Milton Keynes Dons are delighted to announce the loan signing of Norwich City winger Josh Martin.
The 19-year-old, who helped the Canaries to the Sky Bet Championship title last season, will spend the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Stadium MK.
Martin played nine times last term, and contributed a goal and an assist, as Norwich earned promotion to the Premier League as title-winners. The former Arsenal Academy product has 16 senior appearances to his name, including five in English football’s top tier.
He becomes the third new arrival this summer, following the signings of Scott Twine and Franco Ravizzoli earlier this month.
“I’m really happy to be here,” Martin told iFollow MK Dons after putting pen to paper on the deal. “This is a great Club and it’s close to home for me so I can’t wait to get started.
“I heard a lot about Russell Martin from my time at Norwich and when I heard he and MK Dons were interested, I came down to visit. The style of play here is something that I’m used to and suits me really well, and the stadium is amazing.
“Hopefully I can learn a lot during my time here. I will look to bring goals and assists and a lot of creativity in the final third, but most importantly help the team win games and be in the best position possible come the end of the season.”
Born in Luton, Martin began his career with Arsenal before joining Norwich City in March 2019 after a successful trail period with the Canaries.
After impressing at youth level, Martin earned a call-up to the senior team during the 2019/20 season and featured in five Premier League fixtures towards the end of the campaign.
The young winger remained a regular squad member at the start of last term and was eventually handed his first league start in November 2020, marking the occasion by providing an assist for Teemu Pukki in a 3-2 win over Stoke City.
Martin scored his first senior goal several weeks later in a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday, and went on to finish the 2020/21 season with nine first-team matches to his name.
Sporting Director Liam Sweeting said: “Josh is an incredibly exciting signing for us and I think it’s a fantastic use of the loan market, which this Club has done well during its most successful seasons.
“Yet again, this is an example of somebody who has bought into the way we are doing things here, turning down multiple Championship offers because he sees the style of play being a really good fit for his personal objectives.
“Thank you to Josh, his representatives and Norwich City for entrusting us with Josh’s development. We are really excited to see what he can do for us this season.”
Russell Martin added: “This is a real coup for the Club. Last season, he played for the team who won the Championship and he was wanted by a number of teams this summer from both League One and the division above.
“He showed a real desire to be here because of the way we play – he believes it will really suit him and I agree. He has got fantastic ability and will add real athleticism to our team, as well as the versatility to play in a number of different positions.
“If you look at the teams who have been successful in this league, they often have players of Josh’s calibre, from higher divisions, on loan. We all agree he will be a real asset to our team next season and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do in an MK Dons shirt.”
