The departures of Sara and Rowe have meant that they have lost a lot of goalscoring talent in their squad, so Sargent will have to put up very good numbers this season to give the Canaries any chance of finishing in, at least, the play-off spots.

That would all come crumbling down in January though, if a bigger club comes in with an offer for the American, as he would likely move to the Premier League if given the opportunity.

While Sargent is yet to truly prove himself in the Premier League, his goalscoring record in the Championship for Norwich is strong, having hit double figures in his past two seasons.

It is hugely important for Norwich to be competing at the very top of the table come January in order to persuade Sargent to stay for the rest of the season, as they are hugely reliant on his goals and their season would likely collapse if he was to leave midway through.

On the evidence of the last window, though, Norwich are a selling club, and they've got an in-demand player that offers goals. There's always going to be a looming threat he's poached whenever the window is open.