Norwich City: Andy Hughes' Leicester City move analysed

The Canaries' set-piece coach had struggled to make his mark when working under Dean Smith in the first half of the season, then saw his ill-fated spell in interim charge end in David Wagner's permanent appointment.

But as Sorensen strode onto Gabriel Sara's corner and passed into the near corner, he finally had one of the moments City had hoped would be commonplace when appointing him in 2022. When another clever routine resulted in Tom Bradshaw's own goal, Russell was on course for man of the match. Or was he?

Onel Hernandez' reaction to the second was to head straight for first-team coach Andy Hughes, who had stepped up when Wagner's appointment was confirmed and was suddenly at the centre of a celebratory huddle created by the players.

Fans and reporters looked for signs of Russell amid the melee, but there were none. Asked post-match about his absence, Wagner said: "It's nothing I'd like to speak about at the minute." Within six days he was gone.

Hughes succeeded Allan Russell as set-piece coach (Image: PA)

There was a definite irony to the fact that immediately after a designated set-piece coach had been replaced, the man filling in on top of his multiple other roles had coaxed two vital strikes from corners.

But as the following 14 months showed, that was down to the quality of Hughes rather than simply good humour on football's part.

Norwich evolved from a side who'd struggled with set-pieces since Chris Hughton's 2014 sacking to one known for being a threat from them, as well as a hard team to break down when defending them.

With players signed to thrive on set-pieces Hughes did the same, and his work went from semi-regular quirky routines to consistent and noticeable improvement. Every situation had a better plan, more structure and genuine belief from fans that it could amount to something, but there were still highlights along the way.

Shane Duffy's bullet against Leeds, Jacob Sorensen's glance into the Rotherham net and Kenny McLean's sweep at QPR all contributed to a total 18 set-piece goals league goals scored last term, the third most in the Championship.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that one of them came against Leicester, Sara's near-post poke giving Norwich an unlikely lead at the King Power Stadium. New Foxes manager Steve Cooper is the driving force behind Hughes' appointment, but his bosses will undoubtedly be reassured by that memory.

Gabriel Sara scored a Hughes-masterminded goal against his new club back in April (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

There was clearly a pattern there, and a good one from a yellow and green perspective. That's why it's bad news that Hughes has decided to move to the east midlands, even if it's hard to begrudge him the switch.

He'll enjoy a deserved step up to the Premier League, taking with him the expertise and experience that Wagner benefitted from before his exit in May. Sporting director Ben Knapper is suddenly tasked with replacing those 18 goals and plenty more.

The search will commence quickly, however, armed with the compensation he received for Hughes if needed. City are likely to look elsewhere when the deal is confirmed, as Knapper alluded to at Johannes Hoff Thorup's official unveiling.

"If we get to that stage, then we need to have a conversation around how that looks for us moving forward," he said. "I think it would be highly likely that we'd look to add something."

That's another task added to the lengthy to-do list, as if Knapper's plate wasn't already full enough. Someone will also have to take up the role he had at Arsenal, with Hughes' loan expertise also set to leave the Lotus Training Centre.

Questions still remain about the club's future, both on and off the pitch. They'll back themselves to find the answers, but finding someone to replicate Hughes' good work won't be easy.