Norwich City: Pink Un Podcast grading transfer business

Host Connor Southwell was joined by Paddy Davitt and Samuel Seaman to discuss a wide range of topics, including looking back on City's transfer window.

Watch the latest episode in the video above, listen via your favourite podcast platform or read an excerpt grading the summer's transfer business below.

CS: Sam, kick us off. The transfer window's closed, we can all catch up on our sleep. Let's have a grade, A star being the best and U being the worst.

SS: I'm going to go B minus at the moment. It's always difficult to judge a transfer window before you've really seen those players in those shirts. I think we were all looking at that transfer window in 2021 and that list of names thinking what a masterclass Stuart Webber had pulled off. Then that ended up being pretty much the reason why they didn't mount a real challenge to stay in the Premier League.

Ever since that experience and having my fingers burned by the excitement of that window, I think it's best to wait for a bit of time before you get too excited about players. But I think we can look at patterns, we can look at how well Ben Knapper has completed the objectives that he set for himself going into the window.

You look at the number of young players that they've brought in, the fact that they haven't signed anyone over the age of 23, they've added significantly to the number of players who feel suited to Johannes Hoff Thorup's system. You have to view it broadly as a success. But the quality with which the players fulfil those objectives that Thorup is going to set will ultimately decide how good the business was.

So I think we will learn a lot more, but you can take patterns from the players they've brought in. Overall Ben Knapper has delivered exactly what he said he would, and I think that is encouraging going forward with him at the helm.

CS: Yeah I think I would agree. I would probably grade it around a B, in terms of them achieving their objectives, obviously getting money for players, shifting on those who didn't want to be at Norwich as well. You always have to let these things breathe, but as we sit here now, it does probably feel more positive than negative.

It'll take time to assess the Canaries' new arrivals (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

PD: I'd grade it slightly more positively than you two, I'm going B plus. That's mainly because, as you've both pointed out, you can't really judge from a footballing perspective at this point. They're just in the building, they haven't really played a significant block of time, we don't know if they are going to elevate Norwich on the pitch.

So that is a little bit 'jury's out'. But for me it's looking at how they dragged Celtic kicking and screaming to £8.5million, that was much more inflated than where they were at the start of the window. Ditto Jonny Rowe and Marseille's numerous bids, Abu Kamara and Hull, even Gabriel Sara.

By common consent, I think most fans would agree that that's very good negotiation from Knapper and his team. For me, the way they've negotiated, I would give it a B plus. But I have gone a bit boardroom here and looked at it from the numbers on the balance sheet rather than what the players who've come in are actually going to produce on the pitch.

Maybe will have to do this segment again just before the January window, when we've got a huge body of evidence on the pitch to say that these players have actually replaced the ones I've just talked about. As well as the financial element, will they have lifted Norwich on the football pitch?

CS: As both of you highlighted, with the lack of football data available that is probably the best way to look at it.