Billy Gilmour made 11 appearances for Chelsea last season and was handed his full Scotland debut in their Euro 2020 draw with England at Wembley; Norwich head coach Daniel Farke describes midfielder as a "perfect fit" for Canaries
Saturday 3 July 2021 12:19, UK
Norwich have signed Chelsea and Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour on a season-long loan.
The 20-year-old made 11 appearances for Chelsea last season as they finished fourth in the Premier League and won their second Champions League title.
Gilmour also burst onto the international scene during Euro 2020, producing a man-of-the-match performance on his full Scotland debut in the goalless draw against England at Wembley.
"I'm very excited to be here," the midfielder said.
"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, who has just completed a 10-day period of self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 while with Scotland, says a discussion with Norwich head coach Daniel Farke convinced him to join the Canaries.
"He called me and we had a nice talk about how he wants to play and how he sees me fitting in," he added.
"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.
"There are very exciting times ahead, coming in for pre-season and seeing all the lads. Let's get to it."
Chelsea see the youngster's long-term future at Stamford Bridge but view the move to the Canaries as ideal in order to gain regular first-team football next season.
Farke described Gilmour as a "perfect fit" for Norwich both as a footballer and with relation to his character.
"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," Farke said.
"I think it helped that in the past we have shown that young players with potential are in good hands here at Norwich City."
Norwich's return to the Premier League will begin with Liverpool visiting Carrow Road on the opening day of the season, live on Sky Sports.
