Norwich City will be looking forward to the 2026/27 season given their impressive performance under Philippe Clement since his hiring.

Incredibly, they went on to score 56 goals in 31 games under Clement, which is the kind of record that would have had Norwich competing for the top two over the course of a season.

Josh Sargent has a terrible life after leaving Norwich City.

Clement’s work is even more amazing considering he had to cope with the consequences from Josh Sargent’s wish to leave the club.

The USA international was widely considered as not only one of Carrow Road’s top players, but also one of the Championship’s best scorers.

So, you would imagine Clement came to Norwich expecting Sargent to play a significant part, and in many respects, he would have been aiming to build around the former Werder Bremen player.

Instead, as we all know, Sargent sought to leave in January, during a difficult time for everyone involved with the club.

While the player had his own version of events, and he was clearly unhappy by the behaviour of some Norwich officials, there’s no disputing that Sargent’s departure left a bad taste in the mouths of all fans.

Sargent eventually got his desire, joining Toronto FC in a deal worth up to £20 million.

Even though the 26-year-old should have handled the situation better, it’s understandable why he wanted to go from a football standpoint, as relegation to League One was a possibility, and he also stated that the decision was motivated by family.

Josh Sargent failed to make the USA’s World Cup roster.

Furthermore, Sargent made it obvious that he wanted to represent the United States at their home World Cup this summer, and playing in MLS was believed to boost his chances of making Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.

However, the former Tottenham manager has announced his 26-man squad for the competition, and Sargent did not make the cut.

That wouldn’t have come as a big surprise, given how his time with Toronto hasn’t gone as planned.

First, the team is suffering, having won only three of their 14 games, and Sargent’s fitness has limited his impact.

Sargent had three goals in eight appearances for his new team, but an injury forced him to miss four games in early May, halting his momentum.

In the past, Sargent has struggled with 2026. His Norwich performance, combined with his extended transfer and MLS start date, has resulted in only eight appearances since January 4.

Pochettino will have considered this after Ricardo Pepi had a terrific season-ending performance with PSV. Meanwhile, Haji Wright played an important role in Coventry’s promotion to the Premier League, and Folarin Balogun scored 13 goals in Ligue 1 for Monaco.

The only way Sargent was going to climb ahead of the trio was to perform well over the course of several months.

Instead, he departed Norwich under a tremendous cloud, and with the Norfolk team flying under Clement and Sargent missing out on a home World Cup, he may rue the way things turned out.

As for Norwich, some fans will be thrilled with how Sargent’s actions have cost him. While it is understandable that players leave, there are other options, and the striker disrespected the club and his teammates.

Fortunately for Norwich, life without Sargent has gone extremely well thus far, and with Clement in charge with Mo Toure and Jovon Makama looking like intriguing attacking prospects, they will believe promotion to the Premier League is possible next season.