Johannes Hoff Thorup feels this is now his Norwich City squad after a heavy transfer window turnover.
The Canaries brought in eight new senior players and saw 11 depart over the summer, headlined by Gabby Sara’s big-money exit to Galatasaray.
Adam Idah and Abu Kamara were also sold, while Jon Rowe joined Marseille on a loan with a buy obligation, but Thorup insisted sporting director Ben Knapper and his recruitment team never veered from their strategy.
“It was what we actually expected, in terms of the turnover,” he said. “There were some situations with players where it was better for them to go out for a different environment, and of course, also some players where we knew there would be offers, and it was just about us finding the best possible deals.
“So there’s been different cases with all of the players, but we knew that there will be some activity here for us.
“That is why we started quite early, and started to look at players and have conversations more or less every day about how we built the squad. I’m happy now we know what we’ve got for a couple of couple of months at least, and we can focus only on the development of this group.”
Kenny McLean has remained an ever-present despite an epic squad makeover, with the Scot captaining City to a first Championship win under Thorup at Coventry City prior to the international break.
“I’ve actually not been completely satisfied with all his performances so far. I think sometimes he needs to find that balance, taking risk or no risk,” said the Canaries’ head coach.
“But I think (at Coventry) he was the heart of the team, always there, always ready to show for the ball and dictate the speed of the game, always an option, no matter where we were in the game. That’s exactly what we need from him.
“But, again, it takes development, also for a senior player to get to that level. I see him every day working on what we are trying to build here, and he’s curious, also when it comes to feedback after games and so on. He’s approaching this exactly how I want him to be.”
Discussion about this post