Norwich City transfers: Why players can sign before coach

When Daniel Farke was sacked and replaced by Dean Smith in November 2021, any notion that a change of coach wouldn’t damage continuity went out of the window.

The whole idea of a head coach system, as opposed to the traditional all-powerful manager one, was to create a club with no contingency on the ideology of one specific coach.

As the modern footballing world shows, keeping the same person in post even as difficulties wear on is impractical, with both of City’s last two head coaches given less than 18 months.

Why, then, are players signed on multi-year deals for huge sums of money to meet the requirements of those specific tacticians, and how does it make sense to necessitate rebuilding on a regular basis as a result?

That’s the question the Canaries couldn’t find an answer to, and it’s why Ben Knapper’s task is to rediscover the traditional benefits of the sporting director model.

From here on in, his remit will be finding players, coaches and staff who all fit into the same long-term version, so that if one needs replacing the others don’t become redundant.

That's why it's not necessarily essential that City's latest head coach presides over their early transfer business; the theory is that with Knapper's vision deciding all, the players he signs will suit the new head coach and vice versa.

The panic around the timeline of an appointment is understandable. Managers have traditionally led recruitment and the same was true as recently as 2023, when David Wagner's preferences dominated the agenda and decided the make-up of his squad.

There is a school of thought that managers need that, and to a certain generation the idea of having players thrust upon one is a disgrace. But that's not the market Norwich are shopping in this summer, which explains the filters easily applied to their candidates.

The European theme is undeniable; Will Still, Pascal Jansen and Johannes Hoff Thorup are all known to be in the frame and each of them has managed exclusively on the continent.

Pascal Jansen is one of multiple European coaches linked with the City head coach vacancy (Image: PA)

There, the idea of a sporting director and head coach model is far more embedded and accepted, as well as having been the norm for much longer. The setup is gaining traction in Britain, but it isn't universal; there are Premier League clubs without sporting directors.

Youth is another common denominator between several of the coaches being considered, with many of them having worked only under a sporting director.

That's another area where player recruitment aligns with Knapper's big decision. Younger players will respond to more modern methods, and in that sense a twinned focus on youth is beneficial.

Take, for example, Ashley Barnes, who arrived at Carrow Road having worked mostly under dominant force of Sean Dyche at Burnley. He was used to playing for a traditional 'manager', and was comfortable with Wagner's status as the go-to.

By the same token, younger players used to sporting director models will be used to the choreography of such a working environment, and are likelier to thrive in the atmosphere Knapper is attempting to create.

So there should be no panic over the impact of the coaching search on City's recruitment drive, even if there is plenty of work to get through. With six first-teamers exiting and an overhaul in style the goal, they're in for a busy summer of transfers.

But that relies no longer on the say-so of a head coach, even if they will have a part to play in the recruitment process. From now on it's about Knapper's vision, and its quality will decide the club's future.