DAVID CUFFLEY The Canaries were today poised to sign Stoke City winger Luke Chadwick on loan - with a view to a permanent move.

DAVID CUFFLEY

The Canaries were today poised to sign Stoke City winger Luke Chadwick on loan - with a view to a permanent move.

Manager Peter Grant today confirmed that Chadwick, with whom he worked when he was assistant boss at West Ham United, was the player he had been trying to sign before the weekend.

The Cambridge-born forward, who scored the fourth goal in Stoke's 5-0 hammering of the Canaries only a fortnight ago, also played the first 70 minutes of their 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Winger Lee Croft's ankle ligament injury, which will keep him sidelined for another month, triggered Grant's interest in Chadwick, who began his career at Manchester United.

If the formalities are completed, the loan deal will run until January 3.

“We can't tie up the deal yet because he has to have a medical and he can't have that until half past seven tonight,” said Grant this morning.

“I've been looking at that position because of what happened to Crofty. If it goes through, it's initially a loan but with a view to a permanent move.”

Chadwick joined Stoke from West Ham in January for £100,000 and was, ironically, a target for former Norwich boss Nigel Worthington in the summer.

He told the Canaries' official website: "I'm thrilled to be coming to Norwich. I know Peter Grant from our time at West Ham and Norwich City is a tremendous club.

"I was devastated when the move fell through in the summer and I'm delighted to be joining now."

Chadwick had loan spells with Royal Antwerp, Reading and Burnley during his Old Trafford days, and moved to West Ham on a free transfer in August 2004, making 36 senior appearances in 17 months at Upton Park.

He will be 26 on Saturday, the day before a potential East Anglian derby debut for City at Ipswich.

Grant was also linked in a national newspaper today with unsettled Celtic striker Derek Riordan, formerly of Hibernian.

He said: “I like Riordan, he's got a good scoring record, but I don't know where they've got that from. That's something I could look at nearer Christmas.”