The summer transfer window has recently opened and while the recently crowned Premier League champions have a squad chock full of talent, there is still a few holes that need filling.
One of them is a back up for the tireless workhorse in Andy Robertson. While Jurgen Klopp has called on stopgap measures within the squad whenever Robbo needs a week-earned break, it is always handy to have a specialist in that position.
A player that has been linked of late is Jamal Lewis from Norwich. The 22 year-old former Luton junior arrived at the Canaries since 2014 and his talent was highlighted when he was selected in the Championship team of the year for the 2018/9 season.
This season Lewis made 28 appearances in the league and another four in the FA Cup.
Someone who has seen the rise of the Northern Irish international rise through the ranks is Connor Southwell who was the first fan correspondent for the TLW Opposition View series last August.
Writing in his article for The Pinkun, Southwell gave a in-depth report of the season by Lewis.
“Lewis’ rise in particular has been meteoric. Prior to his arrival at Carrow Road, the left-back wasn’t even convinced that football was the path he wanted to pursue.
"Fast forward three years and the 22-year-old has 100 games under his belt and is a fully-fledged Northern Irish international.
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"This season has seen City’s stars suffer a series of setbacks - adversity and the Premier League often go hand in hand, Lewis had to cope with injury, losing his position in the side and facing players with similar athletic qualities to him.
“Rolling with the punches is an intrinsic part of an academy graduate’s education - prior to this season, Lewis’ only first-team experiences had been positive.
"In the long-term, the lessons learned this season will help to further refine the full-back’s game.
"His ball retention and combination play on the left side helped City possess a relative amount of solidity down that flank in the second half of the season.
“Adaptation to a division that prevented Lewis from gallivanting forward at every opportunity proved testing. A trip to Turf Moor in September saw the crowd pick on the Luton-born left-back, every pass was the subject of ridicule, the scrutiny was something Lewis hadn’t been forced to contend with in his career to date.
“Lewis has been forced to learn to become more balanced in his approach. From attacking at will and possessing an advanced position, to suddenly having to pick his moments to support attacks and being alert to the risk of being caught on the counter.
“The high point of the season on a personal basis was undoubtedly his volley in the Canaries’ 1-0 victory over Leicester City - his first ever league goal for City.
"The second half of the season saw a series of more composed and balanced performances from Lewis. Endeavour is never in short supply - but improvement in the final third will be next on the agenda for the youngster.
Additionally, Connor told TLW that Lewis may not be the right purchase for Jurgen Klopp at this point of time.
“I don’t think he’s quite ready for the step up yet. He’s 22 and still has plenty of potential to grow into.
"I don’t think he’s quite effective enough for an attacking sense, but the way in which Liverpool play their full-backs could benefit him. I couldn’t really comment on his crossing because it’s not something that Norwich do a lot of.
“Defensively, he’s better than Max Aarons. In a 1v1, he’s very competent and his athleticism does give him an edge against opponents. I think he could develop further under Klopp, but the key right now is getting a good amount of game time.”
That is the main issue when finding someone to play the back-up role, especially someone like Lewis who will undoubtedly be excited by the idea of joining the best team in England and learning from one of worlds best left-backs in Robertson, but clearly regular minutes will be at a premium.
Certainly it is a interesting conundrum for the youngster.
The two teams will no doubt squabble over a fee for a period of time but you sense they will eventually meet somewhere in the middle.
And in this Covid impacted market, it could be a smart bit of business for all concerned.
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