Gyokeres’ form last year is similar to that of Norwich City’s Josh Sargent and should help validate a high valuation from the Canaries this summer.
Norwich City look set to be pushing for a play-off place in the Championship, especially if Josh Sargent can remain fit up front and among the goals, which he certainly has been recently.
Many supporters had called for head coach David Wagner to be sacked after a dip in form at the back end of 2023, but the board stuck with the 52-year-old, and their patience has been rewarded, with Norwich emerging as serious promotion contenders in recent months.
Sargent, in particular, has been key to their good form since the turn of the year, but he joined the club from Werder Bremen for a fee of just over £8 million in August 2021, and was the club’s top scorer last season upon their return to the second tier with 13 goals.
He also made a strong start to this campaign as well, with the forward scoring three and assisting once in his first four matches in the Championship, as Norwich picked up 10 points out of a possible 12 this term.
However, the 24-year-old then sustained a serious ankle ligament-related injury in the 4-0 win at Huddersfield Town in August, and Wagner said in September that he was not expecting him to return until the New Year. Sargent had to undergo surgery on his ankle, and it kept him out for four months. He made his return to action at the end of December against Millwall.
Norwich have scored 66 league goals this season, with only the top four in the fight for automatic promotion scoring more, but while goals have not been a problem, Sargent’s return has been a huge boost to the Canaries as they look to close in on the top six.
Since his return from injury, he has scored nine times in 14 games, carrying on his early season form, and highlighting what Norwich have been missing with more than just his goal, but his ability to pin the opposition and be the focal point that knits the whole attack together.
| Josh Sargent’s Norwich City career stats – per Transfermarkt 14/03/24 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2021/22 | 31 | 6 | 3 |
| 2022/23 | 41 | 13 | 2 |
| 2023/24 | 19 | 12 | 1 |
Josh Sargent’s Norwich future
Such form was always likely to catch the eye of clubs higher up the footballing pyramid, and, according to Alan Nixon (via his Patreon account), the USMNT international is on the radar of Brentford as one of the possible replacements for Ivan Toney.
The interest comes as the Premier League side is likely to be in the market for a striker, as Toney looks set to leave in the next transfer window for one of Europe’s elite, and the club are keeping tabs on Sargent as a possible option to bolster their attacking options, even if he is not necessarily a like-for-like player in Toney’s mould.
However, Sargent’s scintillating form is likely to push up his value for any potential suitors this summer, and, the forward signed a new five-year contract earlier this season, meaning it now runs until the summer of 2028, making it increasingly difficult to prise him from the hands of the Canaries.
Norwich may wish to look to Coventry when it comes to their valuation of the American, with Viktor Gyokeres’ sale a potential barometer for a player such as Sargent. A figure of just over £1 million was spent on Gyokeres, and he repaid the Sky Blues in spades with 43 goals and 17 assists in 116 matches in all competitions after an initial loan from Brighton.
By the time the 2022/23 season ended and when Coventry had cruelly been defeated in the Championship play-off final, Gyokeres was always likely to depart alongside fellow star Gustavo Hamer. He scored 22 and assisted a further 12 in 50 games during the 2022/23 campaign.
That transpired in early July after lengthy negotiations, when Sporting CP won the battle for the then 25-year-old’s services, with official documents in November revealing that an initial €20 million (£17.5 million) was paid for the forward, with an extra €4 million (£3.46 million) in potential add-ons.
Josh Sargent’s valuation
No one would argue that Sargent is set to have a similar trajectory to the big Swede, who has hit extraordinary heights for the Portuguese giants, but both provide more than just goals.
They have good hold up play and will stretch the pitch by running the channels and moving the opposition around to create spaces for their teammates. Even if Sargent is not on Gyokeres’ level, his skillset highlights the need for Norwich to stand firm and push for as much as possible, should they fail to gain promotion this season.
Gyokeres’ form validates the relevance of being a regular scorer in the Championship, which Sargent is proving to be and might see the fee for the American skyrocket, to possibly beyond what Cov themselves received. Gyokeres’ valuation has more than tripled in less than a full season with Sporting, and he is being linked to a host of elite sides across European football.
Gyokeres is evidence that there is a goldmine of talent in the second tier. Sargent himself, at 24, is a similar age to Gyokeres, and should command a similar fee in the summer, be that to move to Brentford or elsewhere. The Canaries will not wish to lose him, but can expect something in the region of £20-30 million at the very least for their vital marksmen.
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