Norwich City turned a massive profit on the £150,000 purchase of Ben Godfrey when he was sold to Everton.
The Canaries took a risk on signing the defender when he turned 18 after initially breaking through with York City.
The club confirmed the deal amounted to £150,000 and he went on to become a key part of Daniel Farke’s side when they gained promotion to the Premier League in 2019.
The 26-year-old impressed during the team’s stint back in the top flight, even though they ultimately suffered relegation straight back to the Championship.
This led to a move to Everton, with the BBC reporting that the Toffees paid £25 million to sign him in October 2020.
This was a massive profit and a great piece of business by the club as they then went on to gain promotion back to the Premier League that same season anyway.
| Ben Godfrey – Norwich City league goals and appearances (per Fbref.com) | ||||
| Season | Appearances (Starts) | Goals (Assists) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 2 (0) | 0 | ||
| 2018-19 | 31 (26) | 4 (2) | ||
| 2019-20 | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2020-21 | 3 | 0 | ||
Ben Godfrey’s emergence at Norwich
Godfrey didn’t go straight into the first team squad at Norwich, with patience given to him to get up to speed for the increased standard.
A loan move to Shrewsbury Town for the 2017/18 campaign also gave him some much-needed senior experience, which helped him get ready to come into Farke’s side.
The club managed his development excellently and were rewarded with a promotion calibre campaign, which also led to a healthy profit once he was sold to Everton.
Thorup has revealed that he wants Norwich supporters to show Kamara respect this afternoon.
The Canaries proved themselves as shrewd operators in the transfer market during this period, building a team capable of winning the Championship with a more limited budget than some of their rivals.
While Norwich found it difficult to maintain a place in the Premier League, twice going up and then straight back down in this period, their clever business moves ensured they grew as a club financially.
This was one of the club’s finest transfer moves of the last 10 years, as they turned a massive £150,000 into £25 million in just a few years.
Lessons for Ben Knapper
Ben Knapper has since taken on the role of director of football at Norwich in the last 12 months, with Johannes Hoff Thorup put in charge as his first managerial appointment.
His first summer leading the Championship side’s recruitment was hectic, with a greater focus on exits due to the speculation surrounding the likes of Adam Idah, Jonathan Rowe and Gabriel Sara.
But as he gets more time in the role then he will have more opportunities to scour the market for exciting young talent, like Godfrey.
Norwich’s success with the defender is an example for Knapper to follow, taking risks on younger players that won’t cost too much instead of chasing big-money signings.
If the Canaries sign five or six players at a similar cost, for example, then only one of them needs to reach the same heights as Godfrey to improve the team and potentially earn a big profit, and if none of them amount to anything then it’s only around £1 million spent on the experiment.
It’s a different approach to the market and the kind that can give them the edge over their rivals for promotion in the long run.
The next Godfrey is out there somewhere, and Norwich should be hard at work looking to find him.
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