Connor Southwell: Narcis Pelach's arrival at Norwich City is positive

The highly-rated coach officially departed Huddersfield Town earlier this week with Norwich the destination on his satnav. 

There was a feeling at one stage that Pelach was primed for a first-team head coach role, having been reportedly interviewed by recently relegated Blackpool. His arrival at Norwich will be seen as a major coup inside the game. 

Norwich have a track history in recent years in turning to Huddersfield for off-field staff since Stuart Webber swapped Yorkshire for Norfolk back in 2017. 

Webber's long-term academy chief Steve Weaver, Andrew Hughes, previously loans manager and now first-team coach, Jon Iga, head of data, all arrived at the club from the John Smith's Stadium. 

Management duo David Wagner and assistant Christoph Buhler are also former Terriers employees who find themselves working under Webber at Carrow Road. 

But Pelach's situation is different. He hasn't worked with Webber or Wagner prior to this step - should the formalities be completed in the coming days and weeks. 

That will enable Pelach to bring a fresh pair of eyes, ears and ideas into the City camp. Something that may well be welcomed given the poor end to last season and fears over City's work with the ball in the final third. 

At only 34, Pelach is highly rated within the game, particularly around his work in possession. 

Narcis Pelach worked alongside Carlos Corberan at Huddersfield. (Image: PA Images)

He worked briefly at Manchester City before moving to Leeds United where he worked with Carlos Corberan - the man he helped steer Huddersfield to Wembley back in the 2022 play-off final. 

Corberan's sides have all been credited with an intelligence on the ball, with Wagner specialising in making his teams physically competitive, Pelach may add a technical element that is lacking. 

He tried to convince Corberan to remain at Huddersfield but he opted to resign before subsequently joining Olympiakos and then West Brom.

Wagner is believed to have spoke to his former player Jonathan Hogg about Pelach's quality and found that he was a popular among members of the dressing room for his methods and personality. 

Another additional bonus is that Pelach is Spanish - meaning he will be able to fluently converse with any South American additions this summer as well as with Marcelino Nunez and Gabriel Sara; the former has had to rely on messaging from City's translator Alan Rosling. 

The dynamics of dropping Pelach into a tightly-knit coaching team remains a fascinating element. 

But with a glowing CV and references, Norwich feel they are adding a talented dimension to their coaching team - a young practitioner with the energy, ideas and drive to push them forward. 

Given the aim is to transform them into a team capable of dominating Championship games both in and out of possession, the enthusiasm for fitness and counterpressing needs to be balanced with positive ideas on the ball. 

For Pelach, it offers an opportunity to work with a higher calibre of player and in an environment engulfed by expectation. 

He has made little secret of his desire to eventually become a head coach and this step up provides another tick against his name should he wish to head down that route later in his career. 

Narcis Pelach is posed to join Norwich City as a coach. (Image: PA Images)

Within football there is an acceptance that Pelach is a real talent. He will hoping to continue his upward trajectory at Norwich. 

Norwich are continuing with their squad shifting this summer, but change hasn't merely been reduced to on the pitch as Pelach's arrival illustrates. 

The challenge is to make next season feel fresh through changes in personnel both on and off the pitch without senior decision makers being removed from their posts. 

Pelach's addition, coupled with the recruitment of a set-play analyst to absorb Allan Russell's duties after his departure in March, are designed to help provide a freshness on the training pitch and behind the scenes. 

Wagner is targeting an intense pre-season schedule that will put Norwich's players on a pathway of becoming more durable and being among the fittest in the Championship next season. 

Pelach's arrival is an acceptance that they needed an injection of something different in their coaching ranks - Norwich hope he has the talents to energise their efforts in possession next season.