Norwich City secure loan signing of Scotland star Billy Gilmour from Chelsea
Norwich City have signed highly-rated midfielder Billy Gilmour on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The 20-year-old recently starred for Scotland against England at Euro 2020, with his performance against the Three Lions earning him rave reviews as well as the Man of the Match award.
That display only served to increase the interest in him further, with a number of Premier League clubs reportedly keen to take him on loan.
However, Norwich have won the race for his signature and Gilmour will now be hoping to become a regular in the heart of head coach Daniel Farke's midfield next season.
Gilmour made 11 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea last season, and was on the bench for their Champions League triumph over Manchester City in Porto.
The Scotland international has recently finished a period of self-isolation after testing positive for coronavirus following the goalless draw with England at Wembley.
“I’m very excited to be here. I can’t wait for the season ahead. I’ve been looking forward to coming here, playing as much as possible and helping Norwich City compete in the Premier League," Gilmour said.
“I spoke to the head coach. He called me and we had a nice talk about how he wants to play and how he sees me fitting in. Everything he said was what I want to do on the pitch, get the ball down and play nice football. He spoke really highly of his team and I wanted to come join here and help."
Head coach Daniel Farke said he was delighted to get his man, and hinted that Gilmour wouldn't the be the last central midfielder to arrive at Carrow Road this summer.
“We are really happy to have brought Billy in. We must say a big thank you to Chelsea and all those involved for making this deal happen," said Farke.
“I think it helped that in the past we have shown that young players with potential are in good hands here at Norwich City.
“We are delighted to bring Billy in because we’ve lost some players in that area. We’re looking to improve our options, particularly in the centre of the park, and for that we’re happy to bring Billy in.
“He will help us to achieve our targets. We still have to keep in mind that he is an unbelievably young guy and that he hasn’t played regularly on this level. We have to give him some time and space to improve and find his rhythm.
“All in all, we got the feeling that he can help us achieve our targets and he’s a perfect fit for us.”