Norwich new signing Danel Sinani helpless to help club beat drop as he is barred from playing until next season
NO ONE will be hoping Norwich pull off a great escape more than their new signing Danel Sinani.
The Canaries agreed the free transfer of the 23-year-old striker with Luxembourg champions F91 Dudelange in April.
However, Sinani cannot play for the club before the start of the 2020-21 season.
So Daniel Farke’s outfit are unable to call on the Luxembourg international as they bid to avoid relegation when they kick-start their campaign at home to Southampton on Friday evening.
The Canaries sit bottom of the Premier League, six points from safety with nine games left.
Sinani admitted he will be keeping a close eye on results to see if he will be playing in the top flight next season — or down in the Championship.
He said: “Mathematically it’s still possible. This season Norwich played an exciting brand of football at times but they have been very unlucky most of the time.
“Very often they didn’t get the results their good performance deserved and had nothing to show for their efforts in the end.
‘INCREDIBLY TOUGH’
“Their league position does not reflect their true value.
“Deep down I hope they stay up but it will be incredibly tough.”
Sinani could become the first Luxembourg international to play in the Premier League if Norwich do beat the drop.
The left-footed ace is hoping he does not follow the path of his compatriots who tried and failed in England.
He added: “Premier League or Championship, it doesn’t make a difference for me!
“I want to play in the Premier League but that’s normal I guess, because there are better players and you come up against better opponents.
“In the Championship teams go about things differently, set up differently and play in a different way but I am prepared.
“Having said that, on a personal note it won’t matter if it is Premier League or Championship because I want to make an impact wherever I am.
“All I want is to make an impact and for Norwich to do well. And I am sure I will do well.”
Luxembourger winger Yannick Bastos joined Bolton in January 2014 aged 19 but was released in September that year.
And defender Enes Mahmutovic signed for Middlesbrough in May 2017 — also when just 19-years-old — and has spent this season on loan with Dutch second division side Maastricht.
Sinani added: “It is true both of them didn’t enjoy much success.
“But I am a person who does not think about other players and how they fared, if they played well or badly.
“I am only focused on myself. My goal has always been to get as far as I possibly can in the game and test my limits.”
In addition to scoring 14 goals in 16 league appearances for Dudelange this season, Sinani hit four in the Europa League group stage with braces against Apoel Nicosia and Sevilla.
And the striker believes his experiences in Europe have prepared him for the scrappiness of the Championship if Norwich do go down.
He said: “Look, you can’t compare Luxembourg to England but even in Luxembourg I always got rough treatment. I know in England it will be even worse because defenders are tough and known for uncompromising tackles and tight marking.
FOOTBALL NEWS
“When I played in the Europa League, the match officials did not often give us a foul.
“I can use that experience in the Championship, where refs don’t punish many fouls.
“That will serve me well in England because I learned I cannot go to ground too easily and need to deal with it as best I can.”