Norwich net Lewis Grabban to solve scoring shortfall

Norwich City manager Neil Adams has made Bournemouth top scorer Lewis Grabban his first signing at Carrow Road, as the East Anglia outfit target an immediate return to the Premier League.

The Canaries, 12/1 with Coral to win next season’s Championship, have brought former Crystal Palace, Millwall and Brentford forward Grabban, 26, to Carrow Road for an undisclosed fee and handed him a three-year contract. He had a reported £3m release clause in his contract at Bournemouth.

Adams, who succeeded Chris Hughton, initially on a caretaker basis to the end of the campaign just finished, failed to keep Norwich in the top-flight, but has since been made permanent boss.

“I am delighted that Lewis has put pen to paper to become my first signing,” Adams told the Canaries’ official website. “He will provide pace, intelligent movement and a high work ethic to the frontline, and of course he showed in the Championship last season that he is capable of scoring a variety of different goals.”

Grabban scored 22 second-tier goals this term, but the Cherries just ran out of steam in their bid to crash the play-offs under Eddie Howe. The sale of their star striker will be a blow to Bournemouth’s hopes of doing better next season, but they still have the likes of South Africa international Tokelo Rantie, Brett Pitman and Yann Kermogant in attack at Dean Court.

Finding the net proved difficult for Norwich, meanwhile, as they scored the fewest (28) in the Premier League, despite signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper. The Canaries have had a working relationship with Bournemouth, as they loaned midfielder Andrew Surman to the south coast coast side for the season.

In other Championship news, Wigan Athletic (also 12/1 to win the title next term) have added two new left backs to their squad for next season. Andrew Taylor, 27, has joined from relegated Cardiff City, while Partick Thistle’s out of contract 23-year-old Aaron Taylor-Sinclair comes to the DW Stadium on a three-year deal.