Latest news

Confirmation that the race for Billy Sharp's signature was now, indeed, a four-horse race came from Sheffield Wednesday boss Brian Laws this afternoon.

The Owls chief was quoted by BBC Radio Sheffield as saying that the Owls were now locked in a tug-of-war with Norwich, Wolves and Sheffield United for the young man's services.

The BBC report also claimed that Sharp – whose agent is ex-Owls favourite Imre Varadi – was due for talks at Hillsborough “in the next 48 …

With the Billy Sharp saga still rumbling on, it now seems that the Canaries have launched another official bid for a highly-rated young striker ? according to the Southend Echo, City have had a ?1.5m offer for Freddy Eastwood turned down.

City boss Peter Grant has long since confirmed his admiration for 23-year-old Eastwood, but the Shrimpers forward has been tipped for a move to long-term admirers Wolves.

Only a week ago, the former West Ham trainee was said to be …

In the last 48 hours of Sharp-talking, two quotes have stood out.

Neither of them are from the Norwich 'end'; that's fair enough. Anyone who got close to the David Cotterill deal at the end of last summer will, only now, have recovered from having their fingers badly burnt.

Giving it the full 'Gotcha!' routine has a nasty habit of turning round and biting those concerned firmly on the butt, so silence is likely to remain golden. Mr B Sharp was, however, …

As Scunthorpe United's 'most wanted' got the full, red carpet treatment in Norfolk today, so Sky Sports' Football League expert Chris Kamara gave City fans a first hint of what they may be getting – if the Canaries can pull this summer's big money swoop off and get Billy Sharp's signature on the appropriate dotted line.

If.

For while Scunthorpe's decision last night to allow their 21-year-old hot property the chance to speak to the Canaries …

The Canaries today moved to the head of the race to sign Scunthorpe United striker Billy Sharp after Irons chairman Steve Wharton revealed that he was on his way to Norfolk for talks after the two clubs agreed a ?2 million fee.

Speaking to the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph last night, Wharton revealed: “We have given Billy permission to go and talk to Norwich.”

The paper went on to claim that the player was due to have those talks in Norwich today.

Sharp, 21, …

City boss Peter Grant this morning conceded that the current transfer stalemate could continue for another two weeks – that it will take the start of pre-season training to finally force people to show their hands.

“I think it could be another two weeks before it settles down – I really do,” said the Canary manager, who summed up his current mood in one, familiar word.

“Frustrated.”

And not unreasonably so. For the Canaries were at the table early this summer – …

The suggestion that Freddy Eastwood's switch to Wolves this week was virtually a done deal received something of a blow this weekend when Shrimpers boss Steve Tilson suggested it was anything but.

Eastwood, 23, had been strongly linked to a ?1.25 million switch to Molineux last week with the Wolverhampton Express & Star insisting that the Southend striker 'would' become Mick McCarthy's first major signing of the summer.

The Canaries, too, have been …

Morocco became the first nation to qualify for the 2008 African Nations Cup in Ghana after a gift-wrapped 1-0 victory in Malawi yesterday ? all of which means our very own Youssef Safri could miss a significant chunk of City's Championship campaign.

The fact that the Canaries will be without one of their key performers for, potentially, the whole of January will not sit well with City boss Peter Grant and it will be interesting to see the Scot's reaction if his side are …

Whilst his Canary team-mates will be hitting the treadmill hard and gearing up to face the likes of Lowestoft Town and Exeter, City defender Andrew Cave-Brown can look forward to the more glamorous prospect of a World Cup tie against the boys from Brazil.

The Gravesend-born full-back was recently named in the Scotland Under-20 squad for the upcoming World Cup – commencing on June 30th in Canada – and the Scots will be confident that they can negotiate their passage to the last 16 …

David Marshall's colourful agent Wille MacKay suddenly found himself with rather more pressing concerns than smoothing the wantaway Celtic keeper's ?500,000 switch to the Canaries when he today emerged as one of the central characters in Lord Stevens' long-awaited 'Quest' report into football's alleged 'bung culture'.

The former Metropolitan Police chief and his team of so-called 'forensic accountants' have refused to sign off 17 transfers …

This summer's transfer fun and games today took another intriguing twist when the Wolverhampton Express & Star claimed that Southend United star Freddy Eastwood would be Molineux-bound next week in a deal that could be worth up to ?1.5 million to the relegated Shrimpers.

Of more interest in this neck of the woods, however, was the paper's accompanying claim that Eastwood was facing “an immediate choice” between Wolves and Norwich as Canary boss Peter Grant continued in …

The trick on these kind of afternoons is trying to work out just what the Canaries have let themselves in for; what kind of player and character have they signed in Jon Otsemobor after the 5ft 10in defender was officially unveiled today as Norwich's first fresh face of the summer.

The answer, in simple terms, is a player that wily old Crewe boss Dario Gradi actually signed twice – once on loan from Liverpool and once on a free from Rotherham United.

Not only that, but …

Dead and buried? Or just one minor bump in the road?

That was probably today's big question question transfer-wise as the David Marshall saga rumbled on – or rather the 22-year-old's agent, Willie MacKay, ensured that the saga rumbled on.

Widely quoted over the weekend as claiming that City's long-time keeper target could yet be staying firmly put at Parkhead this summer – and all with a new Bhoys deal to boot – the Monaco-based agent was out and about again …

David Marshall, Tony Warner, Danny Coyne and Neil Alexander are just four of the names that have been linked with the vacant goalkeeping jersey at Carrow Road already, and, after all, we are only in June.

There has certainly been no shortage of transfer speculation this summer regarding City's seemingly jinxed No 1 position ? a role which, in truth, has never really been filled since the departure of Robert Green.

Last season saw no fewer than five …

This week wasn't intended to be all about the Turners. But while we all sit and wait for the real transfer flak to start flying, this week was as good as any to start to paint more of a picture of the two new arrivals in the Carrow Road boardroom.

They could, in many ways, yet prove to be the most significant new faces to arrive at Carrow Road for many a summer; in the fullness of time, they could yet imprint as much of their personality on the Canaries as Delia Smith and her …

Prospective City keeper target David Marshall played the game to perfection this morning as he grabbed the nearest, passing Scottish tabloid football reporter and sang like a wee birdie from the Glasgow rooftops as to how much he'd love to join the Canaries.

The 22-year-old Celtic youth product was reported to be the subject of a ?500,000 bid by Norwich last month – 24 hours after the wantaway No1 had asked Bhoys boss Gordon Strachan to be put on the Parkhead transfer list.<br …