Josh Sargent: The American international looking to fire Norwich City to promotion – scout report

After joining Norwich City in August last year from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, Josh Sargent seemingly struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League. After making his debut against Liverpool, Sargent scored his first and only Premier League goals in January 2022 in a game against Watford.

Finishing the season with 2 league goals to his name, the American international would have hoped to score more. The 2022/23 Championship season has got off to an explosive start for the young forward with 4 goals already. Norwich are looking to bounce back to the Premier League following their relegation and Sargent is looking like he could be the talisman they need.

This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of how Josh Sargent plays under manager Dean Smith. It will be a tactical analysis of the 22-year-old and the tactics used to get the best from him.

Player profile 

Sargent is developing into a real threat at the top end of the pitch. He has been utilised as a winger and as a 9. Most of his minutes in the Premier League switched between the two positions but this season, he has mostly been used as the frontman in Norwichs attack.

This season, over 70% of his minutes have been played as a 9 in Norwichs attack. In this campaign, the Canaries have used a 4-3-3 or a variation of this. This formation can lead to attacking isolation while playing as a solo striker. Sargent has adapted well and is able to get himself into games.

His position on the pitch is often seen to be in wide channels. This is down to his time deployed as a winger. Sargent likes to pick the ball up in these wider areas where he can get more time on the ball. As you can see on the heatmap, he is very comfortable dropping deep to receive the ball.