Norwich City midfielder Tom Trybull has joined Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan.
The German becomes Blackburn's second signing of deadline day, following the arrival of Leeds United full-back Barry Douglas, and fifth new recruit of the summer.
Trybull joined the Canaries in 2017 from Dutch side ADO Den Haag, and has made 80 appearances in his time at Carrow Road. He featured regularly in the 2018-19 season, when City stormed back to the Premier League, and started every game from January before injury ruled him out for the final games of the season.
He made 20 appearances during the last campaign, and was the club's most accurate passer (92.5%), but could not stop City being relegated back to the second tier after just one season. He has yet to feature for the club this season.
A divisive deal
For Trybull, the move to Lancashire is fuelled by a desire for more first-team football. The 27-year old had fallen out of favour with manager Daniel Farke and had been pushed down the pecking order by the host of new arrivals brought in over the summer. According to the Pink'Un, Trybull was told he was free to leave the club if a move became available.
This deal therefore presents a real chance to play regular football, at a level at which Trybull has more than proven himself in his three years in England. Furthermore, should this deal not be made permanent come the end of the season, at the very least it presents a new opportunity for Trybull to force his way back into Daniel Farke's future plans, given he is still under contract at Norwich until 2022.
For Rovers too, this is good business. The capture of a proven, no-nonsense defensive midfielder gives the squad quality and a like-for-like alternative for Lewis Travis. Trybull reads the game well and protects the backline, offering a solidity which Championship clubs often need. After a solid start to the season, this only further states the club's intentions. Tony Mowbray's men sit sixth in the table after four games, and are unbeaten since opening day ahead of the visit of struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
For Norwich, however, the deal has divided opinion. After a frenetic start to the transfer window, the last few weeks have been much quieter in Norfolk. In the eyes of the club's hierarchy, the move is a sensible one. Trybull was, save an injury crisis, unlikely to play, so selling him and lessening his financial burden makes good business sense.
But as many fans have been quick to point out, loaning Trybull - or 'Tommy T' as he was affectionately known - to a fellow Championship club, raises eyebrows. Whilst there is a general consensus that loaning Trybull is sensible, to do it to a rival club is questionable. City currently sit 17th in the table, and although early season form is rarely much to go by, many fans have questioned the logic behind selling a popular player to a club that could well rival Norwich's promotion ambitions this season.
Although the Pink'Un also reports that Trybull is likely to be ineligible against his parent club when they meet in December, should he feature regularly his impact throughout the season could well come back to haunt the Canaries should Blackburn win promotion at their expense.
"I want to be part of a team with big ambitions"
Speaking to the club after his arrival at Ewood Park, Trybull spoke of his ambitions of returning to the Premier League:
“I am very happy and delighted to be a Rovers player, and very proud to be joining such a big club. Last season the team showed the sort of football they wanted to play and were very close to the play-off positions for a long time.
"The ambitions for this season is one of the main reasons why I wanted to come to Rovers. I want to push for the big goal and be a part of it.
"Obviously the Premier League is the best league in the world and is something I have experienced already in my career. I want to prove again that I can be a crucial part in a team that achieves that goal of reaching the Premier League. I want to be part of a team with big ambitions and Rovers is a big club who wants to push to reach the target of the Premier League."