"It could be a steal" - Norwich City reaction given to potential £5m Man City transfer deal | OneFootball

Our Canaries fan pundit has given his thoughts on Jacob Wright's surprise move to Carrow Road on Deadline Day

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Manchester City youngster Jacob Wright made a shock loan move to Norwich City on Deadline Day, after he had been heavily linked with a move to Swansea City throughout the window, and while our Canaries fan pundit is happy to see him join the club, he is unsure if he will immediately fit into Johannes Hoff Thorup's plans.

19-year-old Wright has been on the Citizens' books for over ten years now, and after his recent emergence into Pep Guardiola's senior squad, the Premier League champions have now seen fit to allow him to gain vital experience in the Championship this season.

He made his first-team debut for City in an FA Cup game in January last year, then went on to make his first appearance in the Champions League in March while sitting on the bench in the Premier League for the first time a month previous.

The defensive midfielder has continued to impress in the youth teams this term, but featured just twice in the EFL Cup in the first-half of this season, so he looked set for a switch to the second-tier with Swansea City last month, but instead made a dramatic late move to Carrow Road.

Norwich City

Swansea looked set to recruit Wright on a loan deal until the end of the season with a view to a permanent deal on February 2, but then the move was reported to have fallen through with just hours until the window slammed shut a day later.

Norwich were soon claimed to be trying to force a last-ditch deal through as the clock ticked towards the deadline, and they got the swoop over the line late on as he joined the Carrow Road club on loan until the end of the season with an apparent £5m buy option clause, according to Fabrizio Romano, which has been reported as a lower fee elsewhere.

Wright is now in line to make his Canaries debut against Derby County this weekend, and while our Norwich fan pundit, Zeke Downes, is pleased to see a player of his potential join to aid their play-off push, he is unsure if the 19-year-old will have the desired effect and play enough minutes to prove himself under Hoff Thorup.

“I really like the signing of Jacob Wright. He seems quite highly-rated," Zeke told FLW.

“He’s not been getting too much game-time at Man City, and that is obviously why he has been let go, but I think he is still very highly-rated amongst their fans.

“He plays in a position which we need. The only thing is that, with it only being a loan, Kenny McLean is obviously there.

“I’m not sure how much game-time he will get, but I think he will play though, considering the fact that we have brought him in.

“We’ve got a fairly stacked midfield when everyone is fit, but Jacob Sorensen will be leaving at the end of the season, so if Wright can get himself in the picture, then I don't see any reason why we wouldn’t make it permanent.

“£5 million could go either way. If he does really well, then it could be a steal, but also if he doesn’t impress then obviously it could seem like a lot of money. We don’t spend that much very often.

“I’m really excited by that, and he will have had really good experiences under Pep Guardiola.

“Their style of play is, I guess, like what we like to play, and he obviously already knows Callum Doyle too. He should be able to bed himself in quite nicely.”

Jacob Wright will have to work hard to become a regular for Norwich

Norwich have been inconsistent this season, yet impressive when they are on song, and boss Hoff Thorup will be content with the make-up of his squad and their position in the Championship table, eighth, as they head into a vital next few months.

The Danish head-coach's 4-3-3 formation usually sees a holding midfielder play behind two number eights, and long-serving stalwart Kenny McLean has been his go-to at the base of midfield for most of the season so far.

As well as McLean, who has been as reliable as ever throughout this term while taking over the captaincy from Grant Hanley, Hoff Thorup also has Jacob Lungi Sorensen at his disposal in the same position, and that duo impressed last time out while playing together in a 1-0 win over Watford.

Wright may well have the potential to improve beyond Championship standard, but right now, he lacks senior experience and could be void of the nous to compete week-in, week-out for the Canaries compared to the other options in his position.

With that said, given his talent, he definitely could force his way into Norwich's starting eleven very soon, but he will likely have to make a big impression before the campaign is out to be considered worthy of a permanent deal.