Norwich City: Emmanuel Adegboyega's Walsall loan assessed

How do you sum up the loan spell overall?

It was short, but it was very, very sweet. Walsall were looking at him even before he moved to Norwich, and clearly Manny felt that the prospect of joining a Championship club was a brighter one.

You can clearly see that there's some talent about the lad. For the first few weeks he wasn't really getting a look in, he made his debut from the bench in a 4-0 loss to Southampton in the FA Cup.

In the league he had to bide his time, and one of the things that Mat Sadler praised him for was his attitude in that period. It took an injury to get him his league debut, and he got caught out for the first goal but that didn't phase him.

After that he just seemed to go from strength to strength.

He scored several goals early on in the loan spell. What sort of goals were they and how did that develop?

It was definitely a case of being a fox in the box. The goal against Mansfield was a near post header into the far corner. Walsall have had a great record from set-pieces this season and he was a beneficiary of that.

His goal against Morecambe was from a second ball, where he was there to tap in the rebound. For the goal against Accrington he was there at the back post for a set-piece again.

So he's established himself as someone who can put the ball in the back of the net from set-piece situations and be an aerial presence inside the box. He's definitely got those predatory instincts.

The centre-back developed a taste for goals in the west midlands (Image: Newsquest Library)

What sort of style do Walsall play, and how well did he adapt?

Mat Salder's very much a manager who likes his wide centre-backs to push on and link the play, and Adegboyega thrived in that role really.

You could see his midfield background, he used that experience to his advantage. His passing range was impressive; there was an assist for the goal against Salford late in the season. That was a fantastic raking long ball, so he's clearly got that in his locker.

He adapted to the system well, and that back three especially. His introduction coincided with six consecutive wins, and he was very important to that run as well.

In his first four games he scored three goals, but in the game he didn't score he also helped Walsall keep Walsall's only away clean sheet of the season and was really impressive in a 2-0 win over Harrogate.

You could tell there was still some rawness to his game, which a loan spell at Walsall will have helped with, but you just got the sense that there was a player with a promising future there.

Walsall boss Mat Sadler was a big fan of Adegboyega (Image: PA)

How likely is he to be able to make the step up to the Championship with Norwich?

It's difficult to gauge whether he could make that step up from League Two, but I think his performances bode well. He is destined for a career at a higher level than Walsall, where he came in and got into a back line that was really settled.

That speaks volumes about him and the quality that he has. Towards the end of the season there was a game against Doncaster where he looked off the pace and he was brought out of the side, only playing 20 minutes of the last four games.

But whether it's right now or in another season's time, there is a player there who will be playing at a higher level and will probably be at the level to play in the Championship.

Is this definitely the end with him and Walsall, or would they like him back?

It's not something that I've heard a great deal, although I can imagine they'd love him back. But in terms of any discussions, I've not heard anything at all.

One thing that definitely went in Walsall's favour was that they had already been tracking him and that enabled them to do a bit of due diligence, and his character was great. He fitted in right from the start and was always great to deal with.

I can imagine they would be more than happy to welcome him back.