Norwich City: Ex-West Ham man Jack Collison on Vicente Reyes

The ex-West Ham midfielder coached Reyes during his time as head coach of Atlanta United 2 as recently as October 2022, playing a major role in the teenager's development during his time in the US. 

Norwich have monitored Reyes for a prolonged period both in his matches for Chile's youth side and whilst playing in the USL Championship under Collison. 

Reyes' move to City was officially confirmed last week and he will be handed an opportunity in pre-season to train alongside their senior stable of goalkeepers, including Angus Gunn and Tim Krul. 

Collison believes the young shot-stopper has made the best next step in his development by joining Norwich. 

"I think it’s going to be amazing and it's a great opportunity for him to go and make a big name for himself," the former West Ham man said.

"I played in England my whole career, and I understand what football means to that country. This is the next step for your development, and you are going to acquire new skills to add to your resource list.

"Norwich is a really good club, they spent a lot of money on the infrastructure and they have a new training ground. It is a very good environment for him to learn, since he will be surrounded by great people there.

"If he goes out on loan first, or if he plays for the under 21s, we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m sure his time will come.

"He is now taking the step of leaving his entire family and everything he has experienced from a very young age to go to another country. He will have that ambition, drive, desire and the conditions at a club with such incredible facilities that will allow him to develop even further.

"I know he has clear goals for himself and he’s going to want to surpass himself, until he makes his first team debut one day."

Breaking into the first team at Norwich is just one of Reyes' ambitions for the future as he seeks to push his way into Chile's senior international squad. 

He impressed at the under-20 World Cup earlier this summer - where members of City's recruitment team were in attendance - and is highly rated by those in Chile's football system. 

Jack Collison in action versus Norwich City back in 2013. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Collison believes Reyes' attributes make him an attractive player for European clubs - revealing that he thinks his skillset will help him reach the heights of the game. 

“He is a goalkeeper with an enormous potential," Collison told Euro ES Sport. 

"Vicente is in the mould of today’s goalkeeper: he is very good with his feet and feels comfortable playing. Last year we were impressed with his ability to play away from goal. Today we see Ederson, who can play a ball behind the four defenders with ease, and Vicente can not only do it through the game but he can also solve problems under pressure. That is really impressive.

"The best thing about him, which is probably his biggest improvement in development, is shot stopping. Last season he was phenomenal in a very difficult league and with a young group. He obviously played a lot, so he had the chance to showcase his skills most weeks against some of the best clubs and some of the best players, and I think that worked to his advantage.

"I am sure that in the long term, he will be the number one goalkeeper in Chile because I know that he really enjoyed the trips he had to the country. He’s done very well in some big games. All that experience of going abroad and playing international football is going to help him grow and improve. I’m sure he has the ambition to play at the highest level possible and that would certainly be to represent his country.

"He has attributes of many of the best goalkeepers, which is why Norwich have identified Vicente. He has earned it with his raw material and with everything he already has. I hope he can continue and develop. I will follow his career very closely."

- We spoke to Dynamo Tblisi’s Lead Chilean Scout Jakub Szewczyk to learn more about the Canaries’ new goalkeeper - watch that chat below