Schalke O4 and Turkey center-back Ozan Kabak has joined Norwich City on a season-long loan, the Bundesliga and Premier League sides have confirmed.
Daniel Farke’s men confirmed the deal on Monday, with the newly-promoted side retaining the option to buy for a reported £12million (€14m) at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
The 21-year-old defender becomes another name on Norwich’s growing list of acquisitions as they seek to retain their Premier League status despite starting the season on poor form.
Kabak spent the second half of the last campaign at Liverpool amid their shortage of center-backs, appearing 13 times in all competitions for the reds.
Kabak played for Liverpool for half of last season joining the Reds on loan in January 2021. | PHOTO: Getty Images |
The Turkey defender, who made the final squad for Euro 2020 in June, ranked third among Jurgen Klopp’s defenders to play more than 10 games for passing accuracy, completing 87.5 percent of his passes.
The Schalke loanee also sat third among club charts for blocks and fourth for tackles with seven blocks and 25 tackles.
Liverpool however, did not hold him at the end of the season due to the high number of players in the same position that Jurgen Klopp holds with the return of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip all coming back from injury spells.
Upon joining the Canaries on loan, Kabak told the club’s official website: “I’m very happy to be a part of this family. I’m looking forward to playing in front of the fans and getting some points.
“I spoke with the head coach and I’m really impressed by his project and what he said to me. I believe in him and his project.
Ozan Kabak with a Norwich kit after signing for the Canaries. | PHOTO: Courtesy |
“I played in the Premier League last year and I really enjoyed it. So, I want to play again and that’s why I’m here. I want to play in the Premier League and to give something to the team.
“I’m looking forward to playing in front of the fans with this jersey. We will work hard to get some wins and take some points to make our fans happy.”
Norwich has lost all their three first fixtures in the Premier League, losing 3-0 to former Kabak’s side Liverpool in the opener at Carrow Road before traveling to Manchester City where they were battered 5-0 by Pep Guardiola’s side. Despite fighting back in the third fixture against Leicester City, the Canaries once again lost in front of their home fans at Carrow Road, losing by a small margin of 2-1.
Kabak’s debut will have to wait till after the international break and he might make his debut for Norwich on Saturday, 11 September when they travel to London to take on bottom side Arsenal at the Emirates stadium.
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