Norwich City: Will they be able to avoid a relegation battle following their summer business?

Norwich’s spending this summer

Norwich’s spending – their most in any previous windows – had a repetitive theme of bringing in players among the £6-11M price point and of those who were recently relegated with their former clubs and available at a discounted price due to that club’s circumstance.

My favourite purchase, however, wasn’t a part of a relegated side and comes from OGC Nice. Pierre Lees-Melou arrived for £6M and instantly offered a key box-to-box profile, something that was deemed missing to the degree of Premier League quality.

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Under the regime of Patrick Vieira however, the emergence of Hicham Boudaoui & Khépren Thuram coupled with the clubs’ intent to bring in Pablo Rosario & Mario Lemina signified their intent in moving towards the younger route. Lees-Melou under Christophe Galtier would’ve surely been interesting.

Additionally, a hole left by the departing Tottenham Hotspur loanee in Oliver Skipp was one of heavy discussion from fans and analysts alike in that the desperately needed reinforcements within the defensive midfield department.

A new loanee from FC Rostov, Mathias Normann only completed his move after Norwich’s loss to Leicester. One could say that was the missing link. While most will not have seen his game and what he can bring, Norwich brass believes in his technical skills, pace and aggression needed in that position among many other attributes and an option to make the move a permanent one for £11M could prove to be a steal.

Other moves such as a new starting LB in Dimitrios Giannoulis for £7M, a capable back-up in Angus Gunn for £5M, and Chelsea loanee in Billy Gilmour who seems to have not skipped a beat from his impressive games for the Blues.

Manchester United’s Brandon Williams rounds out the loans and while a net £-25M appears when looking through Norwich’s spending this window, it should be noted that their winnings in securing promotion to the most lucrative league in the world make them far richer.

To put into perspective the usual payout, Wolves’ 18/19 season after securing the Championship title netted them £127M. While this figure is pre-Covid times, it isn’t that far off the mark of what clubs should expect this season.