Norwich City must regret letting Bristol City star slip through the cracks | OneFootball

Norwich City must be looking at the rise of Anis Mehemti and regret releasing him from the club back in 2020.

Summary

Anis Mehmeti has been tearing up the Championship for Bristol City this season. The Albanian scored 12 goals in 35 games from the left wing and is surely on the cusp of an international call-up.

The wide-man has been a key cog in Liam Manning’s side’s success this season, being an ever-present attacking threat on the left-hand side of the Bristol City attack. This is a role he also excelled in at Wycombe Wanderers, before being head-hunted by the Robins as their replacement for Antoine Semenyo.

Mehmeti made a steady start to life at Ashton Gate but has come into his own this season under Manning, who admitted to being a long-term admirer of the winger. Despite a campaign to remember in the Championship, it’s been a long road for the former Wycombe man to get to where he is today.

Just five years ago, the Robins star found himself playing in non-league for Woodford Town following his release from Norwich City. Fortunately, the Chairboys took a punt on the free agent, and as they say, the rest is history. Mehmeti went on to establish himself as a key player for the Buckinghamshire side before departing in January 2023.

In 2025, Norwich are now looking up at Mehmeti and probably wondering what could’ve been had they not released the Albanian.

Anis Mehmeti’s long road to Championship stardom

The winger’s journey began when he featured for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham as a schoolboy. These were his first steps on the ladder of his professional football dream. In 2017, the then-teenager joined Norwich’s academy with the hopes of earning his first professional deal.

Sadly, things wouldn’t go as planned for Mehmeti with the Canaries. While he did gain vital experience and developed his game by learning from top coaches, he would ultimately leave the club in 2020 when his contract expired, following three years at the club. This saw him venture into non-league, playing for Woodford to maintain fitness whilst the hunt for a new club continued.

In South Buckinghamshire, Wycombe had just established their B-team following their promotion to the Championship. This was designed to give young players who had been released from academies a route back into professional football. Mehmeti signed for the Blues and grabbed this opportunity with both hands by dazzling Gareth Ainsworth in training.

With that, the rest is history. The 24-year-old spent two-and-a-half seasons at Adams Park and was a beloved member of the squad thanks to his technical ability and eye for goal. It was no surprise that Bristol City swooped to buy the attacker in January 2023, with Mehmeti in the form of his life.

Norwich must rue releasing Anis Mehmeti

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and this story is certainly one where it would’ve been useful for the East Anglian outfit. Although he never made a senior appearance for the Canaries, Mehmeti wasn’t far off that level, as just months after he departed Carrow Road, he was featuring consistently for Wycombe at the same level as Norwich.

Fast-forward five years, and Mehmeti is currently having the best season of his career to date. The wide-man has scored 12 goals in 35 matches and has been instrumental in the Robins’ push to make the Championship play-offs. Meanwhile, Norwich are sat mid-table and probably looking up at the Albanian, wondering what could’ve been.

There’s no shortage of quality when it comes to the Canaries’ wings, with Borja Sainz having outscored the Bristol City man. Despite this, having two deadly wingers along with Josh Sargeant would be a tantalising prospect for supporters and could’ve been the difference between mid-table and a play-off campaign.

With the 24-year-old flourishing at a club which is higher up the table, a call-up to the Albania squad surely on the horizon, and the ever-rising value of Mehmeti, Norwich will surely be looking back on their decision to let him go and thinking ‘We got that one wrong.’