Those who insist on telling us to stay patient and await the closure of the transfer window before judging Stuart Webber’s dealings a success, or otherwise, may have a point. But they’re ignoring the basic tenets of the football supporter: to speculate and dream.
It’s therefore inconceivable that social media, websites like this one and conversations down the pub will not be abuzz with talk of the whos, whys, possibles, and probables. Especially when the start of the new season is just 17 days away and City’s squad looks, as things stand, a little under-cooked.
It’s what we do. It’s what makes us football supporters.
For us all to sit back in carpet slippers and cigar mode, and allow Webber to do his dealing without even speculating or passing comment on the rumours would be weird, wouldn’t it?
Yes, of course, we trust our sporting director to do his very best to provide Daniel Farke will the ammunition needed to have a shot at Premier League survival – he’s earned that much – but the staple of your average football fan is a view on and pontificating on what it is going to take to make your team better.
We obviously don’t know more than Webber; we don’t pretend to know more than Webber; but it’s fun trying to imagine what could be occurring, just as it’s a little painful to reflect on what this squad will look like if Stuart is unable to bring in the names he wants in the positions he wants.
What is clear, and has been clear every single time our club has made it to the Premier League in the 21st century, is that being in charge of Norwich City’s recruitment while attempting to make the squad PL-ready is *very* tough gig.
And that doesn’t just boil down to the modest transfer pot that we’re invariably armed with.
As much as we all love Norfolk and as wonderful as we all know the fine city of Norwich really is, it remains a tough sell. Despite being only 1 hour 50 minutes from London on the train, the general consensus is still that we’re based in the arse end of nowhere, with the locals akin to extras in Deliverance.
But that’s only part of it. While it’s feasible to attract players who are looking for an avenue into English football – like Rashica and Lees-Melou – for many, the yo-yo reputation with which we are tarnished will be more than sufficient to make a player think twice.
This is particularly relevant when attempting to attract players in the Phillip Billing envelope – those who have been freshly relegated or are in a Championship team with genuine promotion aspirations. How do you sell Norwich City to Billing, for example, when he’s already sitting on a lucrative contract and sees the possibility of City and Bournemouth swapping places for the 2022-23 season as a distinct one?
We’ve seen it happen many times – just ask Alex Pritchard or Josh Murphy.
And, of course, there are the Ola Toivonens, Virgil van Dijks and Toby Alderweirelds whose ambitions extend far beyond potential relegation battles while playing for a club that’s often preceded with ‘Little’.
To attract the right player with the right attributes at the right price, and always while competing against clubs with deeper pockets than us, requires some seriously good selling skills. The new Colney helps, as does the prospect of playing at a full, bouncing Carrow Road, but we’re not alone in having impressive training facilities and a vibrant stadium.
And so when rumours emanate from Carrow Road – however unofficial – around Webber having been forced to work his way down his lists to his C and D-list options and there being a sense of disquiet around progress so far, we shouldn’t be surprised.
To gear this squad up for a realistic crack at staying up while working within all of those constraints is quite the task, even when you are a black belt in footballing wizardry.
And so we can forgive him if he’s feeling a tad anxious as this window unfolds. We knew the Euros would impact on the speed and volume of transactions, and that the financial impact of the pandemic would have a knock-on effect across the board, but we also know that both Farke and Webber like to get their business done early – an aim that has limited success in this window.
There is also the small matter of the transfer window closing 17 days after the opening game of the season, by which time three league games will have been played. While we’re not expecting too many points from Liverpool (h), Leciester (a) and Man City (a), anything is a bonus and to collect that bonus we need to be as strong and as well prepared as is humanly possible.
So I think it’s okay if the collective sphincter is twitching slightly as the days tick by and the squad looks no stronger than it did as we concluded last season. The voids left by Emi Buendia and Oliver Skipp were never going to be easy to be filled easily, and in the case the former, to find a like-for-like replacement was an impossibility.
There is still time and we know that Webber and his team will be working flat out to provide Farke with something that gives him a chance. A repeat of 2019-20 will not exactly enhance either of their professional reputations.
Like I said, still 17 days to go. Plenty of time for more unsubstantiated rumours, and a Webber trick or two.
Keep the faith.
A good summary of a football supporters off season and just maybe as you say away of life at most lower reaches of the premiership.
SW comes across as the ultimate professional and puts every waking minutes into his task at hand, but as some one mentioned on another site he must also be looking at what his own future holds.
He has said he will not leave city in the lurch but how far does that go, when he departs will he wife up root to pastures new if so that is 2 very important positions to be filled and will city function as well will a whole new panel.
DF hopefully will know what’s coming otherwise would he have signed a new long term contract so must have some belief in a sustainable future.
Player are convinced to join clubs by the footballing people at the club, money and career prospects so those that have arrived must be happy with what’s on offer and future plans.
SW has a 70/30 success rate up till now and this season will enhance his reputation not only in football but in the business world, did he lose a partner in Kensell that had the same beliefs only time will tell in the next 34 days of transfers, but then speculation from the supporters and stirred by the media will all start again.
I agree Gary it is so hard to not speculate in every close season as to what sort of business the corridors of Carrow Road will see, in and out. And this season more than ever.
I think some very good work has been done both in and out but my eyes were drawn to the rumours that SW is having to go to his C and D options and that is worrying.
However Temmu, Emi etc could have been our C or D choices a few seasons ago so no need to panic yet. Not that SW ever will !!
I always get annoyed when we are linked, something I applaud this site for avoiding, with £17-£25 million rated players. With our present model I think that is extremely unlikely. A player costing that amount would command commensurate wages.
And would that cause friction within the dressing room were I imagine there is not a great deal between the salaries of the present senior squad.
But this lays bare the problems with the self-funding model. We have been outbid by Brentford ( whose owner’s worth is not published but is rumoured to be £100million +) as in the case with Ajer. Also Josh King has gone to Watford, though whether we were in for him is debatable. But Philip Billing is playing his cards very close to his chest and I do not blame him. That is just the way the game is, what is my best option ? for money, playing regularly and the area.
There has not been a lot of transfer action in the EPL yet, in fact to be fair to SW we are one of the busiest Premier League clubs so far.
The truth is to really compete we need to stay in the EPL for at least one or two seasons and being outbid by Brentford over one of our major targets just makes Daniel Farke’s job that much harder.
I know that they really wanted Ajer and this will come as a blow, but hopefully there are other strong targets out there that we will get over the line. Sometimes missing a top target can be a blessing. Ross McCormack anyone ?
Two years ago when we came up I was fairly confident we could survive, and without covid I still wonder what may have been, but this time I really don’t know what to think.
We are much better defensively than last time but losing Emi, however inevitable, will weaken us in forward areas. And still the Tettey/Skipp position hasn’t been filled.
One thing that will be massively in our favour will be the return of the fans.
I know I sound a bit pessimistic but I think it is being realistic, perhaps Project Crapstart affected my confidence. We will see.
OTBC
We are living in different times underpinned by uncertainty affecting so many businesses, football is no different.
In my life currently trying to source building materials, trades & skilled labour cause me some anxious days & sleepless nights, I suspect finding a suitable, affordable CB, DFM & CF do the same for SW & DF.
The season that awaits will be a strange one I reckon, Covid will play its part for certain for all clubs, I can see home fans making a significant difference. Our squad is decent and the core have played together many games now, we will be harder to beat for certain.
There’s time for a couple more deals, I am confident S W will deliver, let’s not forget he’s done brilliantly thus far.
Hi Gary,
Recruitment may well indeed be a hard issue for Webber and Farke at Carrow Road, but the way it is approached appears to be positive and professional, so I do not buy in to the doom and gloom merchants we see out there,
When I Look at the Premier League table, I see eight other clubs who are likely to have problems, and as far as I’m concerned, at the end of the coming season we have the potential to finish 9th from bottom resultantly.
If Billing doesn’t want to come he has to be placed back of the list as we pursue other likely candidates. It’s been suggested we’ve looked at two more young Greek players, one scores for fun, the other seems to be a linking player with some score-ability of his own, both could be an answer to our needs, but they’re rumours till they happen.
There are many young free agents Europe-wide looking for clubs – some broke clubs are letting relatively-unknowns go rather than offering new contracts as they can’t commit to the wages outlay during times of global financial decay. There will be diamonds in the rough there if we can’t buy ready-made stars from other clubs – some of them would sweat blood for a crack at the Premiership.
A lot depends on Super-Teemu this season, he had disappointment with Finland although some of that disappointment was created by the lack of service he got from within his own Finnish team. He has a point to make, hopefully it is made by a stack of goals for us, and one thing we know for sure, he’ll get a better service – and better opportunities – from our team than he got from Finland.
For me, Todd Cantwell could replace Emi Buendia, he’s a great player and the opportunity would make him greater. The season hasn’t started yet, the window hasn’t closed yet. I don’t see us as a squad or team that is weak although some areas need augmenting, I see a great team and club on the threshold of a great new venture, with a cause that is worthy of 46 opportunities, with great character and great potential. We finished top, and we will not finish bottom!
I’ll go sit in an old armchair, next to a bubbling still, making honey-dew liquor, while I practice the theme from ‘Deliverance’ if you like, but we ain’t even started yet, so I know we ain’t beat!
COYY !!
I am very concerned that we are being out bid for a player by Brentford!
What does that tell us? About the club and our ambitions to stay up?
It tells us that our club will not overpay at £13.5M plus add-ons for a player whose value at £10M might have been considered a bit of a stretch. And that Brentford has wealthier owners.
Are we not in the top 10 spenders to date in all the European leagues, plenty of time yet.
Surely the lad from Chelsea and Lees-Melou will take on the Skipp, Tettey role
Looks like Grealish is off to Man City so Todd could also need replacing if he moves to Villa as a replacement