There's this little story floating around on the web right now – you might have seen it.
If not, very briefly, there's a vague suggestion that Norwich could be having half a look at a kid called 'Sunny' from Valencia.
True or not, there's a lovely story there. How this 15-year-old kid from the back-streets of Lagos was spotted on tour in Spain and to ensure that he qualified for an EU passport, a director at Poli Ejido was sufficiently bowled over by the kid's talents that he legally adopted him – thereby giving him the EU entry qualifications he needed to stay.
Three years later and the same director was quids in – or rather, euros in – when 'Sunny' moved to the Mestella for big bucks this summer; signing a six-year deal in the process. He is, claimed one observer, the new Claude Makelele. To another, he was the new Michael Essien.
Anyway, the kid's clearly got talent – and now has both Spanish Under-19 and Under-20 caps to prove it.
But he can't get into the Valencia team – not yet. He's too young. Or rather boss Ronald Koeman has decided that on the back of a shoddy run of league form, now is not the season for Sunny. And having told the lad that he'll get no more than a couple of games between now and the end of the season, his career would be better served going out on loan for six months.
AEK Athens were first in the queue; he's now seemingly said: 'No thanks…' and is back at Valencia where, according to reports in the Spanish Press, he is determined to fight for his place under Koeman.
Tricky since the Dutch legend has just gone back to Holland and splashed ?900,000 on midfielder Hedwiges Maduro. He made his debut last night as a second-half substitute in Valencia's 1-0 win over Athletico Madrid in the quarter-final first leg of La Liga's equivalent of the Carling Cup, the King's Cup.
'Sunny' was – at best – an unused substitute. Seemingly Koeman has told the kid he'll barely get a game and is sticking to his word.
Despite the fact that I think somewhere there's a little more in this one than one or two others that have done the rounds – and given the relative difficulty of finding out just what is going on at the Valencia end, it is an easy one to deny should Sunny pop up at Inter or wherever – in one way whether it's true or not, is not the point.
What is is the kind of company that new Canary boss Glenn Roeder appears intent on keeping. That, actually, is probably more encouraging for Norwich City's future than whether or not a Sunny smile ever lights up Colney.
A few of the Sunday newspapers do this; it is an old party game – you present someone with two, seemingly random celebrity names and you have to get from one to another and back again via other celebrity connections – Y slept with X, who starred in a film with U, who was married to the author F, whose book was made into a film by Y. That kind of nonsense. You get the idea.
And it's one of those games that you can play with most football transfers – particularly in this day and age given the wicked webs everyone seems to weave.
It only came to mind as I spoke to The Sun's man in Spain this week who did a very good impression of being wholly incredulous that Norwich's name should ever be associated with some Spanish 'wonder kid' of our Sunny's ilk.
For the first thing – and we've been down this road before with the Strihavkas and the Ilievs of this world – the point about Norwich is not the fact that is 150-odd miles away from London, rather it lies 15-odd places away from the Premiership. That's the only geography that matters as far as European footballers – or rather European footballers' agents – are concerned.
How do I get myself under Avram Grant's nose? By playing in the Championship…
But after that, it was a case of joining up the dots that got Roeder from Carrow Road to the Mestella, Valencia.
As I say, the fact that this whole Sunny thing may be a load of old bollo… can't say that; family website… rubbish is not the point. Can it be done?
Yes. Joining the dots from Peter Grant to Mark Fotheringham was easy. Celtic and Jim Duffy.
And, so, it is from Roeder to our new pal Sunny.
OK, who has he just brought in from out of the top drawer at Chelsea? Ryan Bertrand. Who was discovered as a 15-year-old at Gillingham by whom? Chelsea's director of football Frank Arnesen. And who was the man that recommened that Roeder take Bertrand on loan, why Mr Arnesen, of course.
Arnesen, a Dane, made his name playing football in Holland, most notably for Ajax and PSV with whom he won the European Cup in 1988.
And guess who was in that same PSV team in 1988? Ronald Koeman. Now manager of Valencia. And the man that told our Sunny to go and get himself a club for the next six months…
So Roeder puts 'Sunny' in the shop window at Carrow Road for six months and who is going to be watching with keen interest as to how he does? Frank Arnesen. Who then mutters to Avram Grant about getting this Sunny lad in to replace the ageing Claude Makelele… And that's how Sunny's agent gets him from Valencia to Stamford Bridge in six, short months.
That's the fascinating thing about Roeder; not so much the players that he brings in – rather what that then says about the company he keeps and the contacts he's made.
These people are right out of the very top drawer of European football; the managerial aristocracy; and the manager of Norwich City Football Club has a way 'in' to their world.
That's what this whole 'Sunny' story tells you; whether it's true or not, the manager of Norwich City Football Club can join those kind of dots; can get from this 'A' to that 'B'.
All of a sudden, Norwich are involved in a whole new ball game.
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