Hughton hails Van Wolfswinkel swoop

Norwich manager Chris Hughton has expressed joy at his club’s capture of striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

The Premier League club officially announced a deal with Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon for the Dutch striker last week, with Van Wolfswinkel to arrive at Carrow Road on July 1.

Hughton has praised his club for their initiative in securing the move and drawn attention to the 24-year-old’s finishing prowess ahead of the close-season switch.

“It’s a real exciting period for us and certainly we have to thank the club very much for their support and their ambition on this one,” Hughton told reporters.

“He fits the profile very well, in an area we wanted to bring in, in the forward area, there’s a wonderful goals record.

“And he also is of an age that there is still that development in him, so it’s a very exciting one for us and we certainly look forward to seeing him at the end of the season.”

The Norwich boss also responded to questions on how Van Wolfswinkel will improve his side, and commented that there is still room for the former FC Utrecht man to make progress in his game.

“We all know how difficult it is to bring in the right players and goals are so valuable to come by,” Hughton said.

“He is a player who wants to run forward, he is a player that wants to get into the box and as I said, he’s a player that very much has, because of his age, there’s still improvement in him. A real exciting prospect for us.”