Fan Take: Could Grant Holt Be Norwich City’s Most Important Summer Signing?

Posted Tuesday, July 17, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

Norwich City striker Grant Holt is not technically a new signing at Carrow Road. But getting him to sign a new contract was a very important piece of business. It was a conclusion that was unlikely after Holt handed in a transfer request at the end of last season.

Nevertheless, everyone connected with Norwich City is now just delighted that Holt has signed that new deal and committed his future to the club. It was always a difficult situation to read into exactly what happened that resulted in that transfer request.

When it was confirmed that the rumour was correct; it shocked the majority of Norwich fans and was the last thing we expected to hear. There is certainly the argument that Norwich would have been better off selling Holt than keeping an unhappy player.

But the situation has now been resolved, and the player can get back to planning for the new season. Grant hit 15 Premier League goals last season and will be hoping for a similar return in the new campaign.

The goals proved to be very important to keep Norwich clear of relegation trouble, and there are doubts on every other professional striker. Steve Morison had a solid first season in the Premier League by scoring nine goals, but he isn't adored by every Norwich City supporter.

This is mainly because he doesn't seem to have the same work rate as Grant Holt, and some supporters think this is due to laziness. I think most supporters like Simeon Jackson, but it is questionable how many goals he will score at Premier League level.

James Vaughan has the quality to be a threat at this level, but there are continued concerns about him being ruled out with lengthy injuries. And Chris Martin doesn't appear to the ability to play at this level.

Therefore, the loss of Holt had the potential to have a disastrous impact for Norwich City. Nevertheless, Chris Hughton may feel he needs to further strengthen his attacking options to ensure there is no issue with goals. But he will also be looking for contributions from other areas of the pitch.