Bradley Johnson had no hesitation in signing on to Paul Lambert's Carrow Road revolution as the combative midfielder looks to help keep Norwich in the Barclays Premier League.
The 24-year-old is, subject to the relevant paperwork being completed, set to become Canaries boss Lambert's fifth new addition of the summer. With James Vaughan, Steve Morison, Elliott Bennett and Ritchie de Laet already on board, Johnson, who was out of contract at Leeds, admits it was an easy decision to head to Norfolk.
"Paul Lambert has done a fantastic job since he arrived at Norwich and that was one of the main factors in me signing with the club," Johnson told the club's official website, www.canaries.co.uk.
"I am over the moon really to get the chance to play in the Premier League with a big club like Norwich City and under a great manager who I have a lot of respect for.
"Norwich have already got some good players there and I have had some great battles with some of them over the past couple of years in my time with Leeds.
"They proved they were a good team by getting back-to-back promotions, and another deciding factor was to join a team that enjoys playing football and is hungry and has got that desire to succeed. I cannot wait to join up with the squad and meet everyone, get training and get a good pre-season under my belt."
Johnson, born in Hackney, started his career in East Anglia as a trainee at Cambridge, before joining Northampton in 2005, and transferred to Elland Road three seasons later. He made more than 100 appearances for Leeds, scoring 17 goals including a long-range strike in last season's FA Cup replay against Arsenal.
After Leeds missed out on promotion, finishing seventh in the npower Championship, Johnson is relishing his first taste of top-flight action with the Canaries.
"I have dreamed of playing in the Premier League since I was younger and I feel I have done a lot of hard work to get there, coming up from the Ryman League now all the way to getting a chance in the Premier League, I just can't wait to get started," he said.
Lambert added: "Bradley's a strong midfielder and will come in and give everybody here a hand. He has played against Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United in the FA Cup so has played in that big game environment, and for a big club in Leeds United so he's used to playing in front of crowds."
Source: PA
