Norwich City transfer news broken down on Pink Un Podcast

CS: Maybe surprised is the wrong word, but if you'd have told me as we were heading home from Leeds that we'd get to July 9 and Norwich City would have made only one signing, I think I would have been a bit surprised.

Obviously there are external factors; we've had all the furore with the profit and sustainability rule in the Premier League and the knock-on that has had for certain clubs, there have also been the Euros. That naturally means delayed business, as you always have when there's a big tournament like that.

I've probably got to that stage now where I'm eager for it to get back. I had a two-week break in June, I'm quite refreshed and ready to go again.

AH: It has generally been a quiet window. Those tournaments have probably been factor in that and it probably will ramp up when they come to an end.

It feels like the window will pull more into August now, and that's the sense I get from the noised I've heard around the football club. Of course there will still be lots of movement in and out, but with pre-season around the corner there will be an opportunity for young players to make their cases.

Ken Aboh is one of a number of young players hoping to make an impression this summer (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

That slightly shifts the dynamic of what Norwich might do. You look at the left-back situation; many fans would have felt they needed two in, but if a young player comes in and performs during pre-season then they might only be one.

That changes the dynamic as to what Ben Knapper might do.

SS: The left-back situation does feel like the most pressing transfer matter for City right now. Knapper was pretty direct, as was Johannes Hoff Thorup, about the desire to sign a left-back. It was as open as we've heard him about almost anything, in terms of specific targets and areas.

Ever since that released list came out and it was known that Sam McCallum and Dimitris Giannoulis would be leaving the club, it has been something that fans have been fairly worried about. It's an area they want the club to address, and after Jose Cordoba was signed it became the clear and gaping hole that needs to be addressed.

Norwich City need a new left-back after Dimitris Giannoulis' exit (Image: Andy Sumner/Focus Images Ltd)

They are pressing on with targets, it hasn't all been about Martin Frese, even though he was the only real name in the frame at one point.

Under-21s left-back Guilherme Montoia is an exciting talent, and people have spoken about the more makeshift options of Jacob Sorensen or Kenny McLean. But it does feel like an addition is needed, and it's obviously very, very likely that they do that before the end of the window.

CS: Yes, and the sooner they can get someone in the quicker they can work on that. Thorup used Frese in a very specific role at Nordsjaelland, so if it's now someone else then they will need time to learn that role.

Another key thread this summer has been Adam Idah's future. It feels like every minute detail is being spun or polished in a slightly different way to make it sound like a real, tangible update.

But the reality is that there are to stages: a deal not being done and a deal being done. We know at the moment that Norwich and Celtic haven't agreed a fee, he returned to pre-season training on Monday.

We know that he would like to go there, that's not a secret. But City want to assess him, look at him and give this a period of time. I think they've played this quite cleverly, actually, but it feels increasingly unlikely that he remains at the club.

AH: That whole forward dynamic is interesting when you look at the players in the building at the moment. Ken Aboh probably needs a loan in League One or League Two to get some minutes and score some goals, then maybe he's one for the 2025-26 season.

You've got Ashley Barnes, who's much older and only has a year left on his contract. He's probably not going to be of an interest in the long term. Then there's Josh Sargent, who we know there's going to be interest in this summer.

He's probably too good for the Championship, and if a club meets a certain price for him then Norwich may have to sell and will be open to that. You're left with only Idah as a long-term number nine, and it does feel like Celtic would be a good opportunity for him.

He's been on the books for a long time now, and for whatever reason it's never really worked out for him.

Idah struggle to make his mark at Carrow Road but thrived north of the border (Image: PA)

SS: The question for me is whether he's good enough to keep when Norwich could sell him for upwards of £5-6million. It is a really interesting debate, because it's been a chicken and egg situation in terms of who's responsible for what's happened with Idah.

There have been a lot of external factors that he isn't responsible for: Dean Smith's words, Teemu Pukki's qualities, the different styles he's had to adapt to, the fact that he's been used as a winger.

There are so many factors going into it, but ultimately it's about him taking ownership and wanting to make the most of what clearly are strong abilities. He has a lot to work with, and he can score a lot of goals at Championship level.

He's shown that in fits and starts, in big moments, and he could be a key player for Norwich going forward. But it does feel like he wants to make that move, and it's down to Thorup and Knapper to convince him of the project if they do truly want to keep him.

Equally, you have to keep in mind that it's never in their interest to speak negatively about Adam Idah. Even if they didn't like as a player, although I think they do, they would gain nothing from criticising him.

It's a bit of a poker game at the moment.