Norwich City transfers: New signing Callum Doyle profiled

News of the Canaries' interest in the Manchester City full-back first broke midway through July, with a season-long loan deal agreed well before he flew across the pond for the Citizens tour of the US.

Johannes Hoff Thorup has had to wait with bated breath, along with his new fan base, as Doyle navigated meetings with Celtic, AC Milan, Chelsea and Barcelona without sustaining an injury or attracting potential hijackers of the move.

But three weeks on from the original agreement he's finally a Norwich player, and there's significant hope behind the scenes he'll be well worth the wait.

The feeling at the Lotus Training Centre is that his capture is somewhat of a coup for City, and it's easy to see why.

Former Sunderland manager Lee Johnson was clear on the defender's quality even before he had turned 18. His professional debut came for the Black Cats in August 2021, a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic in League One. Johnson knew he had a talent on his hands, labelling Doyle the best passer in the division. 

The 20-year-old made his professional debut at Sunderland (Image: PA)

"You're never sure how these lads are going to react," he said "The legs can turn to jelly, they can get a little elbow and suddenly they crumble.

"But Callum grew in stature as the game went on and his passing ability is already, in my opinion, the best in the division. Even today he didn't get as many line-cutting passes as he normally would, but you saw two or three diags that were weighty and full of quality."

Former Norwich boss Alex Neil labelled him a "fantastic footballer" after replacing Johnson, but another ex-Canary swooped for him the next season when Mark Robins took him to Coventry.

The Sky Blues' success that term is well-documented, and he was with them all the way to heartbreaking defeat in the play-off final. It's no wonder Robins became a fan, and he was unreserved in his praise.

“I think he’s a really talented player who has everything he needs to have a brilliant career in the game," he said. "Technically he’s very, very good and he’s learning the other bits and pieces."

Perhaps one of those bits, and a rare drawback in the prospect's game, is his pace. Although former Leicester chief and current Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was a fan of Doyle's, he saw that as his major weakness. Ironically he chose to expose it after victory over Norwich.

Pace was an issue while Doyle was at Leicester (Image: PA)

"You can see (his impact), it’s so clear," said Maresca. "The only problem with Callum is that he is not quick. The way we play, with high-pressing, the problem is that you have to defend 50 metres in behind. So we try to adapt."

Given the Italian's status as a well-known Pep Guardiola disciple, that offers an insight into why a first-team opportunity hasn't presented itself at the Etihad Stadium. Doyle stood up well in those battles with the world's elite, but is unlikely to become a regular for Guardiola's seniors.

As a fellow proponent of high-pressing football, the same issue may be a roadblock for Thorup to navigate with his latest recruit. But the upsides, on paper at least, are numerous. In a tricky summer to navigate, they've signed a promising young talent with plenty of Championship experience.

If both player and coach get things right that could become a highly valuable player for City, whose strengths largely suit those of their new setup and who solves what was a considerable conundrum going into the transfer window.

Even if the signs are good and the references are glowing, the proof will be in the pudding as to whether Doyle is really worth the wait.