The transfer rumour mill kicked into gear this week, with City linked with a move for 12-goal Rochdale hitman Chris Dagnall.
And if the previous few seasons are anything to go by, then we could be in for a busy January gossip-wise, with Canary boss Paul Lambert likely to seek an addition or two.
But it’s through the outgoing door where most of the speculation will lie, despite the Scot issuing a firm ‘hands off!’ warning to anyone keen on Messrs Holt and Hoolahan.
Lambert admitted that ‘the fans would probably burn the place down’ if he was a sell a prized asset and even though the red tops will have a snippet or two containing the words Holt or Hoolahan, both players seem happy to stay in Norfolk.
And, for me, they would be best placed to do so. Too often, the grass is always greener but these two seem level headed characters – so don’t expect either to fly the nest.
The best either could hope for is a play-off chasing Championship club but who’s to say City won’t be in exactly that position in a year’s time?
There will no doubt be a handful of teams thinking that a few extra goals would get them into a coveted play-off spot but Holt is already a cult hero with the Carrow Road faithful and little Wes is heading that way, so why rock the boat?
Whilst on the subject of the likeable Cumbrian, it’s worth taking a step back to contemplate how important he is to this Canary team.
After netting in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Oldham, the 28-year-old is just one goal away from being the first City player for more than 40 years to score 20 goals in a season before Christmas.
With two league matches and a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie to go before Santa comes down the chimney, the summer signing is set to become the first Canary since Hugh Curran in 1968-69 to hit the 20 mark at this stage.
As captain, he is the focal point of the team and despite Lambert being keen on playing football the right way – some would say the Norwich way – his height and presence gives the Canary chief an extra option if they want to go the direct route.
And the man has an aura about him, commanding respect in the dressing room at the same time – his boss is certainly a fan too. Not since the halcyon days of Huckerby and Co have we seen a player as influential as the former Shrewsbury man and long may it continue.
With the three musketeers – Holt, Hoolahan and Chrissy Martin – in such fine fettle, Lambert will probably feel that the squad just needs a tweak here or there so don’t expect much action on the incoming front, even if there will be plenty of speculation.
And with the 23-year-old Dale forward Dagnall being strongly linked with both Norwich and Peterborough, it could be an indication that the Canary boss wants one more goal threat, just to cover injuries and suspensions at the business end of the League One campaign.
Something tells me that while he is a fan of Jamie Cureton, the Scot just doesn’t fancy him as a regular starter and the same could be said of Cody McDonald.
And with Anthony McNamee and Russell Martin expected to become fully fledged members of the City squad come January, they look fairly well covered in midfield and defence
So for me, a striker and – possibly – a natural right-winger could be all that’s on the menu in 2010. And with money as tight as ever, that’s probably all Lambert will be able to afford.
Finally, even though this is a Norwich City site, I’d like to offer my sympathies to King’s Lynn supporters, after their fate was finally sealed today. The ‘beautiful game’ (although I say that through gritted teeth on occasions like this) is all about the fans and it is the Linnets faithful who have suffered most.
Even though I’m not well versed on the fortunes of Norfolk’s second club, it seems that chronic mis-management is to blame. I just hope that they can bounce back under a different guise in a similar way to the likes of Aldershot and AFC Wimbledon.
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