Norwich City set to sign ex-AFC Bournemouth star | OneFootball

The Canaries are looking into the free agent market amid a slight injury crisis.

Norwich City are close to completing the signing of free agent Emiliano Marcondes, according to reports from Denmark.

Injuries to attacking midfield options like Onel Hernandez, Christian Fassnacht and Ashley Barnes have caused a few problems for the Canaries.

Their bench for the 1-1 draw they played out against Leeds United had a lot of inexperienced players on there, with summer signing Forson Amankwah being the only natural option to replace any of the creative players in the starting XI.

In this time of need, Norwich are said to be looking in the free agent market for potential options. According to the latest reports, they appear to be closing in on completing a deal to bolster their squad.

Norwich close to signing Emiliano Marcondes

Championship promotion-winning midfielder Marcondes is nearing an agreement on a deal to join the Canaries, according to Tipsbladet.

The Danish outlet has reported that only the small details need to be ironed out before the move can be completed.

Marcondes, 29, was released by AFC Bournemouth this summer after spending three years with them. He was originally signed by Scott Parker at the start of the 2021/22 season after he left Brentford.

The attacking midfielder would go on to help the Cherries to get back to the Premier League, but he became less involved in the team once they made the step up to the top flight.

Johannes Hoff Thorup coached Marcondes before he was appointed as Norwich manager. He signed the player on loan from Bournemouth for FC Nordsjælland in January 2023. The 29-year-old was most recently sent on loan to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian.

There he started 13 of the 15 games that he played for Hibs and netted three goals too. Finding the back of the net wasn't what he was best known for in the Championship. His forte was setting others up, as is shown by his record in the English second tier.

He was linked with a move to Carrow Road in the summer, but Norwich decided to pursue other options. Tipsbladet spoke with Thorup in September and he told the outlet that Marcondes was an "interesting" player.

"Of course he will be interesting, but for the strategy we have laid out, he does not fit in 100%," said Thorup. "He would raise the average age, and we have lowered the average age in our squad and starting line-up.

"If we have to bring in something that doesn't exactly fit 100% into the strategy, it must be because it is something we are specifically lacking in a position or as support for some players. But he is of course interesting and someone we always keep an eye on."

Building up fitness will be key to this move, as he won't have any level of match fitness in comparison to the rest of the City squad. He has been training with Nordsjælland over the summer, according to Pink Un, in order to keep himself in the best shape possible.

Emiliano Marcondes move makes sense for Norwich

In all likelihood, if Norwich do bring Marcondes in, it will be on a short-term deal until January, and then they can assess their options.

If you're a club with a lack of attacking midfield options because of a mini injury crisis, and you have the option to sign a player who is experienced in your division and who your manager already knows, then why wouldn't you?

If he can play at a consistent level in the top Scottish league for one of their better teams, then he should be able to do a job in the Championship, even if it's just temporarily. They'd just need to hope that his fitness picks up quickly enough that they can get some decent use out of him, if he does join on a short-term deal.