Ahead of the 2007–08 season, in July 2007, Smith joined Championship side Norwich City on a loan deal that would run until the end of December. He sustained a calf injury in Norwich's pre-season friendly with Dutch side FC Zwolle on 25 July 2007, an injury that ruled him out of action for almost three months.&lt;ref name="Games played by Jimmy Smith in 2007/2008"&gt;&lt;/ref&gt; Smith finally made his competitive debut for Norwich on 23 October 2007, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor. He made nine appearances during a loan spell that was disrupted by injury, with his final appearance coming in a 1–1 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 29 December 2007. After the game against Wolves, Norwich manager Glenn Roeder confirmed he had been in talks with Chelsea's sporting director, Frank Arnesen, with a view to extending Smith's time there until the end of the season. However, the two clubs failed to reach an agreement for the extension of Smith's loan contract with Chelsea needing back-up in midfield due a number of their players competing in the Africa Cup of Nations, and he returned to Chelsea on 4 January 2008. He spent the remainder of the campaign playing regularly for Chelsea's second-string.