My Football Writer Norwich City news… comment… analysis
Norwich City – news, comment and analysis
Plan C came to fruition just in the nick of time this afternoon as Robert Earnshaw exited stage left, to be followed – bang on cue – by Jamie Cureton returning to his spiritual home as he entered stage right no more than a hour later.
The 31-year-old former Canary trainee signed a three-year deal with the Carrow Road club this afternoon after Norwich agreed “an undisclosed fee” with their Essex neighbours Colchester United for the current holder of the Championship's Golden …
With BBC Radio Essex busily proclaiming this afternoon that Jamie Cureton's hopes of an emotional return to Carrow Road this summer were about to be answered – and the official City site duly confirming it – Canary fans found matron handing out a small spoonful of sugar this evening to go with the bitter pill of Robert Earnshaw's ?3.5 million 'get-out' to Derby.
That Cureton wants to come to Norwich for all the right, yellow-and-green blood reasons is not too …
The lure of Premiership football – and the small matter of, in every likelihood, doubling his weekly wage packet – today proved too hard to resist for Canary striker Robert Earnshaw as he joined newly-promoted Derby County for ?3.5 million.
That figure corresponded exactly to his get-out clause – a coincidence that did little to improve Peter Grant's mood. “Disappointing and somewhat ironic,” was the manager's verdict on City's official site this afternoon.
The …
With the City squad preparing to return to pre-season training next week, all eyes will be on any potential new faces and any absent Canary stars with the transfer merry-go-round now in full flow.
But one young starlet will definitely be missing, as full-back Andrew Cave-Brown embarks on the biggest challenge of his career to date.
The Gravesend-born defender is still to make a real impression on City's first-team picture; his big chance came last year when he started …
Further evidence that this summer's transfer merry-go-round was suddenly whirring dramatically into life was not too hard to find this morning – open up The Times newspaper and there was Robert Earnshaw in among their 'dead certs' to move to Charlton Athletic in a ?3 million switch from the Canaries.
And there was this morning's Daily Mail following suit. Same story; same destination for City's Welsh international striker.
The last 24 hours have hardly …
To be fair to my old mate James up on the Star, he had it nailed at the start of the week.
That every Blade in the city knew that Sharp was a done deal – if United ever decided they wanted the lad back.
The kid is a United nut; his family are all Reds. The Academy boss Ron Reid is this nigh-on father figure to him; with his 'apprenticeship' at Glanford Park served, it was time to bring the boy home.
They could sit there, watch everyone else run this way …
Dean Ashton's lingering affections for Norfolk and Peter Grant's salesmanship emerged as two of the principal driving forces behind Jon Otsemobor's arrival in Norfolk, he revealed today.
The 24-year-old, attacking right-back was making his first public appearance since signing from Crewe on a free transfer this summer – albeit he only, officially, becomes a Norwich City player this Sunday, on July 1.
?I was desperate to get back into the Championship and when I …
In the end it would appear that blood was thicker than water after BBC Radio Sheffield reported that the Blades had agreed a ?2 million fee with Scunthorpe United for their one-time Academy starlet Billy Sharp.
Blood and huge bundles of Australian cash.
For with United Plc owner Kevin McCabe away Down Under talking to investors about his ?850 million sale of the family-owned Scarborough Property Company this week, it was left to club chairman Terry Robinson to break the …
Canary legend Bryan Gunn today gave his verdict of life on the transfer front-line – and left the door wide open for a Premiership loan signing to be added to Peter Grant's '07-08 brew before this summer's window finally closes on August 31.
The club's liason officer continues to be Grant's man on the phone and along with chief executive Neil Doncaster will spend the rest of this week charting the progress of in-demand Scunthorpe striker Billy Sharp – now reported …
Norwich City's hopes of a swift and successful resolution to the Billy Sharp saga took another, unexpected twist today when the Sheffield Star confirmed that Sheffield United were, indeed, firmly in the race for the 21-year-old's much-prized signature.
And while that may no longer be news after Scunthorpe United chairman Steve Wharton revealed earlier this week that his prized frontman was now the subject of a four-horse race with United, Norwich, Wolves and a water-logged …
City new-boy Matt Gilks left a life of training on parks' pitches and washing his own kit far behind him today as the 25-year-old ex-Rochdale keeper became the Canaries' second free transfer arrival of the summer.
Norwich goalkeeping legend Bryan Gunn – now the club's transfer liason officer – was on hand to do the introductions at Carrow Road this morning as the 6ft 2in No1 joined Paul Gallacher, Joe Lewis and Steve Arnold in the club's goalkeeping department.<br …
Two years after he was first scheduled to arrive in Norfolk, Rochdale keeper Matt Gilks was this morning officially unveiled as Norwich's City's second transfer arrival of the summer.
The 25-year-old – available on a free transfer after seeing out his two-year deal with the League Two club ? has signed a two-year deal and was originally one of Nigel Worthington's top targets in the summer of 2005 as everyone, Robert Green included, expected City's England …
Scunthorpe United chairman Steve Wharton continued to be the font of all knowledge on his much-coveted striker Billy Sharp as he today revealed that the Irons had now granted the 21-year-old permission to speak to Wolves – as well as Sheffield Wednesday.
Owls boss Brian Laws revealed yesterday that he was hoping to sit down and discuss a move to Hillsborough with his former charge at Glanford Park sometime “over the next 48 hours”. Floods permitting.
Now it would appear …
They seek him here, they seek him there… the hunt for the signature of Scunthorpe United striker Billy Sharp took another unexopected twist this weekend as northern newspaper reports linked the in-demand 21-year-old to a return to the club of his boyhood, Sheffield United.
And with the Sheffield Star today insisting that the exit of Wednesday striker Steve MacLean to Cardiff City over the weekend has merely fuelled Brian Laws' desire at Hillsborough to get his one-time Irons …
Whether Roman Abramovich takes a keen interest in his local non-league football club near his sprawling ?18m estate in West Sussex I'm not sure, you would have to ask him ? but good luck, he doesn't say too much.
Even if he does, as to whether he provides much needed financial backing in the form of kits and goalposts is a totally different matter.
But that is exactly the role of City's newest board directors, Andrew and Sharon Turner, for small North Norfolk …
Confirmation that the race for Billy Sharp's signature was now, indeed, a four-horse race came from Sheffield Wednesday boss Brian Laws this afternoon.
The Owls chief was quoted by BBC Radio Sheffield as saying that the Owls were now locked in a tug-of-war with Norwich, Wolves and Sheffield United for the young man's services.
The BBC report also claimed that Sharp – whose agent is ex-Owls favourite Imre Varadi – was due for talks at Hillsborough “in the next 48 …
With the Billy Sharp saga still rumbling on, it now seems that the Canaries have launched another official bid for a highly-rated young striker ? according to the Southend Echo, City have had a ?1.5m offer for Freddy Eastwood turned down.
City boss Peter Grant has long since confirmed his admiration for 23-year-old Eastwood, but the Shrimpers forward has been tipped for a move to long-term admirers Wolves.
Only a week ago, the former West Ham trainee was said to be …
In the last 48 hours of Sharp-talking, two quotes have stood out.
Neither of them are from the Norwich 'end'; that's fair enough. Anyone who got close to the David Cotterill deal at the end of last summer will, only now, have recovered from having their fingers badly burnt.
Giving it the full 'Gotcha!' routine has a nasty habit of turning round and biting those concerned firmly on the butt, so silence is likely to remain golden. Mr B Sharp was, however, …
So, are we any closer to knowing, exactly, where our Billy is going to end up?
Nah, not really.
He could still end up at Norwich; he could still go to Wolves; he could, equally, stay firmly put up north as Sheffield Wednesday come a-calling again.
One thing is for certain – that his fate is now outside the hands of Scunthorpe United. It's not exactly a case of money in the bank; job done.
But chairman Steve Wharton can be reasonably confident …
As Scunthorpe United's 'most wanted' got the full, red carpet treatment in Norfolk today, so Sky Sports' Football League expert Chris Kamara gave City fans a first hint of what they may be getting – if the Canaries can pull this summer's big money swoop off and get Billy Sharp's signature on the appropriate dotted line.
If.
For while Scunthorpe's decision last night to allow their 21-year-old hot property the chance to speak to the Canaries …