That’s it! Summer all done and dusted. Seems like only five minutes ago that we saw the Premier League trapdoor slam shut.
Following our demise last season and the surprise appointment of academy guru Neil Adams, the forthcoming transfer window could have ended up being a calamity. A number of our better players were targeted by Premier League clubs and coupled with the drop in around half the clubs income, the potential for a tumultuous window was hovering over us like a bad smell.
But where do we stand on 2nd September 2014? In my opinion, I don’t think the summer could have gone much better. Yes I was (and still am a little) concerned about our manager but he has hit the ground running on the pitch and I don’t think you’ll find a single Norwich fan disappointed with the dealings in the market.
Out have gone:
Snodgrass - for an OTT fee of £7m.
Fer - has left for close to £10m (though we will probably only see about £8m of it).
van Wolfswinkel - has joined St Etienne on loan for the year with view to a permanent exit.
Pilkington - now with rivals Cardiff (arguably the most controversial departure of the summer).
Surman - rejoins Bournemouth for a fee of around £1m (good business).
Becchio - has gone on loan to Rotherham (god knows how we managed that - I assume we are having to subsidise most of his wages).
One or two others have gone but the above were the headline deals.
In have come:
Hooiveld on loan - a top, top Championship defender, great character, excellent signing.
Miquel from Arsenal - ok, I’ve slated him already because I’ve seen a fair bit of him and I think he’s far too weak to be a centre half. I honestly don’t see him getting in our team but he’s a Norwich player now and he certainly adds more depth to the squad in a position where we were weak. £1.5m mooted?
Thompson - straight back out on loan so irrelevant this season but one for the future. £600k.
McGrandles - up and coming talent, possible long term successor to Hoolahan? Probably won’t see much of him this season but could see fleeting glimpses of his potential. £1m mooted.
Odjidja-Ofoe - if he’s as good as we’ve been led to believe by the likes of Kompany and Lukaku, he’ll tear the Championship to pieces with his power. £3m.
Jerome - truly excellent signing at this level for an absolute snip at £1.5m.
Cuellar - jury out as he’s not played much football in the past year but there’s no question he was a top defender and reads the game well. Free.
O’Neil - Championship nous, a controlled, clever footballer. Could prove a vital signing as the season goes on. Free.
Grabban - already scored five times and at £3m looks like great business when compared to over-inflated prices elsewhere in this league.
Lafferty - a real character, something we’ve lacked for more than a year, and decent on the pitch. £4m.
(Apologies if I’ve missed anyone!)
All in all, I think that’s some seriously good business for a club who has just been relegated. The only signing I am unhappy with is Miquel but who knows, he might prove me wrong. Let’s face it, everybody has different views of players. I mean, some managers hilariously rate Franck Nouble! Difficult to say where we sit financially on the summer deals as so many were classified as undisclosed, but I think we are slightly in profit on fees, maybe by £3m (not taking into account wages). It could be argued that the best business we’ve done is to keep hold of Ruddy, Redmond, Hoolahan, Olsson, Hooper, Tettey et al and I think there’s a lot of truth in that. I would expect Bassong to move on loan at some point - there was definitely some interest in him but wages will have been a stumbling block. Bunn, once he returns from injury may also leave.
Looking at our squad on paper I think we should all be very confident of a top two finish. Adams has crafted a great blend of youthfulness and experience, Championship nous with Premier League know-how, power, strength and pace, with skill, technique and class.
A job well done Mr Adams and a job well done Mr McNally. Let’s make sure we don’t blow this opportunity at an immediate return to the Premier League.
OTBC
Following our demise last season and the surprise appointment of academy guru Neil Adams, the forthcoming transfer window could have ended up being a calamity. A number of our better players were targeted by Premier League clubs and coupled with the drop in around half the clubs income, the potential for a tumultuous window was hovering over us like a bad smell.
But where do we stand on 2nd September 2014? In my opinion, I don’t think the summer could have gone much better. Yes I was (and still am a little) concerned about our manager but he has hit the ground running on the pitch and I don’t think you’ll find a single Norwich fan disappointed with the dealings in the market.
Out have gone:
Snodgrass - for an OTT fee of £7m.
Fer - has left for close to £10m (though we will probably only see about £8m of it).
van Wolfswinkel - has joined St Etienne on loan for the year with view to a permanent exit.
Pilkington - now with rivals Cardiff (arguably the most controversial departure of the summer).
Surman - rejoins Bournemouth for a fee of around £1m (good business).
Becchio - has gone on loan to Rotherham (god knows how we managed that - I assume we are having to subsidise most of his wages).
One or two others have gone but the above were the headline deals.
In have come:
Hooiveld on loan - a top, top Championship defender, great character, excellent signing.
Miquel from Arsenal - ok, I’ve slated him already because I’ve seen a fair bit of him and I think he’s far too weak to be a centre half. I honestly don’t see him getting in our team but he’s a Norwich player now and he certainly adds more depth to the squad in a position where we were weak. £1.5m mooted?
Thompson - straight back out on loan so irrelevant this season but one for the future. £600k.
McGrandles - up and coming talent, possible long term successor to Hoolahan? Probably won’t see much of him this season but could see fleeting glimpses of his potential. £1m mooted.
Odjidja-Ofoe - if he’s as good as we’ve been led to believe by the likes of Kompany and Lukaku, he’ll tear the Championship to pieces with his power. £3m.
Jerome - truly excellent signing at this level for an absolute snip at £1.5m.
Cuellar - jury out as he’s not played much football in the past year but there’s no question he was a top defender and reads the game well. Free.
O’Neil - Championship nous, a controlled, clever footballer. Could prove a vital signing as the season goes on. Free.
Grabban - already scored five times and at £3m looks like great business when compared to over-inflated prices elsewhere in this league.
Lafferty - a real character, something we’ve lacked for more than a year, and decent on the pitch. £4m.
(Apologies if I’ve missed anyone!)
All in all, I think that’s some seriously good business for a club who has just been relegated. The only signing I am unhappy with is Miquel but who knows, he might prove me wrong. Let’s face it, everybody has different views of players. I mean, some managers hilariously rate Franck Nouble! Difficult to say where we sit financially on the summer deals as so many were classified as undisclosed, but I think we are slightly in profit on fees, maybe by £3m (not taking into account wages). It could be argued that the best business we’ve done is to keep hold of Ruddy, Redmond, Hoolahan, Olsson, Hooper, Tettey et al and I think there’s a lot of truth in that. I would expect Bassong to move on loan at some point - there was definitely some interest in him but wages will have been a stumbling block. Bunn, once he returns from injury may also leave.
Looking at our squad on paper I think we should all be very confident of a top two finish. Adams has crafted a great blend of youthfulness and experience, Championship nous with Premier League know-how, power, strength and pace, with skill, technique and class.
A job well done Mr Adams and a job well done Mr McNally. Let’s make sure we don’t blow this opportunity at an immediate return to the Premier League.
OTBC
