Steven Naismith to Norwich: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

Norwich City have officially announced the signing of Steven Naismith, as the Canaries were finally able to prise their long-term transfer target from Everton.

Naismith's arrival was confirmed on Twitter:

According to BBC Sport's Simon Stone, the fee was £8.5 million, and that offer reportedly followed the Toffees' previous rejection of a £7 million bid from Norwich in the summer.

During an interview with Ben Mouncer of the Canaries' official website, Naismith explained the decision to leave Everton for Norwich:

"

Where I was in my career, the age I am and the way the first half of the season has gone for me, I had to think a lot about the future.

When January came, it was a case of knowing exactly where I stood and the manager at Everton was good and said that he'd listen to whatever I wanted. 

Norwich have displayed class in the way they've done their business all the way through, and they've been very persistent. 

They've been fantastic in the sense of showing how much they wanted me, and I'm delighted to be here.

"

Everton manager Roberto Martinez also weighed in on the move, via the Toffees' official Twitter account:

The 29-year-old moved from Rangers to England in 2012 and made an immediate impact as a super-sub before seeing his role expand in the following seasons. A natural striker, he has also been used as a midfielder and winger, where his tenacity and dynamic playing style make him very difficult to defend against.

He hasn't been used as often during the 2015-16 campaign, however, and has barely seen the pitch since suffering an injury in October. Per WhoScored.com, he's scored just three goals this Premier League season, all of which came in one match against Chelsea.

BT Sport's Jake Humphrey likes the signing, although he still wants to see more from the Canaries:

Naismith is a dynamic forward whose high work rate and constant movement will open up lots of space for team-mates, but he's hardly a consistent scorer. He hasn't scored double-digit goals in any competition in a season since moving to England, and he's unlikely to do so for Norwich.

That doesn't make this a bad signing at all―he will undoubtedly make the Canaries a better team, and he could play a big role in their bid to avoid relegation. But ideally, the club would complement his signing with an out-and-out forward who scores at a higher rate.

Everton lose a valuable depth player who was unlikely to regain his starting position because of the strong form of Gerard Deulofeu and Kevin Mirallas. But at the reported fee, it's a deal the Toffees had to make, and given they signed Naismith as a free agent, it's a shrewd bit of business for the club.

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