Norwich City transfers analysed after Mark Attanasio AGM

Host Adam Harvey was joined by Paddy Davitt and Samuel Seaman for a conversation about everything that came out of the meeting, as well as our interview with new chief Attanasio, from recruitment budget and Borja Sainz to the long-term plan.

Watch the show in the video above or read an excerpt below.

AH: On January, what did you get from the messaging from Ben Knapper and Mark Attanasio on the finances available? Do you think they will delve into that market?

PD: Well beforehand I did wonder, particularly off the back of the injury situation, what they would look to do in January. At that point I felt that they had to do something at the top end of the pitch, because without Josh Sargent they do seem to be in trouble, but I was thinking maybe the loan route again. That's what they did last January.

But having listened to both Mark and Ben at the AGM, it feels like if the right targets are there then they would look to move on them, with a couple of caveats. There won't be a quick fix, it won't be panic mode, it'll only be players coming in who chime with that mid-to-long-term timescale and strategy.

Attanasio isn't going to throw names in, but he said Ben had identified two targets. He actually put a number on it and said you can join the dots, you only need to look at the profile of player they went for in the summer: youth, potential to improve and upgrade transfer value.

Sporting director Ben Knapper will explore the transfer market this winter (Image: Adam Harvey/Newsquest) AH: Staying on the theme of January, one player Norwich fans have feared they could be losing is Borja Sainz. We've all seen how brilliant he's been this season, top goalscorer in the Championship, it's almost scary how good he's been.

Knapper outlined in the AGM that they're speaking to his representatives about his contract, and we all know why in terms of his value if they do eventually have to sell him. But Attanasio outlined that he's not someone they're looking to try and sell in January.

SS: Yeah, I thought he was pretty firm on Sainz actually, and probably more committed to that than I would have expected. We all know the situation at Norwich, and even though finances are going to be available, they are still a club that wants to sell for big fees.

As someone who arrived on a free and is out of contract in 18 months, I think a lot of people were looking at it thinking that Norwich could be tempted in January. But Attanasio actually said at one point they didn't need to sell him ever, which I think most fans would go along with!

Based on what Knapper wants to do, which is attracting players to use Norwich as a bit of a stepping stone, they will sell him in future. But I think it almost changes the dynamic of the season to hear that from Attanasio.

There's no requirement for the Canaries to sell Borja Sainz in January (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) AH: There was a point in the AGM when Attanasio said that he will have failed if Norwich don't get to the Premier League within five years. Do you feel confident with the plan, the system, the structure that this club's got in place now that that is an achievable proposition?

PD: That's the bigger question, and for me it's a two-parter. Can they get up? Well of course they can, because they've proven it twice recently. You would probably argue that now they've got a better platform to enable them to do that. So yes, I'm pretty confident that they will be promoted in the next five years.

Then if they've got up can they step up? The evidence suggests it's increasingly harder to stay up, but it can be done. The likes of Brentford and Brighton have done it with similar outlooks, putting their faith in data and that informing a lot of how they operate in all areas. So yes, it can be done, but it's difficult.

The long-term goal for City remains Premier League sustainability (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) AH: It'd be remiss of us not to talk about the women's team and the plans for them going forward. Knapper spoke about the project and they've brought in Andy Cook as a full-time coach as well as training three times a week. What did you take from that section of the AGM?

SS: Well they do want to get promoted and they do feel that they've currently got a setup that should be in the third tier, they've got players who can get them there as well as Cook. It does feel like the broader strategy is moving in a positive direction and getting a bit more ambitious and serious.

But the problem for them is that they have slipped out of form, so they can talk as much as they like about wider strategy, but right now they're fourth in a league from which only one team gets promoted. So they're already in a really difficult position this season, but they need to break that logjam to be able to expand their wider strategy.

The Norwich women's side are also hoping for promotion (Image: R.S.BROWN)