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Harrison Reed joins Norwich on loan

By Nikos Lemanis

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Paddy McNair of Sunderland (L) shoots but has his shot blocked by Harrison Reed of Southampton (R) during the EFL Cup fourth round match between Southampton and Sunderland at St Mary's Stadium on October 26, 2016 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Paddy McNair of Sunderland (L) shoots but has his shot blocked by Harrison Reed of Southampton (R) during the EFL Cup fourth round match between Southampton and Sunderland at St Mary's Stadium on October 26, 2016 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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Southampton academy graduate Harrison Reed has signed a season long loan deal at Championship club Norwich City.

Saints disclosed the move this afternoon via Twitter, and the club go one to state that both they and Reed recognise that this is an ideal opportunity for him.

Reed has only made 17 appearances for Southampton over the past four seasons, and most of those came in the first two of those four. Having been the backbone of the under-23 team for a number of years, Reed has found it impossible to cement his place with the first team.

And because of that it is surprising to many that at the age of 22, this is Reed’s first loan deal.

Fans will be hoping that the opportunity to play at Championship level with a promotion-chasing club will be the platform that helps the young midfielder kick on.

Although he signed a new contract in December tying him to Southampton until 2021, this may be Reed’s last and best opportunity to prove that he’s worthy of the Saints squad.

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 18: Joshua King of AFC Bournemouth (L) is fouled by Harrison Reed of Southampton (R) during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Southampton at Vitality Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 18: Joshua King of AFC Bournemouth (L) is fouled by Harrison Reed of Southampton (R) during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Southampton at Vitality Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /

And Reed should be buoyed by Sam Gallagher’s experience at Blackburn last season.

Although Blackburn struggled in the Championship, Gallagher shined. His performances not only earned him recognition from both sets of fans, he was recently rewarded with a new contract at Southampton last week.

Commenting on Reed’s move to Norwich via the Southampton FC website, Vice Chairman (Football) Les Reed finished by stating:

“We look forward to welcoming him back at the end of the season.”

This suggests there are no current plans to make the move permanent, and that his progress will be monitored closely over the next year.

This is Southampton’s first outbound loan of the season, but unlikely to be the last. With a number of players on the fringe of the first team, it would be surprising if a few more names aren’t added to the loan list in the coming months.

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