Football League World
·29 September 2024
Football League World
·29 September 2024
We looked at two Norwich City players who have the potential to be sold for big money in the future.
Norwich City will be hoping to challenge for promotion from the Championship once again this season.
Norwich finished sixth in the table last season but they suffered heartbreak as they were beaten 4-0 by Leeds United in the play-off semi-finals in May.
David Wagner was sacked the day after the comprehensive defeat at Elland Road and replaced by Johannes Hoff Thorup, who made the move from Danish side FC Nordsjaelland to take over at Carrow Road.
It was a busy summer for the Canaries as Thorup rebuilt his squad, with eight new players arriving, while there were also a number of high-profile departures, including the likes of Ben Gibson, Danny Batth, Sam McCallum, Dimitris Giannoulis, Gabriel Sara, Christos Tzolis, Abu Kamara and Adam Idah.
It was always likely to take time for Norwich's new team to gel and it has been an inconsistent start to the season for Norwich but there have been encouraging signs of improvement in recent weeks.
During his time in Denmark, Thorup established a reputation for developing young players, and he has not been afraid to give some of the Canaries' academy products a chance so far this season.
Norwich have become known for producing exciting talents over the years, and winger Jonathan Rowe became the club's latest big-money sale when he joined Marseille on loan this summer with an obligation to buy in a deal that could be worth up to £17 million.
Rowe scored a last-minute winner for Roberto De Zerbi's side in their 3-2 win at Lyon last weekend, and as he continues to impress in France, we looked at who could be next to leave Carrow Road for a significant transfer fee.
Defender Kellen Fisher joined Norwich from Bromley last summer and given the fact that his only senior experience was in the National League with the Ravens, it seemed unlikely that he would feature in the first team immediately.
However, Fisher's performances in pre-season convinced then-manager Wagner to give him a chance in the Championship, and he went on to register two assists in 14 appearances during the course of the campaign as the Canaries reached the play-offs.
The form of Jack Stacey kept Fisher out of the team for much of the second half of last term, but the 20-year-old proved to be a reliable option whenever called upon, and he has continued to make a positive impression in the opening weeks of this season.
Stacey is likely to remain as Thorup's first-choice right-back for now as he looks to mount a promotion push but Fisher has already produced some impressive performances. He will be viewed as the former's long-term successor and he looks set to have a bright future at Carrow Road.
Norwich have a history of selling full-backs for big money, with Max Aarons joining Bournemouth in a deal that could be worth up to £12 million last summer and Jamal Lewis making a £15 million move to Newcastle United in 2020, and Fisher could be the next to earn the club a large windfall.
Attacking midfielder Oscar Schwartau arrived at Norwich from Danish side Brondby this summer for a fee of around £2 million and the club will be hopeful of making a significant profit on that figure in the future.
Schwartau became Brondby's youngest debutant at the age of 16 years and 61 days in July 2022, and less than a month later, he became the club's youngest goalscorer.
The 18-year-old scored six goals and registered one assist in 46 appearances in total for Brondby, and after completing his move to Carrow Road this summer, Canaries sporting director Ben Knapper described him as "one of the most exciting talents in Danish football".
Schwartau will need time to adapt to the Championship and he has struggled to make an impact in the early stages of his Norwich career, but the fact he has been thrown straight into the starting line-up is a big show of faith from Thorup.
There is no doubt that Schwartau will improve over the coming months, and if he is able to live up to his potential, he is another player that could bring in millions for the Canaries.