From the moment the resignation of Stuart Webber was announced, while many of us City fans were contemplating what we were going to have for lunch on Tuesday, the set menu was thrust in front of us by default.
The footballing subsidiary of Delia’s Canary Catering, otherwise known as Norwich City Football Club, came up with a starter of l’Intrigue.
This was followed by a tapas-style offering [this descriptive term has been Anglicised to small plates by one of the hipster chefs at DCC] featuring la Confusion, l’Incohorénce and beaucoup des Manipulations Politique.
I am not prepared to accept that the latter was actually a small plate tbh as there was enough room on this particular trencher for one of The Dandy’s Desperate Dan’s cow pies.
I’m not too sure what the dessert was meant to be but having eaten most of it I was left with a nasty aftertaste which peaked on Wednesday and Thursday before evaporating almost – but not completely – by this morning [Monday].
A temporary lull has introduced itself into these particular proceedings for now, so I thought I’d take a look instead at matters that have transpired elsewhere over the past week or so, although I admit I have chosen to do this against the downright weird backdrop of Webber still pushing the connecting rods that drive the yellow and green tank.
When it comes to the door marked OUT, then young Andrew Omobamidele has taken his turn to move from the waiting room to Platform One on Media Central station this week as rumours are gathering pace that AC Milan – yes, that Italian lot with the history known as il Rossoneri because of their red and black shirts – are on the brink of offering €18 million for him, which equates to slightly over the £15m that we have all heard quoted in various media outlets recently.
Webber is on record as saying he turned down a bid of €20m from *a foreign club* in January so maybe things are beginning to take shape in terms of a deal. Our Andrew Abiola Omobamidele has a lot going for him as he became our youngest-ever captain last season, and he kept the armband until the bitter end of it too.
He joined a very small club when he scored his first Premier League goal on his PL debut for City in April 2021 in what ended as a 2-1 home defeat to [I really didn’t want to mention them yet again right now but I feel that I’ve little choice] Leeds United. He’s made a total of 48 appearances for City, scoring two goals in the process.
There is a fun element going on behind the scenes here as we are told that the main rivals to the Rossoneri for the signature of the lad from Leixlip, Ireland, who comes with six international caps are: Forest and Sheffield United!
The AC Milan official mascot is a red devil with a serious trident problem [he’s based on an old version of the club badge] and I bet Milanello, for ’tis his name, will be having a right old laugh with his Mephistophelian mates in the bars of Hades about that one.
When it comes to the IN door at Colney, this week’s activities fall neatly into four categories.
- Confirmed is the arrival of 19-year-old defender Kellen Fisher from National League side Bromley. Fisher has been identified as yet another of those *one for the future* signings and will go straight into the Academy set-up. I can’t find anything to suggest the lad isn’t worth the modest *undisclosed* fee we will have paid for him – he won both Non-League Paper’s Young Player of the Year award as well as becoming Bromley’s Supporters’ Player of the Season in 2022/23.
- Probable is the word regarding the signing of 16-year-old wunderkind Gabriel Forsyth from Hamilton Accies. Sources in Scotland reckon a deal with City is done and dusted, waiting only for our favourite I’s to be dotted and the all-important T’s to be crossed. The youngster could not help Hamilton avoid relegation from the SPL, but the youthful defender/midfielder did make a significant number of appearances for the team in the latter part of the campaign.
- Possible but increasingly unlikely to progress further at this stage would appear to be City’s involvement in the signing of another Scottish defender, in this case Sam Johnston from SPL side Motherwell. The Daily Record reports that Johnston has suitors which apparently include Torino and Sporting Lisbon and quite understandably the player wants to weigh up his options very carefully. If there’s anything in this one a lot depends on how realistic Johnston is about getting in the first-team squad of whichever club he might choose.
- Unlikely is a welcome word to describe the final rumour as I still have the horrors over the signings of both Milot Rashica and Przemyslaw Placheta, which leads me to hope there is nothing in the idea of CSKA 1948’s Giorgi Rusev joining the playing staff at the Carra. A 26-year-old winger with five international caps maybe but we haven’t got time for a player like that to settle in. I’m also put off by the fact that he couldn’t get into the Leche outfit that stank La Liga out this season, finishing bottom about 15 points from safety
Rumours mopped up for now, I’m going to end by taking a quick look at a sector of Delia and MWJ’s diverse business that rarely hogs the limelight and one that has been hit by recruitment issues as well.
We’re looking to get a bright spark in as there’s a job going for a highly qualified [and understandably so] Stadium Electrician. Some of the wires have been crossed at Carrow Road for far too long now so I’m glad we’re trying to sort it out.
We also need a Painter and Maintenance Operator. Obviously, the successful candidate will be somebody who will be an expert at watching paint dry and hopefully whisper in David Wagner’s ear should it ever become truly like that on the pitch.
I hope the coincidental timing of the vacancies is down to retirement or the post-holder leaving for a better-paid job elsewhere. I’d hate to think that, as a couple of my more sarcastic friends suggested over the weekend, the guys in the maintenance gang have had enough too 
***I’ll close under a musical banner I often unfurl: any excuse for a bit of Oasis!
It’s a bit mind boggling that Champions League semi finalists are apparently competing with Forest and Sheffield United for his signature. Also that a €20M bid went completely under the radar. I know that the Pinkun almost never break a story, relying on Google for anything NCFC related, I’m surprised that other journos didn’t even get a sniff of this.
Hi Ali
I absolutely agree with you.
Two national journos to watch out for are Nick Mashiter [who Gary mentioned yesterday] and Alan Nixon of the Sun, who is my go-to read.
Guys like this take an interest at around £10 million and both have a pretty good strike record. As you say, nothing was reported anywhere about this. Put a name like AC Milan and a price of £20 million together and it would have been worth a one-par filler in any national, absolute minimum.
There are many reasons both historical and current why the Pink Un rarely break a story, all of which have been over-ridden by the Club’s unwillingness to speak with them right now. But in a world where they are operating behind a paywall and circulation is at an all-time low I do feel a bit sorry for the sports team, who seem pretty good to me at the other aspects of the job.
Cheers
That is if the bid was true, a lot of that story will hinge on what offer is accepted if one comes in, for Big A, If a lower bid is accepted leads me to think there was BS flying around or Webber is a total numpty for not taking the earlier one. I know I have gotten more cynical in old age, but even more so for what comes out of the mouths at NR1. Apologies.
Not another unknown winger from football outside the UK – could it be another who finds it hard to adapt? There must be one kicking around in lower leagues here, who know bit more about the English game, rather than having to adapt to whole new lifestyle.
Or am I too simplistic? Answers on a postage stamp.
I thought I read City had stood back from one of the Scottish possibles, Max Johnson, but have had a chest infection and been a bit out of it on meds. Another youngster who will play games and then be let go later, joining the others under the Webber reign
He should not still be here – get the hoe out and do the garden. Also, later when hubby gets a post, perhaps at a rival, should the missus still be employed here?
Hi Lad
This would be the ideal time for Webber do get the words *Omobamidele* and *£20 million* out there in the same sentence, wouldn’t it?
As this bid allegedly came along in January, Webber probably didn’t fancy being lynched for selling a top player while we were still -on paper – in with a chance of the play-offs. After all the great unwashed didn’t know he was on the cusp of giving notice then, did we?
As for the *standing back* I’m presuming that referes to Sam Johnston but all my info on this deal came from the Daily Record, who I ncredited as us journos are wont to do under these circumstances. From what I can gather it is very much a case of the player taking his time on a decision, which he can do as he is available on a free.
I don’t think we’re really that short of full backs anyway – that was a speciality of the 2021/22 season I think!
These here meds don’t do you a lot of good, if you see what I mean – get well soon.
Cheers
Mr P I was meaning , Max Johnson, Motherwell full back, he had a tour of Colney supposedly without his club knowing.
Thought Sam Johnston was keeper in NI. but being honest who knows. lolol
That was my bad, Lad. It is indeed MAX Johnston. Whoops!
I got the Daily Record bit right though 🙂
🤣 Martin is steadfastly sticking to Sam where Johnston is c0ncerned.
Mention of Sam Johnston makes me inclined to think of a goalkeeper, sometime of west brom.
This was driving me mildly insane so I googled him. Chris is right – 167 appearances for WBA and now #2 at Palace.
That’s our SAM Johnston 🙂
Hi Martin
Sheffield United are on a big mess another Saudi trying to buy them for £140m.
Higgingbottom sorry Heckingbottom has been told unless he sees he has £20m to spend as all other monies will pay the present owner back the loans he gave the club sounds familiar to our owners.
There’s more rumours about the new maintenance recruitment than a Sporting Director coming in and even less on white smoke coming out of Château Stowmarket on shares,
Milwaukee Brewers seem to be hogging all Attanasio’s time but a font of knowledge might divulge some snippets garnered from a source on the board.
Well itsxsoon back to our faltering opening second innings unless the rain again comes to are rescue the Aussie can smell blood and AC Milan might be smelling an Irish Rose deal but is that too bigger jump in Omobamidele career move this time
Hi Alex
I’m not familiar with the troubles at chez Heckingbottom – or indeed bothering to watch out for your old buddy Billy No Mates practising smoke signals either tbh!
Having said that it would be a Bob Beamon-style career jump for our Andy if he did move to the San Siro – but the other option being the Blades or Forest seems somehow quite ridiculous 🙂
Good luck to the lad whatever he decides and on reflection, he might go to the very top with the right coaching – those Italians know a bit about defending!
Cheers
Breaking Pink-un News
Norwich City have reached an agreement to sign Spanish winger Borja Sainz from Giresunspor, according to reports from Turkey.
Thanks for the update Alex – some of us we and other not, so ta.
I do wonder how much we need another cheap winger though!
Still we might get the defensive mid we so desperately need when Big Andy or A.N. Other is sold – let’s hope the man who is about to leave us when it suits HIM comes up with something a bit special in that department 🙂
My son says a deal is possible done for Hayden to return on a Freebie
That’ll put the cat amongst the Magpies in the land of the Geordie if it comes to pass and that’s for sure.
The former Wild Man of Bournemouth [I know, that’s ‘Arry’s gig really] will not be pleased about that AT ALL if a bit of skullduggery is going on behind the scenes.
From a City point of view I think supporters would be open minded to a Hayden return, unlike with flippin’ Ramsey.
Morning Martin reckon that rumor may be true if we get £20mill can bung in hanley and Gibson in buy one get two free can’t wait to see the back of this “defence” stats don’t lie nice day for the beer garden at Mundesley mate keep well 😀
Hi Kev
We won’t have to worry about Hanley until Christmas when perhaps he’ll re-emerge with claymore in hand to lead the rebellion against relegation.
I hope I’m joking there, but you never know…
You’re psychic as well as mystic – we’re just this minute off to Mundesley. Garden yes, beer no – the quack put a lifetime ban in force nearly a year ago next month 🙂
Cheers mate
ps I’ve got a Membership so I’m sure I’ll see you lot next season at some point.
Hope so 🙏
Actually when I say I’ve got a Membership, I’ve paid for one. Haven’t heard a dickie in five weeks since. Best chase it up later today ta for reminding me!
Morning Martin.
I still can’t see the logic in telling all and sundry that we are prepared to sell Andy Omobamidele.
The clubs “truthfullness” on so much that matters to us fans, has been somewhat missing in recent years. However as a club when it comes to upping the price for a prized asset we leave our poker faces behind. Surely a firm not for sale will increase the price?
On Mystic Kev point above. I cannot agree on his criticism of Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson. But as Kev says the facts do not lie. See below.
Hanley and Gibson were are usual centre back pairing for the 20/21 season when we romped to the Championship title conceding only 36 goals in 46 games. Bettered by only Watford.
But Kev is correct that both Grant and Ben did not have their best seasons in our last campaign in the championship. What is the difference between the two vastly different seasons at the same level? Olly Skipp.
When we City supporters meet up we are completely baffled by the criticism of Grant Hanley to a man.
He has easily been our best central defender over the last few years. Look at Andy Omobamidele’s drop off in form without Hanley.
I don’t care if we had Van Djyk and Diaz playing at centre half last season we were so open it was like we had decided to play without a midfield on occasions. So here we are in mid-June and still not a sniff of a holding midfielder.
Unless David Wagner solves this we can forget about promotion, that’s for sure. In fact I would look elsewhere in the league. Lower.
Really the ghost of Alex Tettey hangs over the club like a curse.
It has been proven time and again that a successful team needs a Skip, a Tettey, a Megson or a Gary Holt.
Over to you Sw, though as I said yesterday once it was clear Kieran Scott was off to Borough he was put on gardening leave. The reason…. conflict of interest.
Strange how our Stuart is a more equal “pig” in Orwellian terms.
Hi Tim
Like you, I was stumped by Webber’s announcements of £20m for Omobamidele but maybe he is telling everyone that’s the starting price and hoping for an auction.
If, as we all suppose, Webber handed in his notice prior to the next term rolling on, then surely any employer would have had him out the door once the his term was up?
Rumours abound on many clubs that are looking for a Sports Director yet there’s not a whiff in any papers who City might be looking at. Maybe Delia and Co are hoping for a change of mind or, like Leeds, are waiting til after the season starts.
Has an agreement between the two clubs been done that they won’t go for any of City’s targets and Webber can walk after the window closes?
More questions than answers or just conspiracy theories – the ghost of Ian Fleming and a James Pond Novel(no typo)
Therein is the conflict of interest Alex, by “agreeing” not to go after reach others targets is not in the interests of either club.
As for who maybe the next Sporting Director?
Your guess is as good as mine but if Delia goes full dictator then don’t be surprised if it is Tom Smith 🤣
Someone suggest Sir Les of QPR but 8 years as Sports Director there and no promotion not for me.
Gary O’Neil is out of work after being sacked this morning at Bournemouth maybe he would fancy a new position at city
Les Ferdinand is so out of the blue I missed him last time I looked!
Delia + Relatively High Profile = Disaster I would say – although it did work out with Ed Balls, albeit in a different kind of way I suppose.
I don’t think nepotism stretches quite THAT far 🙂
If Webber was Bond, would that make Delia Miss Moneypenny?
More like Klebb from Russia with Love
🤣
Oi!
There’s no need for that 🙂
MS Nomoney.
That sounds like the doomed spaceship in a horror film.
Oh, hang on!
Hi Tim
I feel I can differentiate between Hanley and Gibson to the point that the former is still a useful guy to have around while the latter, erm, isn’t.
This window probably represents the first time Webber has had to deal with a fire sale, so maybe it a case more of *everything must go* than *put your money where your mouth is*.
Webber has contributed to the spot he is in by recruiting the likes of Rashica and Tzolis but it is by no means entirely his fault as he has [albeit very recently] admitted fan funding cannot work.
And we all know where the intransigent backing for aforementioned fan funding comes from, don’t we?
One thing I omitted from the article [basically because it was player-centric] is to draw readers attention to an event at Carrow Road this Friday morning.
The Championship fixtures are released at 0900 sharp, and supporters are invited to join in the excitement at Carrow Road from 0800 to hear details of the Papal Bull as it is announced. There’s free tea and coffee and there will be bacon rolls [or a vegan alternative] for the first 50 fans to arrive.
The official news item on the Club site goes on to devalue what is surely a genuinely nice gesture with the terse message that the fans who turn up will be allowed to *mingle until 1000.*
What happens then – is everybody shown the door rapidly and simultaneously?
There’s something lacking. It’s not always that easy to put your finger on it, but there’s something lacking nonetheless.
And if a member of the PR team can play on the wing I suggest they sort out a jobshare with Onel!
Cheers
ps I’m glad you mentioned Gary Megson in with the others. He played a vital but largely unsung role in the Mike Walker side of the early 9os.
I should have not put Ben and Grant together Martin, my bad.
Ben Gibson has had one good season with us and it is clear that either he just isn’t good enough at definitely EPL standard and now perhaps at Championship level. Or it maybe that injury, he looks half the player since he has been back.
Grant to me has been a rock for years, of course he has his weaknesses and his EPL days have probably gone, but along with Teemu they have been the stand out players of the last two seasons.
I know that is damning them with faint praise😂
I started to think it was April 1st when you said about the tea and coffee morning at Carrow Road this Friday* morning for the fixture list release… and you will promptly be kicked out at 10.00am 😱 Have they got a Morris Dancing Practice at 10am on the dot?
Back in the day me and my mate Marty would have LOVED this. The days and weeks waiting for the Fixture List seemed to be a lifetime. Nowadays it is here before you know it.
* Are you sure it is Friday Martin as the EFL say it is on Thursday?
*I know that is damning them with faint praise*.
Yes, that’s been the trouble for quite some time now and is why, imo, you need a player like a Gary O’Neil around. Not to police the squad, but just to have a few little words when required. and Grant Hanley was probably the closest we had to that last season.
You [and the EFL] are quite right – the fixtures are released on THURSDAY JUNE 22. That’s my bad – it’s normally on a Friday and I should have read the article more carefully.
Sounds to me as though a lot of the speculation with Andy O is likely to be agent driven – we’ve seen it before with Aarons, who has been “certain” to leave in every transfer window in recent memory. Of course if the player has effectively said he wants a move asap then the club may as well talk up the price as best they can.
Reminds me of Darel Russell, who was for ever supposedly going on to greater things. Of course right now we might think both Max and Andy are far better players than Russell, but lets see how their careers work out. We’ve sold a lot of players for very good money over the decades who haven’t looked half as good once they left. Mind you we’ve bought a few too…
Hi Keith
Yes that is very much a possibility for sure.
I don’t remember the Darel Russell scenario specifically, but I do recall Darren Huckerby’s agent, Phil somebody, doing everything he could to scupper the deal Hucks wanted with us because he could have got a higher wage [and possibly fee too] elsewhere.
As for Andy Omobamidele himself he must be walking on water to hear all this talk – it’s his 21st birthday at the weekend and what a do that should be 🙂
The first part of Russell’s entry in Flown from the Nest gives a good feel for it
http://www.ex-canaries.co.uk/players/russell.htm
IIRC he left us for Stoke, and we were promoted the next season; when he returned to us the reverse happened i.e. Stoke went up the next season.
Thanks Keith. I’ve read many of the entries on Flown from the Nest but not Darel Russell’s so I’ll have a quick gander later.
I thought football had lost the plot with Watford only giving a manager 3-4 games to judge his ability Martin, but today is the day football really lost all sense of reality…. Bournemouth have sacked Gary O’Neil 🤬🤬🤬
It was without doubt a footballing miracle that he kept them in the Premier League. The much more highly rated Scott Parker said it was an impossible job.
A plague on all their houses.
I wonder if this may scupper Daniel Farke to Leeds United? Gary O’Neil would be a brilliant fit at Elland Road.
Or come to think of it, here if things do not work out with David Wagner.
I think Parker has screwed up and the gloss has come of a promising career, ditch Fulham saying no ambition, ditched Bournemouth saying it was an impossible task and really belly flopping I the Belgium super league
Where next – he’s second in line for Leeds behind Farke then maybe a job on BT, taking Chris Suttons job who’s gone over to Sky
He’ll go down in history as a much better player than manager and that’s for sure!
I’m not on gardening leave but rather doing some actual gardening today so I wasn’t aware of this development.
I know they flatlined at the very end of the season but it was *job done* with several games to spare – what more do they want?
He’s a top bloke too so I guess I’m as annoyed as you are. I agree with you about his ability to fit in at Elland Road and if money’s a concern to *that lot from Yorkshire* it looks like there’s no compo to come up with either.
I’d take Gary O’Neill here for sure – at least they’d show a bit of fight. Guaranteed.
I, of course, have no inside information on Andrew’s deal (or no deal) but it is worth looking at recent history to get a sense of ‘where we’re at’ as a club.
Our big sales in recent years have been….
– Madders to Leicester – At the time Leicester were doing better than they are today, finishing 9th the season he joined. So a top-half, but not ‘top’ team.
– Ben Godfrey to Everton – They finished 10th the season he joined. Again a top half, but not title challenging team.
– Jamal Lewis to Newcastle – The days of the previous owner. Finished 12th. Mid table team.
– Buendia to Villa – Joined for a big fee, but has never been truly appreciated. They finished 14th the season he joined.
What this tells me is that we haven’t sold a player to a top-top team in a long time (correct me if I’m wrong). More importantly there’s been some conspicuous omissions in our transfers out.
1) Pukki. Obviously played out his contract, but I don’t remember him ever in danger of being poached.
2) Aarons. Said to have had major interest from top clubs. How interested were they really? Who knows, but he’s still here.
3) Cantwell. Webber said he was worth 30M. Left for less than 10% of that to Scotland.
Looking at all these as data points, I become very skeptical about anyone (from inside or outside the club) declaring X player is off to a Championship challenging team, regardless of the country.
Andrew’s good, he may be very good, but the feeling I get is he’s being marketed (Webber’s comments, documentary), to try and entice attention. I guess we’ll find out if it works.
Hi Dave
Everything is open to interpretation, just as everybody on our books is up for grabs.
I think your look at the players you mention is a very realistic one and certainly nothing there to argue with.
As for the last player we sold to Citeh, Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs + the *new* version of Newcastle, I can’t immediately think of anybody either except the Academy youngster Alex Matos to Chelsea earlier this year, so I’ll say Robert Fleck to Chelsea in 1992 🙂
Cheers
Weren’t Chelsea a yo-yo club back when Fleck went there? Reeves to Man City – again they bounced between division 1 and 2 so maybe Steve Bruce to Man U or a few that went to the Blue side of Glasgow, or a CB to Arsenal.
I don’t think they were a yo-yo club as such but they did have a pretty torrid few seasons during the Ken Bates incumbency.
Driving home just now I remembered we let them have Andy Townsend on the cheap when he was approaching the absolute peak of his career.
I think its very sad that Omobamidele is likely to depart before we get the benefit of seeing him at anything like his best.
Last season he struggled, particularly in tandem with Sorensen during that abysmal late run of results. Hopefully the folly of utilising Sorensen as a centre half will never be repeated.
Its commmon knowledge that Sheffield United have a restricted budget, so it would be pointless dealing entertaining them if they start sniffing. For one thing, we don’t owe them any favours and, for another, they will be heading back where they come from in 12 months time.
Its all rather unsatisfactory and when the big ticket sales start filtering through it will inevitably feed into the mood ahead of the new season.
Maybe there’s room in Italy for an old cook?
Hi Chris
That’s a very fair comment. At least we saw the likes of Sutton, Madders, Godfrey and quite a few more at something approaching their peak but as you say this won’t be the case with big Andy if he leaves in this window.
There’s still something surreal about AC Milan and Sheff Utd being mentioned in the same bracket when speculating on a transfer.
Perhaps we could have swapped our old cook for an unwanted old crook, but Berlusconi has met his maker so that deal’s off.
Cheers
Martin: I’m not sure there’s such a difference between Omobamidele (if we sell him this summer) and Godfrey or Maddison.
We sold Godfrey at the age of 22, after 66 appearances over 2 seasons
We sold Maddison at the age of 22, after 47 appearances over 1 season
Omobamidele is 21, and has made 48 appearances over a season and a half
Hi Stew
That’s an excellent point and you are absolutely right.
Ill health meant that I had to miss every single game last season and that must surely be why I kind of lost track of just how many games Andrew Omobamidele has played for us.
His back injury and other associated niggles thereafter further ate away into his game time so when I saw he has made a total of 48 appearances I was rather surprised!
Cheers – and thanks for pointing that out 🙂
😂😂😂
You never know Martin.
Stranger Things and all that, like Poor old Gary O’Neil and now Darren Moore. Sacked, or something made up.
Are clubs queuing up to be the New Watford ?
I cannot think of two people less deserving of yesterday’s treatment than those two.
At least Bournemouth have offered their supporters an explanation of sorts.