Even last season, after Norwich had been relegated to the Championship, the US international remained rough around the edges.
Yet over the course of the last eight months, Sargent has matured into arguably the best all-round forward in the division. His clinical proficiency and tactical awareness should guarantee the Canaries a significant profit on the 9.5m euros they paid Werder Bremen.
If, that is, he doesn't fire them to promotion himself.
Since the 24-year-old returned from ankle surgery in late December, he had scored ten goals in 14 matches ahead of the weekend's fixtures.
Prior to suffering that injury against Huddersfield in August, he'd bagged three in four and recently overtook Leicester's Jamie Vardy as the player with the best goals-to-minutes ratio in the Championship.
Sargent's importance to Norwich is illustrated by the fact that David Wagner's side averaged 1.2 points per game during the forward's 20-game absence. Upon his return, that figure rocketed to 2.05 - better than the seasonal average of fourth-placed Southampton.
"It's not a secret how our form went without him in the team," admitted Norwich right-back Jack Stacey.
This story is from the March 31, 2024 edition of The Football League Paper.
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This story is from the March 31, 2024 edition of The Football League Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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