Josh Sargent was rewarded on Friday with Norwich City’s Player of the Month honor for August and the U.S. men’s national team striker followed up that honor by delivering a Man of the Match performance in Saturday’s league win.
Sargent scored once and assisted once in the Canaries’ 3-0 EFL Championship victory over Coventry City, continuing a strong run of form this summer. The USMNT forward has now scored five goals in his last four appearances for Dean Smith’s side, remaining in the starting lineup despite Teemu Pukki’s return to action.
“Getting as many goals and assists you can as a forward only helps your confidence, so hopefully I can take that into the next game,” Sargent said postmatch. “It felt really good to win [the club’s Player of the Month award for August], big thanks obviously to the team for helping out with that and thanks to the fans.
“It’s a great achievement and hopefully I can carry that confidence into the next month,” he added.
Pukki opened the scoring at Carrow Road in the 14th minute, before Sargent doubled Norwich City’s advantage before halftime. Aaron Ramsay’s cross into the center of the box was slotted home by Sargent, giving the hosts an added lead before the interval.
Sargent’s impressive afternoon was capped off by his assist to Kieran Dowell in the 81st minute, sealing a 3-0 home win and a fifth-consecutive overall victory for the Canaries. The 23-year-old also won three duels, created two chances, completed one dribble, and one tackle.
“I thought Josh Sargent was a real goal-scoring threat as well and that is really important for us, that were chipping in from everyone,” Smith said.
Norwich City’s latest victory propelled it to the top of the EFL Championship table, sitting on 16 points through eight matches. Sargent’s stellar run of form has continued to boost his stock for international duty this September, with Gregg Berhalter’s side preparing to face Japan and Saudi Arabia in their final pre-World Cup friendlies.
The Canaries next travel to Burnley on Sept. 9 before taking on Bristol City and West Bromwich Albion to close out their monthly schedule.
Wasn’t Sargent used primarily out wide last year and is now playing more centrally?
That is an actual question since I have not seen any of Norwich’s games this year, only a few highlights.
He was back on the wing yesterday. Pukki their regular CF picked up an injury and Josh moved centrally until he was back to full fitness.
A couple weeks back in an article about the USMNTs internal striker battle I’d mentioned that IMO Sargent was the most complete striker we had in the pool; Technical ability, smart runs, combination play, size and speed. All that he was lacking was a confidence in front of goal. Sargent is currently showing that his confidence is back and growing. Yes it’s still early in the season and he’s again being pushed out more as a winger than a CF, but he’s still scoring goals and generating assists.
With Ferreira and Sargent in type of form they’re currently in it’s hard to imagine either being left off the plane to Qatar. I still expect a 3rd striker to be brought…so there is still a coin toss as to which of Pefolk, Wright, or the MLS kid Vázquez will make the cut.
He keeps up this form and he might get Premeir league interest in January. Yes it’s the Championship, but scoring consistently in the Championship is still not easy.
Norwich leads the Championship at the moment, and Sargent’s form is the biggest reason why. You can make a very good argument he’s the best player on the best team in the league.
The guy is genuinely that good right now. It’s not a mirage. He’s got every skill you want – he always did, the sum just wasn’t equaling the whole of the parts with him. He’d do all the right things but for whatever reason he’d get himself into perfect position and scuff from three feet in front of the net. You could see he had a mentality problem.
The only remaining question in my head is: is he done with all that? There’s absolutely zero doubt he’ll get a callup in September and he well could start, though I was watching Ferreira and FC Dallas last night and there’s little doubt Ferreira’s another guy at the top of his game right now too. But Sargent’s in a class unto himself talentwise right now if he continues to play to that level.
At the very least you know Leeds will be interested. A big, strong, fast, pressing, in-form striker who fits what Marsch does to a “T”? You know Leeds will be inquiring. But I suspect there’s going to be a fair number of others as well, and the interest could well come from Champions League level squads this time around if he keeps playing like he has.
2021 Norwich won the Championship by 12 pts.
2019 Norwich won Championship by 15 pts. Pukki scored 55 g in those two seasons combined. Josh is certainly a big part to their success but they would have risen eventually to the top.
If, as you say, Josh is the best player on the best team in the league then they sure as hell won’t let him go in January. And they most likely will want to keep him around long enough to insure they at least have a shot at staying in the EPL.
Whatever those teams offer ( and Man U. already spent their 100 million for a forward), it won’t be worth to Norwich what promotion would be worth or staying up would be worth.
And keeping both Pukki and Josh is one of the best ways Norwich can insure promotion. And if one is let go it may be Pukki who is older.
Unless Josh has a reasonable release clause, and I don’t know if he does, it’s going to cost you to get Josh from Norwich, if he keeps this up. I doubt Leeds will be able to afford him.
No way on earth Norwich disrupts their push for promotion to sell Sarge. That’s crazy.
Agree they won’t wanna, but they still do have Pukki…and money talks. They sell Sargent for enough they might actually stay up this time if they can use him to bring in some key guys elsewhere.
They’ll keep him through the end of the season unless someone throws crazy money at them. Norwich’s model is go up/get relegated/get balloon payment/go up/get relegated/get balloon payment. Be strong enough to dominate Championship but don’t spend enough to stay up.