‘I’d drag him back’ – Pundit tells Chelsea to recall Norwich ‘scapegoat’

Dan Butterfield
Norwich midfielder Billy Gilmour

Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor has told Chelsea to recall Billy Gilmour from his loan at Norwich after being made a ‘scapegoat’ at Carrow Road.

Gilmour joined the Canaries in the summer to get some regular Premier League football under his belt and has made 12 appearances for the struggling side this season.


Norwich City’s half-term report doesn’t show much promise of improvement


The Scotland international fell out of favour under former manager Daniel Farke but has started every game since Dean Smith took charge.

However, their were reports of crowd chants telling Gilmour to return to Chelsea after Norwich’s latest defeat at Crystal Palace on Tuesday afternoon.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor has slammed the supporters who were chanting the abuse at Gilmour as well as telling Chelsea to recall the 20-year-old as his current teammates aren’t good enough.

“Sometimes fans want a scapegoat so they pick on a loanee, a 20-year-old loanee,” said the pundit.

“They’ll be worse off without him. They are losing three, four, five nil – they’ll be losing eight, nine nil without Gilmour because for me he’s a quality player.

“I can’t believe the audacity of the Norwich fans to chant that and I hope it’s a small section, maybe the away fans.

“I hope the home fans wouldn’t sing that because he’s a 20-year-old footballer, we’ve seen what he’s done in a Scotland shirt, seen what he’s done for Chelsea.  

“If I am Chelsea now, I’m bringing him back now – ‘pack your stuff, get yourself back and we’re going to find you a club in January that are going to play to your strengths’.

“He’s playing with Championship players. They’re not good enough, the players he’s playing with. He needs to play with players that want to play football, with him, his sort of football. He’s going to waste six months of his career staying there until the end of the season. I’d drag him back.”