Transfer unknowns evidence the need for patience at City

Whatever happens at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday won't dictate the eventual direction of travel, but with everyone expecting to endure some turbulence along the way, victory would be a good way to build confidence. 

Norwich start this season with a new head coach, new assistant, new sporting director, new co-majority shareholder, new head of academy and plenty of new players compared to this time last year. It really is a bold new chapter and one that won't be without fault or difficulty. 

So far, both Johannes Hoff Thorup and Ben Knapper have successfully messaged their intentions and achieved buy-in, but both recognise the importance of gaining results during that building phase to maintain belief in their vision. 

Thorup is still coaching his methodology. It is more structured and less off the cuff than his predecessor sought to implement, which naturally means City's squad will need more repetition to gain a level of intuition that can extract creativity and confidence. 

In the last three years, Norwich have resembled a pre-pubescent teenager. They've had mood swings, weird spots have grown from their face and they've lurched from personality to personality, often pretty irrationally. 

Knapper and Thorup want to build stability through playing style and squad. The aim is for the approach to span head coaches and players to a level where it becomes engrained in the fabric of the club's being. 

That process will involve selling talent. But that doesn't necessarily need to thwart progress.

It is the circle of life in football. Given Norwich's standing, both competitive and financial reasons drive players' desire to depart. Those inside Carrow Road would cite Brentford and Brighton as proof that moving players on can often help progress in the long term, providing the strategy and process are there to back it up. That is what City are trying to build. 

Of course, that is predicated on getting the inbound recruitment right. There are never any guarantees around that, despite the amount of data and work that goes into new additions whenever one is unveiled. 

Norwich City added Forson to their squad on Friday. (Image: Norwich City/Matthew Usher)

What isn't helpful is the amount of chatter around key players heading into this Championship campaign. 

If it isn't Adam Idah, then it's Jon Rowe. If it isn't him, then it's Josh Sargent. Those spinning plates are complicated further by the work to bring new additions into the building on top of a need to replace those who depart. 

The evaporation of parachute payments has left a financial void to fill, but Knapper and City have challenged themselves to make sales this summer to help alter the squad. 

Knapper's strategy in this window has been clear. The oldest of Norwich's four additions have been Jose Cordoba at 23 - all the permanent additions, including Amankwah Forson, have penned long-term contracts at the club. 

It is a new focus geared towards lowering the age profile of the squad and asset-building for the future. As it stands, the average age of the playing group sits at 24.93, that is down on last season. 

Further work will be done to continue that shift, but Norwich hired Thorup to help develop a younger side. That will include experienced players who still have a pivotal role in driving standards and providing consistency.  

But City's approach to the market is perhaps best epitomised by their pursuit of Callum Doyle. It was lengthy, and many clubs would have opted to move on after he was selected by Manchester City for their tour of the USA. 

Callum Doyle has also arrived at Norwich City. (Image: Matthew Usher/Norwich City)

There may been moments watching on from behind the sofa in the hope he didn't get injured, but City positioned themselves at the front of the queue and remained there. Doyle's addition is seen as a coup, given his involvement in Leicester's title-winning campaign. 

Norwich have adopted the same policy with other new recruits. Any addition will be well-thought-out and part of a plan, not a scattergun lurch based on unforeseen circumstances. 

Right now, it is hard to decipher what the squad will look like come the end of August. That means the likelihood of turbulence at this stage is greater. 

Throw in the implementation of a new style of play, young players, and the integration of new talent, and there is a likelihood of a slow start. But Norwich sat 17th in November and still finished inside the play-offs last term; that doesn't necessarily dictate their final position. 

The debate is probably around the length and ferocity of the turbulence. There is a world where Thorup and his squad manage to navigate it quicker than most expect. 

Jon Rowe is a player in demand. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Given that Leeds and others are interested in Rowe, Idah is edging closer to a move to Celtic, Sargent is admired by plenty of Premier League clubs, and multiple incomings are expected, Norwich head into the season with a lot of unknowns about their personnel. 

This will be a period, if not a season, of patience. As Thorup says, the key is to balance that with results to maintain belief in the project. 

That balancing act is delicate, but if done correctly, there could be shoots of progress quicker than some expect. Put the seat belt on, and prepare for take off.