Mirko Topic signing confirmed by the club https://www.canaries.co.uk/content/norwich-city-sign-mirko-topic
In an attempt to fact check myself using TransferMarkt it looks like he has only played 1 game as a CB in his career
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy4dlqvez2lo Manning expects a few departures. Any guesses? Nunez and Sargent look covered now should there be bids? Then I'd say some kind of GK departure, Gibbs, Duffy, McConville, Forsyth, Myles, mostly out on loan?
Duffy and Slimane were both directly mentioned by Manning and both were left out of Saturday's lineup and bench as was Hills. If Manning plans to play 3 at the back, then McConville will probably stay. Home grown player rules may influence what happens with Gibbs, Forsyth, Myles and Mundle-Smith. The situation with Adegboyega also remains unclear after his productive loan spell at Dundee Utd.
If Hills and Duffy go, as seems likely, surely McConville will be kept in the squad? Shorn of SD and BH, we wouldn't exactly be flush with CBs, and McConville -- already capped 5 times for NI at the age of 20 and with his BHA background -- would be in front of Adeboyega? If that turned out not to be the case, I think he'd be entitled to feel pretty disgruntled at the turn of events this summer.
I’d be in favour of keeping 5 CB at the club given that Manning will want to play both back 4 and a back 5. My choice to stay would be Medic, Darling, Cordoba, McConville and Hills. However I don’t see Hills wanting to hang around especially as he may be 5th choice in that list.
No. 3, I would say. He's certainly not going to replace Mats Sels, last season's EPL Golden Gloves winner. And unless Carlos Miguel is fretting about being second choice keeper behind Sels, I can't see Angus displacing him either.
Interesting reading about Makama, I had assumed we were buying him as a depth striker, but seems like his better role is off the right as an inside forward. With Manning saying that he expects to see Crnac in more of a second striker/10 role too, perhaps they're competing for the same role in a 3-4-2-1?
Doesn't this show the awful standard of Scottish football. Their first choice GK is 3rd choice at Florist and their first choice CB couldn't get a game at a Championship Club, moved to a Div 1 Club short term where he was not a regular starter and is now without a Club.
That was how Crnac and Forson played on Saturday so it could well be the same for Makama once he settles in. His physical style offers something different and he could also have a role as an impact sub.
My guess that he will be on the bench every week as he’s classed as home grown so will help Forest fulfill matchday quotas. I agree he won’t be displacing Sels, I don’t k is much about Carlos Miguel I must confess
I think our options offer us a real fluidity, these players can rotate position in game making it difficult for the opposition to track individuals.
Manning has an amazing array of attacking players to choose from to create that fluidity: Sargent, Kvistgaarden, Crnac, Diallo, Makama, Marcondes, Schwartau and Jurásek and beyond that there's Myles and Mundle-Smith as well as talk of a PL loanee like Koumas from Liverpool. Diallo played as a WB on Saturday to add another dimension to that fluidity with pace for counterattacking as well. This is what ACN thinks: "We are expecting to see a lot more pragmatism and adaptability under Liam Manning. The friendly against NAC Breda showed a willingness to go long when needed, and Manning certainly wants to see more passes going forwards rather than sidewards and backwards. Naturally, this’ll require some proper athletes to get up and down the pitch and have the stamina and strength to play in games with a higher number of quick transitions. The profile of this summer’s recruits all seem to have that in common." https://www.alongcomenorwich.com/articles/jovon-makama-a-raw-diamond/
