Rakow Czestochowa sporting director Robert Graf has admitted his surprise at both the size of the transfer fee and the speed at which Norwich City swooped for Ante Crnac. 

City signed the Croatian youth international earlier in the summer after selling Adam Idah to Celtic and beat off fierce competition for the 20-year-old's signature.

German side Werder Bremen also made offers for Crnac and reportedly travelled to Poland to watch him in action before City gazumped the Bundesliga side with a transfer package worth an initial £8.5m plus add-ons for the youngster. 

That fee surprised the Polish side, and Graf also admitted that the pace of the Canaries' pursuit caught them off guard. 

"I didn't expect it to be so fast and at such a high price, but the market determines the value of a player. If Norwich decided to pay that much, then that's what he's worth," Graf told Polish outlet Weszlo. 

"Common sense dictates that you pay that kind of money when someone scores twenty goals in a season."

The deal to bring Crnac to Carrow Road was a record for Polish football and vindicated Rakow's pursuit of the youngster from Slaven Belupo 12 months prior when they signed him for £1m. 

Graf recalls the level of interest in the attacker at that stage, but a clear development plan saw Crnac and his representatives elect to move to Poland over more prestigious clubs and competitions. 

"In May, I was in Croatia and met with the sports director and president of Slaven Belupo. They were a bit sorry they let him go. 

Ante Crnac is still waiting for his first Norwich City goal. Ante Crnac is still waiting for his first Norwich City goal. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) "In our eyes, he was a number nine, a pressing machine. Great motor skills, good somatic conditions and functional technique. Thanks to SkillCorner, we checked how he physically looked in comparison to our other number nines, and everything matched. 

"Atalanta called; there were other clubs from Italy. Two or three clubs from England, from the Premier League [were interested]," Graf said.

"Powerhouses from Croatia, a few clubs from Greece. The problem for the teams from the top five leagues was that he was a project for them, so they didn't treat him as a player for the first team. We guaranteed him playing for the Polish champions in the cups."