Reports suggest Norwich City could let Steven Naismith leave on a free – and Sunderland should not let this opportunity pass them by.
Norwich City may have shelled out £8.5 million to bring Steven Naismith to Carrow Road just 16 months ago but, according to the Scottish Sun, the Championship club may be willing to let him go on a free.
The Canaries are certainly embarking on wide-spread changes both behind the scenes and in the squad. The arrival of much-heralded Director of Football, Stuart Webber, has coincided with seven senior players being released by the club, including long-serving goalkeeper John Ruddy and experienced defenders Sebastian Bassong and Michael Turner.
And the Scottish Sun reports that cutting their ties with Naismith, who earns £50,000 a week, will save the club £5 million over the final two years of his contract. Add to this the fact that the 30-year-old has been far from his best this season, netting just five times in 29 Championship appearances, and suddenly the decision appears to make some sense.
And while Naismith may no longer be needed at Norwich, the possibility of signing the talented Scot on a free will certainly appeal to number of their promotion rivals – including recently relegated Sunderland.
The Daily Mail reported that the Black Cats wanted to take Naismith on loan in the summer and his eye for goal and intelligence between the lines would surely have given the blunt Wearsiders some much needed cutting edge.
A year on, with Jermain Defoe, Fabio Borini, Wahbi Khazri all expected to leave and loanee Adnan Januzaj (below) returning to Manchester United, making Naismith a priority appears all the more essential.
Manager David Moyes, after all, knows just how effective Naismith can be on form. The 54-year-old brought the Scottish international to Everton in 2012 following Rangers’ financial crisis and, five years on, he could be a stand-out solution for his cash-strapped Sunderland side.
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