Championship recruitment roulette with Norwich City

It was the 11th May 2018, Hillsborough, Sheffield. Visitors Norwich were in a seemingly unimportant battle, with local rivals Ipswich, and modern rivals Leeds, to finish 12th in the Championship.

The game represented Norwich’s last with the financial cushion of Premier League parachute payments. The money was running out, but they still held a platinum casino chip in star player James Maddison.  

On that day, a 5-1 defeat dropped Daniel Farke’s Norwich to 14th, Leeds took 13th, and Ipswich 12th, but far bigger things were at play. In the 11th minute star player Maddison injured his knee, he was stretchered off, and Norwich fans shuddered in wait for the potentially grim news. When the knee was scanned, the news wasn’t so grim, eight weeks injured meant Maddison could leave during the summer window. A few millimeters elsewhere in his knee, and eight weeks becomes eight months, and a wholly different scenario. 

The rest, as they, is history. The master roulette player Stuart Webber went to the table with his platinum chip, he cashed in, replacing Maddison with the lesser known Pukki and Buendia, plus experienced keeper Tim Krul. Norwich stormed the Championship, Pukki and Buendia exceeded even the wildest of expectations, and Webber, not for the first time, cleaned up in the game of Championship recruitment roulette. 

Webber played his Maddison chip brilliantly, but, in a swerve fitting with a 1990s WWF storyline, he was actually hiding the most valuable chips in his back pocket the whole time. Yes, that incredible promotion was secured, for the most part, by the work of Buendia, Pukki & Krul. However, the Canaries’ next decade depends on the legacy of those youngsters who stepped up during that season – Jamal Lewis, Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey, and Todd Cantwell.

Last season, Norwich advanced to the glamorous top floor of the English football casino. It’s a different world up there, where the high rollers gamble James Maddison sized chips with almost casual abandon. Webber watched closely, kept his chips in the bank, and was quickly ushered out when his time was up. Now he returns to his favourite roulette table, and the house knows him only too well. He’s taken them to the cleaners twice before, and his bag of chips is now bursting at the seams.

I think I’ve probably exhausted the casino metaphor by now, but it goes to serve the wider point with some accuracy. Norwich face Derby this weekend, but the real game for the club is currently being played off the pitch, somewhere in my fantastical imaginary casino.

The financial situation could not be more different than when Webber pulled rabbits out of hats in summer 2018. Parachute payments are confirmed for a maximum of two years, undesirable player contracts paid up, assets a plenty, and,Covid aside, Norwich are in a strong bargaining position.

Part one of the strategy seems complete. Invest early, and build a squad strong enough to withstand the sale of any of the prized assets. Hugill, Dowell, and Gibson, arrived with Championship experience, Skipp on loan from Spurs, and Placheta, Quintilla, and Sorenson, hoping to be the latest successful arrivals from abroad.

Part two seems trickier, especially considering the short pre season and extended transfer window. Cash in on prized assets when valuations are met, whilst keeping these players, and the rest of the squad focused and harmonious. 

Firstly, Jamal Lewis went to Newcastle for a good fee, with Quintilla already in as a replacement. Secondly, Ben Godfrey appears to be on his way to Everton for a huge fee, and between Gibson, Hanley, and Klose, there is already a replacement at the club. Thirdly, Max Aarons is still performing at right back, and drew praise from Farke for his focus whilst being courted by big clubs. 

And then there’s Cantwell & Buendia, both out of the squad for defeat at Bournemouth, and both called out by Farke in his post match press conference. The German’s abrasive strategy was lauded by some as strong leadership, and criticised by others as high risk. Cantwell has been heavily linked with Leeds, though an obvious suitor for Buendia is yet to present themselves.

When the transfer window closes, and the latest round of recruitment roulette is over, we’ll know more about how Norwich could proceed. Logic would point to a powerful Championship  club and squad, led by a shrewd operator in Webber, and a proven Championship boss in Farke. However, the roulette wheel can be a crooked deal, and even the best players, with the odds seemingly stacked in their favour, don’t always beat the house.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt