That one result can sometimes be the kickstart that gets a campaign into motion. At least that’s what fans of the Canaries will be hoping.
The club have had to deal with major changes throughout this summer. Two of their best players in Gabriel Sara and Jonathan Rowe left the club, the ownership structure is set to change, and they have a first-time EFL coach at the helm.
Johannes Hoff Thorup certainly hasn’t been dealt the best of hands in his first summer at Carrow Road, but there will still be hope that they can potentially replicate last season’s success by making the play-offs.
In order to do so, Norwich made sure they were active on the final day of the transfer window. They brought in midfielder Anis Ben Slimane from Sheffield United and winger Kaide Gordon from Liverpool (both on loan).
Kaide Gordon is set to join the Canaries
Aaron Connolly
With Josh Sargent’s start to the season, City supporters will be rightly enthused about their chances of success this season. He has two goals and one assist in their first four games. He has missed four big chances though, according to Sofascore.
What should worry the Norwich faithful as much as Sargent’s ability to catch fire makes them excited is his injury record. Particularly in the previous campaign, he missed a lot of action, and the Canaries will need to have someone who can adequately step in and do a similar role.
Given the way that he plays, Aaron Connolly could be the best free agent option possible to play back-up to Sargent and be on hand when needed.
The 24-year-old who scored eight times in 28 appearances for Hull City last time out is still unsigned after being released by the Tigers.
| Aaron Connolly’s 23/24 Championship stats | |
|---|---|
| Apps | 28 |
| Starts | 13 |
| Goals | 8 |
| xG | 6.62 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Big chances created | 1 |
| Key passes per game | 0.3 |
| Stats taken from Sofascore | |
The number of games he started in the previous campaign certainly suggest that he is used to coming off the bench for a second tier side and then slotting into a first XI when needed, which is exactly what Norwich could do with.
Brandon Williams
Alongside the Ghanaian midfielder, one of the other purchases made by Norwich during the window was Ben Chrisene. The 20-year-old joined from Aston Villa for £1.5 million, following a loan spell with Blackburn Rovers in the latter half of the 2023/24 campaign.
He’s started every game for Thorup since arriving at Carrow Road, but he’s not been outstanding. After him, if they want to rotate things a bit, there aren’t plentiful options.
Another summer recruit, Callum Doyle, can play there, but his preferred position is in the middle of defence. Jacob Sorensen seems to be out of favour, but then that’s about it in terms of other left-back choices.
Adding more bodies in this area of the pitch would be a smart thing to do, hence the suggestion that they go for Brandon Williams.
Williams already knows the club, having spent a season on loan with them while Norwich were in the Premier League.
The former Manchester United academy player was signed by Ipswich Town last summer, but was mostly played as a right-back by Kieran McKenna, even though on the left was where he got his chances for Man United.
At 23, with the history he has at Carrow Road, and the seeming need for cover in his position, he’d be worth looking at for City.
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