EPL: Should Norwich City Stick or Twist on Transfer Policy?

There comes a time in which every Premier League club meets a crossroads about how they hope to progress.

Some inevitably chuck money at new players, hoping to bridge the gap quickly between themselves and their more established peers, whilst others are more content to take their time and adopt a more gradual approach.

It's the classic stick or twist scenario, and whichever approach is taken; it's a risk.

With Norwich City, you get the feeling that such a decision may be approaching on the horizon.

The Club performed miracles last season by securing a remarkable 12th place finish in their first season back in the top flight since 2005, and have started this campaign in similar fashion despite a change of management in the summer.

All of this has been accomplished on what can fairly be described as a "limited budget" in comparison to the eye-watering fortunes being spent elsewhere in the division, and the Canaries can be justifiably happy with the manner in which they have adapted to new surroundings since reaching the big time.

Presuming that City can retain their Premier League status, the question now is how can the club move on to the next level?

The probable reality of the matter is that the current squad of players only have the capabilities to go so far in the fiercely competitive environment of the Premier League, and at some point more quality will need to be added to the group in order to ensure that the Canaries continue to develop.

It should be noted that the players currently at the disposal of Chris Hughton, and previously under Paul Lambert, have performed admirably in propelling Norwich to the security of mid-table and their willingness to fight for the cause has been integral to that success.

Despite this, the Canaries cannot expect such players to keep defying the odds against some of the very best players in the world.

The sticking point of any progression comes in the fact that it is so difficult to introduce a higher standard of player without decimating the existing dressing room environment.

The nature of the game is that the better players invariably receive the larger pay packets and such a state of affairs can breed jealously amongst teammates who know that they are on considerably less money than the "new star signing".

Norwich City's success has been built on a foundation of wonderful togetherness and team spirit, and by changing things too quickly there will be a very real risk that such values could be lost in the haze of the green mist.

Queens Park Rangers are a classic example of wishing for "too much, too soon" and their influx of players on considerable wages has led to the destruction of the philosophies that brought them to the Premier League in the first place.

Long gone is the united unit installed by Neil Warnock in their promotion season back in 2011, with only a divided dressing room now remaining in a time in which everybody should be pulling in the same direction.

Instead, Norwich should look to the likes of Stoke City, who have sensibly built on their squad on a window by window basis, with the Potters adding to their ranks without putting the club in financial jeopardy.

Stoke may receive a lot of criticism from some quarters for the manner in which they play the game on the pitch, but the way that the Club is run off the pitch should be used as guidance for aspiring outfits such as Norwich.

They have shown that by staying in the league for a sustained period of time, it enables you to buy a higher quality of player eventually and the Staffordshire outfit have now earned the right to spend more considerable sums of money. 

Now, Norwich must also get the balance right when looking to add to the quality of their squad.

Clearly, higher wages and transfer fees will have to be spent in the future in order to push the club forward, but the Canaries should continue to build gradually.

To use the old adage, it could be a case of "steady does it" for Norwich City.

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