Chris Goreham: Norwich City have huge rebuild ahead this summer

There was even scaffolding visible inside Carrow Road to anyone who drove past the ground at the weekend. The temptation was to suggest that David Wagner was literally constructing a new-look Norwich City.  

In reality they were building a stage for Arctic Monkeys who are playing there on Wednesday night. Last season is still too painful and fresh in the memory for any jokes about it being nice to hear an upbeat song or two being sung at Carrow Road.  

When the ground becomes a concert venue rather than a football stadium it must truly be the summer.  

It also means that I can no longer put off the annual task of tidying up my ‘commentary corner’ at home. Calling it that makes it sound like a nice retirement home where somebody like John Motson might have hung up his sheepskin coat at the end of each season.  

The reality is that it’s a corner of a bookshelf which is piled high with programmes, press passes and scraps of paper with facts and notes that could be used in a commentary scrawled on. Did you know that Teemu Pukki still hasn’t scored at Carrow Road since September? That was just one of the pearls of wisdom now lost to the recycling bin.  

One of those programmes, from the home game against Millwall back on August 19 (a time when Dean Smith had only been relegated from the Premier League once), made me realise quite how much change lies ahead this summer. The back of the matchday magazine has printed City’s squad list from 10 months ago in number order.  

The 1-11 features Tim Krul who has since lost his place as first choice goalkeeper, Max Aarons (set to leave this summer), Sam Byram (gone), Andrew Omobamidele (could well leave this summer), Grant Hanley (out injured for several months to come), Milot Rashica (likely to leave on a permanent deal), Isaac Hayden (gone), Jordan Hugill (gone) and Kieron Dowell (gone). That leaves just number 6 Ben Gibson and 11 Adam Idah left standing as potential starters next season.  

Andrew Omobamidele is being courted by other clubs this summer (Image: Focus Images)

Times have moved on and while the first XI is a clue as to who is highest up the pecking order squad numbers have long since become part of the game. 

Players often prefer a particular number for superstitious reasons or to suit their own brand. However, the trend continues on the back of this programme further down the list. There’s no 12 or 13, 14 is Todd Cantwell (gone) and there’s also 20 Aaron Ramsey (gone), 21 Danel Sinani (gone), 22 Teemu Pukki and 33 Michael McGovern (both said their goodbyes recently). Christos Tzolis isn’t on there because he was still away on loan at the time.  

That just leaves Angus Gunn, Sam McCallum, Gabriel Sara, Jacob Sorensen, Kenny McLean, Josh Sargent, Onel Hernandez, Marcelino Nunez, Jonathan Rowe, Dimitris Giannoulis, Tony Springett, Jonathan Tomkinson and Liam Gibbs left to welcome the new signings. Some of those have been linked with moves away, others may still require another loan spell or two before they are truly ready to become first team regulars for Norwich City.  

We’ve all talked about the need for a squad revolution this summer. Both Stuart Webber and David Wagner started agreeing with the public mood on that as soon as the play-offs became an impossibility.  

It’s no surprise that the club is entering a period of change but it’s only when you look at what City have lost, let go and could be about to lose that you realise the sheer scale of the surgery required. Is it really possible to sort all of that out in one transfer window?  

With barely 11 experienced first team players currently contracted to the club, Arctic Monkeys might just fancy their chances of getting a point when they play at Carrow Road on Wednesday. Yes, I know. Too soon.  

My hope for Stacey... 

The long yellow and green free days of this summer are going to be regularly punctuated by news of new signings.  

When a player arrives at Norwich City everything is still possible. Those who come in the summer get an extended honeymoon period of not having to have their reputations tarnished by actually playing. Each new recruit is assessed as possibly the cult hero that Carrow Road has been waiting for.  

Jack Stacey became City's second summer signing last week. Picture: PA (Image: PA Images)

A new signing from another English club is usually a player you’ve vaguely heard of but didn’t realise you needed to care about.  

I imagine that ‘Jack Stacey’ must have been the most googled term in Norfolk when his arrival was confirmed by the club last week.  

There is no shortage of material online about every single professional footballer now. I tend to look upon these things from the selfish perspective as to whether they are likely to be good to interview.  

Not every footballer is comfortable in front of a microphone and why should they be?  

I couldn’t be trusted at all if I was one on one with the goalkeeper in a big Championship game. The two skills are not necessarily transferable. However, the early signs with Jack Stacey are good. There was even one national newspaper article about the business and economics degree he was studying for during lockdown. I wonder what impact that had on his Canary contract talks?  

This means that I have already got high hopes for Stacey. 

I’m seeing definite potential as a co-commentator on BBC Radio Norfolk when his career ends. No pressure, and hopefully that’s several years away and there is a hugely successful spell as a Norwich City player to come between now and then.  

It’s all still possible at this point.