Aston Villa have confirmed that Lewis Dobbin has joined Norwich City on loan for the rest of the season after being recalled from his stint at West Bromwich Albion.
The 22-year-old arrived from Everton last summer, but after a brief spell with the first-team squad during our pre-season preparations, he joined the Baggies on loan for the season in August.
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However, his time at the Hawthorns hasn’t gone to plan, as he was limited to 18 appearances and just 397 minutes of football, and so Villa have opted to try and find a more suitable spot for him.
As per the club’s statement, Dobbin has returned from West Brom and has now joined Norwich on loan until the end of the season, and so it’s hoped that this switch proves to be more productive for him.
Ultimately, it’s in everyone’s best interests for the forward to shine while out on loan, as it gives him the opportunity to improve and develop his game, while Villa will keep a close eye on his progress either with a view of integrating him into Unai Emery’s squad next season, or to maximise his value with a future sale in mind as we continue to try and balance our books.
With that in mind, it would be ideal if Dobbin is able to find some form and score goals consistently in the second half of the campaign at Carrow Road, and his situation will undoubtedly be assessed in the summer to determine what the best next step is for him and the club.
Villa will likely have a similar decision to make on the likes of Louie Barry and Samuel Iling-Junior this month, and so it all forms part of our overall transfer strategy in the January window as Emery looks to not only strengthen his current squad for the short-term future, but also keep one eye on the longer-term picture and continue to assemble a group of players capable of competing at the top level in the coming years.
