Norwich City Need Major Moves in Summer Transfer Window

I think it’s fair to say that the vast majority of Norwich City fans are basically just relieved to have stayed in the Premier League for another season. It was certainly a great way to finish the season with those wins against West Brom and Manchester City, but the reality is it was a very poor 2013 for Norwich.

Therefore, the club needs to realize that now is the time to make those all-important improvements to the squad, a process that has already begun with the confirmed deals for Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Javier Garrido as reported via the official website, canaries.co.uk.

It will certainly be interesting to see what the transfer policy will be for the summer, but we think we all agree that the quality has to improve. There is little point bringing in a bunch of players who are of a similar quality to what is already here.

Take the example of van Wolfswinkel. We all appreciate that this player is a step up from what we have seen at Carrow Road previously.

Therefore, I might suggest that Chris Hughton’s primary aim is not to be hunting through the Championship and League One for the hottest bargain deals.

I suggested in a previous article that there isn’t much talent left in the Championship to take advantage of. A few people took issue with this and informed me that there are a number of quality players that could do a job for us. I do agree that there are players currently plying their trade at that level that I would like to see at Carrow Road.

But the sort of players that we are talking about there will cost the big bucks and will have a load of Premier League clubs after them.

Of course, there are one or two exceptions to this, and Norwich City may try to target them. I have no idea what sort of transfer budget there is to work with this season, but I would suggest that it’s bigger than ever seen before.

Hughton’s primary aim last season was improving the defensive unit, and this was something he was able to do. It’s pretty obvious that this season it will be all about investing in better quality options for the final third. They certainly weren’t good enough in this part of the pitch for the majority of the season.

I think it’s fair to say that Norwich gambled a fair bit in the January transfer window by failing to strengthen the attacking options of the side in an adequate way.

The signings of Becchio and Kei Kamara were token gestures as much as anything, and they did very little to improve Norwich’s chances of scoring goals.

The big thing about this summer is leaving nothing to chance when the season begins in August. We have been crying out for a goalscorer to take some of the pressure off Holt for quite a while now, and it’s great to have that box finally ticked with the addition of the Dutch striker that will be joining the team from Sporting Lisbon.

However, we can’t afford to think that the addition of a quality striker will solve all of the problems; he will improve things, but he will also need support.

As the squad looks at the moment, I would fear that there is a real danger of being overly reliant of van Wolfswinkel to do everything, rather like they were reliant on Holt to get out of trouble this season.   

Let’s review: The Canaries made great strides on the defensive side this season, and they need to aim to keep that record going. Let’s aim for even more clean sheets next season, and certainly fewer goals conceded.

The fact remains that they were still hammered on a number of occasions, and they certainly want to eradicate that as Norwich continue to build as a Premier League club.

Obviously, holding onto the best players is an important part of that continued progress. Players like John Ruddy and Sebastien Bassong will be in hot demand, but keeping hold of individuals like that is crucial to the continued development of the team.

Since David McNally has come in, we haven’t seen a major player leave, and hopefully that trend will continue this summer. I think the team has to take advantage of the position it finds itself in and invest in the team to ensure Norwich will stay well clear of the relegation zone.

The key thing about this summer is to increase the competitiveness within the squad, especially in those key attacking areas.

The central midfield area hasn’t contributed enough goals and lacks the creativity that we would like to see. The fact that they have been so poor in possession this season tells its own story, as does the lack of goals Wes Hoolahan has scored despite the fact he has played in a very attacking position throughout much of the season.

I think that Anthony Pilkington and Robert Snodgrass have both performed fairly well over the course of the season, but they can maybe improve the competition within that part of the pitch. I like Elliott Bennett, and he certainly has all of the qualities required to be a top winger, but it’s fair to say that he doesn’t always deliver.

It’s also important that we don’t read too much into the headlines that the youth team have been getting this season. We all hope that a number of them will make the transition to the first team, but let’s work on what Norwich can bring in from the transfer market for now.

What we are saying here is that Norwich City must pass the ball a lot better next season if they hope to have a successful season for one thing.

It’s likely that a quality passing central midfielder will need to acquired from somewhere, a deal that is going to cost a bit, likewise, a midfielder that can compete with the likes of Hoolahan and Howson to add a bit more in the goals and creativity department. Again, he is likely to cost a lot unless they can find another Michu type.

Then they are talking about an additional winger to ensure Norwich City gets the correct service into the new star striker and another striker to ensure they don’t suffer from a lack of goals. Obviously, there are other areas, like an additional central defender and left-back, but these are the big priorities.

It’s not a matter of the club signing a dozen players, or necessarily looking for the hottest bargains. But it is about having the best quality within the squad, really investing in the top quality that they can find.

Being a Premier League club, Norwich City know that there are players who will want to come here and showcase their skills in the most exciting league in world football.

Who they are and how the Canaries are going to find them is really a job for the scouts, but I would suggest that the process in finding them started a long time ago. Make no mistake that Hughton will know exactly who he wants to take the club to the next level.

That process will have started, and it will now be a case of getting those deals done. All the signs point to getting the targets in as quickly as possible, so it’s quite likely that the squad will be complete by the start of preseason.

Fans will be hoping that the holes in the team can be filled by that time.

A bit of extra quality in the side could make all the difference to the Canaries and ensure that they are one of the surprise packages of the Premier League next season. But failure to do so will surely see the club having the same problems that they have had this season.

Therefore, it’s a very important summer ahead as the club looks to take the quality in the squad up to the next level.

James Kent works for BSports and as a freelance writer; you can follow @BSportsFootball on Twitter and James via Twitter and Facebook.