The Officially Not Official Summer Transfer Thread 2023

[ron obvious 1,514]

23 hours ago, KiwiScot said:

It's our business model of developing decent youth players and selling them on while getting some use out of them for 2-4 seasons. Only wish it meant we could buy decent players to supplement this. I wish we could sign a marque signing this season someone we all know instantly will be a quality player and prove to be so. It's depressing signing so many players with potential with good 5 minute youtube videos showcasing their talent.

Sorry but this is completely the wrong approach. That's how you end up with Naismith.

[king canary 7,654]

16 minutes ago, ron obvious said:

Sorry but this is completely the wrong approach. That's how you end up with Naismith.

You've got to have a bit of balance though. 

I'd be concerned if this summer we went out and signed another batch of 21-23 year olds from South America or similar due to the amount of time and adjustment they need. I'm not suggesting we drop £10m on a 29 year old but adding some proven ability in this league either permanently or on loan can help soften the transition. 

[repman 635]

43 minutes ago, king canary said:

You've got to have a bit of balance though. 

I'd be concerned if this summer we went out and signed another batch of 21-23 year olds from South America or similar due to the amount of time and adjustment they need. I'm not suggesting we drop £10m on a 29 year old but adding some proven ability in this league either permanently or on loan can help soften the transition. 

I think it's notable that the only outfield players we've had this year between the ages 24-29 are Dowell, Sorensen and Giannoulis. Obviously there's players like Max who are younger but have played a lot of football in their careers already. 

I'd be hesitant of adding anyone unless it was a loan like Rhodes was. The squad is already the oldest its been under Webber's stewardship. Pukki leaving will help lower it however.

Generally when you're starting a 'rebuild' its best to go as young as you can in the beginning and if you need more experience to get you over the line then you add it later. I think its likely we do sign some more experienced players because Webber/Wagner will be prioritising the short-term over everything else.

[ron obvious 1,514]

56 minutes ago, king canary said:

You've got to have a bit of balance though. 

I'd be concerned if this summer we went out and signed another batch of 21-23 year olds from South America or similar due to the amount of time and adjustment they need. I'm not suggesting we drop £10m on a 29 year old but adding some proven ability in this league either permanently or on loan can help soften the transition. 

I'd not be against a wise old head on the way down (& at the right money & the right character) to supply experience & leadership. It's the marquee signings I'm against. Someone to impress other teams' supporters with is just vanity & highly unlikely to work for Norwich.

[king canary 7,654]

Just now, ron obvious said:

I'd not be against a wise old head on the way down (& at the right money & the right character) to supply experience & leadership. It's the marquee signings I'm against. Someone to impress other teams' supporters with is just vanity & highly unlikely to work for Norwich.

Yeah that is fair- we've certainly had a mixed experience with those types of signings. Who was the last one though? Pritchard maybe?

[Mason 47 1,393]

For me it isn't necessarily about age, but age is likely to be a marker of experience. It says a lot that Hanley, Gibson and McLean got injured and we suddenly look like we can't cope with the Championship. Furthermore to that, Krul and latterly Pukki have moved into more supporting roles so your on-pitch leadership chain is pretty mashed at this point.

Take our previous starting lineup, 5 are in their first-ever Championship season, 3 have played bits here-and-there. Only really Byram, Aarons and Gunn have played meaningful minutes in this league previously, and even then only Max has full, uninterrupted seasons regularly (and he's 23).

Time for new leaders.

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,361]

3 hours ago, Terminally Yellow said:

Leeds All Over reporting "sources" have told them Stuart Webber is high on a list of potential Director of Football replacements. 

Please don't give us that much hope! 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,781]

3 hours ago, Terminally Yellow said:

Leeds All Over reporting "sources" have told them Stuart Webber is high on a list of potential Director of Football replacements. 

Oh noooo whatever will we do without hin? Please noooo Leeds don't take him from us, oh please

[shefcanary 2,444]

I thought I'd share, even at this early stage considering the released players announcement today, what the squad is shaping up for next season already against the EFL restrictions, the source being the squad lists on the club web-site. I have assumed all the loaned out players not released yet return to the squad, and have only included those in the U18 squad this season if they have appeared on the bench for the senior squad in 2022-23. In the table below I have used the 1 January 2023 as the reference for the age categorisation or this.

What this shows is:

• that a quarter of the remaining squad are goalkeepers (!). I think now McGovern has left, Krul surely replaces him as the back up despite his high salary. There will be further moves out amongst the 11 players here;
• full back provision seem okay but we are expecting movement here;
• fit CB's are all 20 or under; 
• I've made splits between DM and AM based on the club's original description, but McLean, Sara & Gibbs could all be more attacking players. We also expect Rashica to be on his way, but really again there's not a lot of experience;
• Attack wise, reliance on Idah and Sargent plus the youngsters would seem a catastrophic way to go into a new season.

At this stage a frighteningly inexperienced squad - "you never win anything with kids"! The most experienced outfield players are also currently injured! There certainly is a need to bring in some experience d players.

Now, the current analysis shows 6 EFL squad places are available unless more are moved on. But additional CB / DM / AM / Strikers are a must in that 6, so will definitely expect sales of some of those named above.

In short, there is a helluva lot of work to do to be ready for next season. Webber cannot prevaricate like he has in previous seasons - he has to get his main targets in.

[Terminally Yellow 2,477]

7 minutes ago, shefcanary said:

*Snip*

Is this missing Jonathan Rowe?

Just spotted him! Ignore me

Edited May 5, 2023 by Terminally Yellow

[shefcanary 2,444]

1 minute ago, Terminally Yellow said:

Is this missing Jonathan Rowe?

Just spotted him! Ignore me

Probably because I stuck him up front - I sense we will see a 4-3-3 more often than not next season.

[Danke bitte 967]

10 minutes ago, shefcanary said:

Attack wise, reliance on Idah and Sargent plus the youngsters would seem a catastrophic way to go into a new season.

Are you kidding?! Idah will turn into a 14+ goal machine next season… we all know it… ;  )

[shefcanary 2,444]

Sarge now out until pre-season at least! Just shows how another striker is needed, especially if we do loan Idah out!

[shefcanary 2,444]

Also from today's presser: 

DW on the squad: “I am happy with what we have in our head. We have been showing potential new players the training ground in the past week. The first steps are done, but we have more to do."

DW on selling Max and Andy: “It is quite common that we sell players to invest. This is what we do and we like to do. If you want new faces in the group then you have to make space. If you can do this and make money that is great.”

Edited May 5, 2023 by shefcanary

[Samwam27 532]

See Pedro us signing for Brighton from Watford for £30m.

Strikers are at a premium price, but does that push Aarons and Omo's vslues up a tad?

Also pushes Undav further fown the pecking order. I'd have him here in a jiffy 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,781]

25 minutes ago, shefcanary said:

Also from today's presser: 

DW on the squad: “I am happy with what we have in our head. We have been showing potential new players the training ground in the past week. The first steps are done, but we have more to do."

DW on selling Max and Andy: “It is quite common that we sell players to invest. This is what we do and we like to do. If you want new faces in the group then you have to make space. If you can do this and make money that is great.”

"We have been showing potential new players the training ground in the past week"

Interesting..

[repman 635]

2 hours ago, shefcanary said:

At this stage a frighteningly inexperienced squad - "you never win anything with kids"! The most experienced outfield players are also currently injured! There certainly is a need to bring in some experience d players.

Just to illustrate this point I tried making a quick chart to show our players ages. 

It goes to show how few of our squad this year are in what is usually considered a player's peak years. Full backs and midfielders tend to skew a bit younger and keepers are usually older. 

I think when we say experienced players it'd be good if we could get some players around 23/24 who can have a good few years with the club. The problem with that is they're usually the most expensive due to the fact they will probably have a decent record behind them as well as many good years ahead.

Considering that Hanley, McLean and Onel are all contracted to 2025 I believe it would be a bit risky to add any more players around that age bracket, unless they're a loan/free transfer.

[Branston Pickle 3,679]

Someone was saying that Ashley Barnes might be one of the guys we’re looking at - going out of contract at Burnley.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,781]

1 minute ago, Branston Pickle said:

Someone was saying that Ashley Barnes might be one of the guys we’re looking at - going out of contract at Burnley.

on 40 grand a week at Burnley and turning 34 this year? No thanks.

[Branston Pickle 3,679]

4 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

on 40 grand a week at Burnley and turning 34 this year? No thanks.

Has 38 appearances this season - fitness not an issue.  Would you have kept Pukki? There’s a matter of months between their birth dates. Clearly no resale value but on a free we’d be daft not to look.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Branston Pickle

[Branston Pickle 3,679]

14 minutes ago, TheDarkKnight said:

Not too sure how you guys (and girls?) feel about loan signings.

Ben Doak (17 year old winger) from Liverpool would be a great signing.

He's reminiscent of a Giggs/Kancheskis hybrid. He'd absolutely terrify Championship fullbacks.

I know, "We'd rather play our own than develop players of other clubs, etc", but this kid looks like a superstar in the making. Would you have turned down a 17 year old Ronaldo?

Plus Wagner is friends with Klopp. Sounds like it could happen.

Loans are a fact of life - we’ve not made the best use of them recently but it’s not a reason not to use them. Look at the better sides in this division and you often see key players are loanees.

[Capt. Pants 4,274]

3 hours ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

"We have been showing potential new players the training ground in the past week"

Interesting..

Well they'll be free agents then as we can't approach anyone else without agreement from their club.

[Danke bitte 967]

19 minutes ago, Branston Pickle said:

Loans are a fact of life - we’ve not made the best use of them recently but it’s not a reason not to use them. Look at the better sides in this division and you often see key players are loanees.

@ged in the onion bag would probably disagree with you there sir.. 

[Terminally Yellow 2,477]

23 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

Well they'll be free agents then as we can't approach anyone else without agreement from their club.

Not necessarily. Alot of clubs will allow players to look around prospective buyers before a full agreement is made out as it's in their interest to conclude the deal swiftly, get any money they are due/player off their wage bill to allow them to reinvest accordingly. Quite a common practice.

[norfolkngood 1,087]

41 minutes ago, Terminally Yellow said:

Not necessarily. Alot of clubs will allow players to look around prospective buyers before a full agreement is made out as it's in their interest to conclude the deal swiftly, get any money they are due/player off their wage bill to allow them to reinvest accordingly. Quite a common practice.

That is quite correct in if a team is happy to sell a player or he is no longer wanted with their blessing he could come and look round and see the city etc 

in both parties interests 

[Branston Pickle 3,679]

1 hour ago, Danke bitte said:

@ged in the onion bag would probably disagree with you there sir.. 

That’s as maybe, but it’s a fact of life - the top sides in the Championship almost always have good loan players (as we did when we won the titles).  In an ideal world you’d not need them but used well they enhance the squad.  

[PockthorpePete 331]

4 hours ago, Branston Pickle said:

Loans are a fact of life - we’ve not made the best use of them recently but it’s not a reason not to use them. Look at the better sides in this division and you often see key players are loanees.

We seem to have fallen short in that department recently. Hiding was too injury prone and the Marquis chap was nothing special. Ramsey looked good and was a loss when he left. . Williams I thought was excellent, and Skipp was brilliant.

We are going to need at least two strikers.  No Idah should go out on loan. Maybe there is a PL striker in our sights. For those unable to grasp the benefits of loans then look at Bali Mumba. How would he have been progressing sat on the bench with us?

More Skipps, Forsters and Huckerbys, and fewer Normanns,  Kanaks and Gilmours.

[KeiranShikari 1,426]

Barnes makes perfect sense for several reasons. He'd fit the style Wagner wants to play, he'd replace the experience we're losing and he's also a bit nasty which is something we severely lack.

What he was on last season at Burnely doesn't mean a thing. That contract was signed years ago and he's obviously not going to be expecting those wages at 33 and signing for a club in the Championship.

I'd imagine the sticking point might  be playing time. He can probably get Championship football at a club where he starts most weeks if hes fit. Here, you'd hope, we would view him more as more of a depth option.

[7HAR1980 108]

Signing a 33 turning 34 year old is going backwards. It's disappointing that supporters believe signing Barnes is a good idea.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,797]

7 hours ago, Branston Pickle said:

Loans are a fact of life - we’ve not made the best use of them recently but it’s not a reason not to use them. Look at the better sides in this division and you often see key players are loanees.

Indeed....only got to look at the top 2 in this league

Burnley with Tella on loan from Southampton and Sheff Utd with McAtee and Doyle from Man City