Football News

Norwich City confirm first summer signing ahead of Premier League return

By Harry Edwards

Published: 17:44, 30 May 2019 | Updated: 23:45, 20 September 2022

Norwich City have confirmed the signing of Patrick Roberts from Manchester City, on a season-long loan.

The newly-promoted side will be back in the Premier League later in the year, and have wasted little time in bolstering their squad for the new campaign.

Roberts on his way to Norwich: Five key things to know…

  1. Patrick Roberts joined Manchester City from Fulham in 2015, though has made just three appearances for the first team.
  2. The Englishman has spent time on loan at Celtic and Girona, particularly impressing in Scotland.
  3. Roberts has just signed a new contract extension with City, keeping him tied to the club until 2022.
  4. And on the same day, Norwich City confirmed the signing of Roberts on a season-long loan deal.
  5. It will see Roberts return to the Premier League, where he has made three appearances for Fulham and City .

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Roberts, 22, joined Man City in 2015 from Fulham and has been already been on loan at Celtic and Girona – the latter having connections to his parent club.

After signing a new two-year contract extension with City, keeping him at the Etihad until 2022, Roberts is about to join his third loan club.

And the winger, whose move to Norwich was announced with a small nod to Love Island, is looking forward to the challenge in place at Carrow Road.

“It’s great to have the deal done,” he told the Canaries’ official website.

“I’ve known about the interest for a while.

“I’ve spoken to the manager [Daniel Farke] and sporting director Stuart Webber and it was clear in my mind that I wanted to come here this season.

“I had a few other offers, the same as last season. But speaking to Stuart, he said he’s been watching me for a while and he likes the way I play.

“The manager was very enthusiastic when he spoke to me. He really enjoys the way I play and that’s a big boost of confidence for me.

“It’s good to have someone in your corner to give you the belief and opportunity to play and in return I’ll give 100% to Norwich and everyone at the Club to repay that belief.”

Roberts’ excitement over the move was echoed by Norwich manager Farke, who will be looking to avoid the fate of Fulham and Cardiff City and keep their Premier League place for more than one season.

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Farke added: “I’m very pleased with this signing. We made it clear that we need players with quality and good character.

“They both relate to Patrick. We have been following him for a couple of seasons. He was outstanding at Celtic but we had no chance to sign him then.

“Last season in Spain was a good experience for him. He is very skilful and down-to-earth, humble and modest.

“He is desperate to wear the yellow and green shirt and he has already proved he can play at a high level. He is a perfect fit for us.”

Patrick Roberts on his Spanish experience

Though some clubs receive a lot of criticism for constantly loaning young stars out across Europe, the players themselves can get valuable experience of different footballing cultures.

Spending the 2018/19 season in La Liga with Girona, Roberts played 21 games though only amassed 640 minutes – averaging just over 30 minutes per appearance.

But Roberts will look back on his time in Spain fondly, for the learning experience it gave him.

“I learned a little bit of Spanish and a lot about a different culture,” he said.

“It’s a different way of life and playing out there in general and they are all good things for me to experience at this age.

“Coming to another club is another step for me and hopefully I can learn from those experiences and bring them to the team at Norwich.”