A bit like the buses. You wait all summer for one decent story to break – and then, all of a sudden, there are big stories every which way you turn.
For as City boss Glenn Roeder this lunchtime hosted a gentle catch-up with the Press and revealed that he was hopeful of bagging his third signing of the summer within the next 24-hours, so news was breaking of a reported ?1 million bid from Wolves for centre-half Jason Shackell – an hour later and the club were officially confirming that Ryan Bertrand was coming out to play again after City agreed a half season long loan deal for the England Under-19 international.
All of the above was, of course, cast on the compelling background of the on-going tussle for ownership of the 106-year-old football club.
The nation's culinary queen in one corner, the City's 'King of Deals' in the other.
Elsewhere and Roeder's triallist from Blackburn – the Swiss international defender Bruno Berner – was down and already potentially out with a swollen knee; the French right-back Patrick Barul – who arrived in Norfolk on the recommendation, one suspects, of Antoine Sibierski – was coming on quietly; both options would be wholly over-shadowed by Shackell's potential exit.
Spin that on the whole Cullum question and what sort of damage someone could do with ?20 million in today's Championship transfer market and it promises to be one, very long and very hot summer in Norfolk – whatever the weathermen say.
“It's going OK,” was Roeder's instant response to the inevitable transfer question. Thus far, he has just two new faces to his name – Sammy Clingan and Wes Hoolahan.
Given the number of players that have been bundled out of the Colney door since Roeder's arrival, he still has some work to do – particular given that he confirmed that Simon Lappin remained surplus to requirements and that Shackell now has an admirer in Mick McCarthy.
He was, however, confident of being able to name one new player before the weekend was out – a Premiership full-back was the implication in a subsequent Sky Sports interview. Lo and behold, two hours later and in came Bertrand.
“Maybe in the next 24 hours we'll be able to announce a signing,” said Roeder beforehand, still believed to be in the hunt for Luton's David Bell in order to give Lee Croft something to likewise think about down the right.
“We probably won't get it signed off today, but hopefully by tomorrow I'm very confident that we will have a new signing in.” That, then, was one job done; one box ticked.
Was he where he wanted to be at the end of the first week of pre-season training? No, was the short answer.
“Every manager would like to have his squad locked up now,” said Roeder. “But 99 per cent of them haven't at all.
“But the difference with us is that we have to get a lot more players in than they do,” the City chief readily admitted. “Perhaps they're only looking for a three or four-player turnaround on the previous season's squad.
“But I'm 16 or 17 players light from last November,” said Roeder. “And that's an awful lot of players to have released and there's obviously a big void to be filled.
“But it had to be done – there's no two ways about it. Someone had to do it and that's my job – to make sure that the quality of our squad is good enough that we're attacking at the top end of the table this year and not be sat at the bottom of the table as we were when I came over.”
Roeder also confirmed Tommy Wright's revelation that the club would be looking for a new, experienced second keeper to hold the fort while the club's newly-installed goalkeeping coach polished up two of the Canaries' teenage diamonds, England youth internationals Declan Rudd and Jed Steer.
The pair's emergence through the ranks of the Academy is the reason that Matthew Gilks was allowed to make the switch to Blackpool as part of the Hoolahan deal and why, more controversially, Joe Lewis was allowed to leave for Peterborough United. Albeit with a sell-on fee attached.
“We'll specifically be looking for a goalkeeper that's got experience. We're not looking for one that's too young because we've got a couple of terrific goalkeepers coming through,” said Roeder, a fact not lost on Wright.
“That was the only reason that I accepted for Joe Lewis – for a transfer record – to go to Peterborough. Because the two lads that we've got coming through are – I believe – top, top drawer.
“Tommy Wright has only been here a few days and he can't tell you often enough how much he's been impressed with these two young lads.”
News of the Shackell interest only started to filter through after the Press conference with the Wolverhampton Express & Star suggesting that it was very much a long-shot; that McCarthy was not too hopeful of landing the 24-year-old – particularly given Norwich's chronic lack of cover in that position.
Gary Doherty may have just penned a new, two-year deal. But after that, Roeder would just have Michael Spillane to call on.
As, however, it will be player power that dictates that move. Irrespective of whether or not the Canaries have even received a bid – or, indeed, decided whether or not to accept the bid – the word will have got out as to what kind of deal Shackell could expect at Molineux.
Having seen the captaincy stripped away from him in what was a pretty miserable season for the home-grown centre-half, he might consider the time ripe for a change.
He has, of course, already made one big change this summer after getting married. New start, new club for the newly-hitched couple… It might all appeal.
At least the week ends with one piece of good news in Bertrand's arrival for the next six months. Linked to a ?2 million switch to Premiership new-boys Hull City last weekend, Roeder's cultivation of Chelsea's youth supremo Frank Arnesen appears to have weaved its magic there. With Drury and Bertrand fighting for left-back, Matty Patterson and Hoolohan for the left-wing role, that side of the team is all but finalised.
It's the small matter of the spine of the side that now needs some urgent attention – that's where the big players with the big price tags to match have to come.
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