Norwich manager Philippe Clement has revealed that Josh Sargent has refused to play against Walsall in the FA Cup on Sunday.
After the 5-1 win in the third round, the Belgian revealed that the American had sent him a text message the night before the game telling him he was unavailable.
3
The US international is not injured and it could have something to do with an offer that was just made by Toronto.
Fabrizio Romano reports that the MLS side has presented the Canaries with an offer of $18 million for Sargent.
That equates to just under £13.5m, a gain on the £8m they spent to sign him from German club Werder Bremen in the summer of 2021.
However, the club has no intention of letting him go during this time.
The 25-year-old has scored 56 goals in 157 appearances for Norwich, seven of which have come this season.
He started with five goals out of four, but has since scored just two goals in the Championship.
However, with Norwich embroiled in a relegation battle to avoid having to play in League One next year, they could use Sargent in their battle to avoid relegation.
As a full American international, the striker has the experience and quality to make a difference for Clement’s team.
But it looks like his future lies not in Norfolk, but in North America.
Clemens lays down the law
At his post-match press conference, the Belgian said: “Josh sent me a message.” [on Saturday] In the evening he said he wasn’t available because transfer matters were on his mind.
3
“This is obviously not something we want and there will be consequences.”
“We need to talk about this within the club, but the club have made it clear to Josh and his agent that he will not be leaving during this transfer window.”
What happens next?
Clement confirmed in a separate interview with the BBC that Sargent was not injured.
The Belgian said of Sargent: “He wasn’t injured. We’ll talk at the club later in the week about what to do with it.”
His contract doesn’t expire until 2028, but now that he has taken this stance, the club must make a decision about his future.
3
However, Norwich didn’t miss him too much on Sunday as Jovon Makama scored a hat-trick, making him their top scorer this season with 12 goals.
And after the game, Clement praised the young striker.
He said: “Jovon is making great progress.
“The staff works a lot with him, as well as with the other players, and works out all the details on how to get better.”
“He has already scored more goals [this season] when he scored in the lower league last season [with Lincoln] and that is positive.
“He has to maintain this hunger and desire to improve in every detail of his game because he is still a young player who has a lot to learn, but he shows good potential and I am happy about that.”
Norwich’s victory was marred by the death of a supporter as a result of a medical emergency towards the end of the game.