Johannes Hoff Thorup has revealed that he would like to see Lewis Dobbin return to Norwich City next season.
The Aston Villa forward was brought to the club on loan in January, replacing the unutilised Kaide Gordon midseason, and made a strong impact alongside Canaries standouts Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent.
“I Think It’s Realistic”
Dobbin’s season was curtailed in The Canaries’ most recent match against Blackburn Rovers, with the 22-year-old suffering a calf strain. He played a total of 11 games at Carrow Road since his midseason switch from West Bromwich Albion, and scored twice, against Stoke City and Swansea City.
Speaking to the Pink ‘Un about the potential for him to return to Norwich beyond this season, Johannes Hoff Thorup said:
“Of course. We have to wait and see what things will be going on this summer.
“For him, he could see that that he was developing, and he was doing it fast. He was actually doing very, very well here towards the end based on 10 games, which is positive. I think what he gave to the team in many ways was really positive.
“We will sit down with him and his agents and his people to go through if there are any opportunities for him to actually stay with us, continue, or be here on a loan spell next season. I think it’s realistic that we have those conversations.”
Writer’s View
Lewis Dobbin did look like a good compliment to the potency of Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent and whilst Ante Crnac is a more than capable replacement, it is still a tough blow for Norwich. He seemed to impress the coaching staff in a way his predecessor in Kaide Gordon didn’t, and was rewarded with regular starts. His Aston Villa future is still up in the air and could be over depending on what Unai Emery opts to do with Marcus Rashford, Marcos Asensio and even Louie Barry, whose season at Hull City also came to a premature end. It would be silly for Johannes Hoff Thorup not to try and pursue a second agreement with the Premier League side over the summer.
