Norwich City struck gold with combined £650K expense on Wes Hoolahan and goalscoring machine | OneFootball

Two times Norwich City really struck gold in the transfer market

Norwich City have proven themselves as canny operators in the transfer market over the years.

The Canaries have been able to compete in the Premier League on many occasions in the past, despite having a limited budget compared to other teams in the top flight.

One area where they've been able to gain an advantage over rivals has been with this clever transfer business, which they will be hoping to maintain if they're to get back to that division anytime soon.

Other clubs will be jealous of some of the great deals that they've been able to pull off in the past, particularly in the years when they were able to maintain their Premier League status.

Here we look at two times Norwich managed to strike gold in the market.

Wes Hoolahan

Wes Hoolahan is a very fondly remembered Norwich star, having joined the club from Blackpool in the summer of 2008.

The playmaker arrived for a fee of just £250,000, according to ITV, which even for the time was considered a bargain price given what he went on to achieve at Carrow Road.

While his first season at Carrow Road was difficult, with the Canaries suffering relegation to League One, he played a big role in Paul Lambert’s side bouncing back by winning the third division title at the first attempt in 2010.

He contributed 11 goals from 37 appearances, before adding another 10 to his name, along with nine assists, when they earned a second consecutive promotion 12 months later.

The now-42-year-old remained a mainstay in the side even when they were competing in the Premier League, dazzling supporters with his performances in three different tiers of English football.

In three seasons in the top flight, Hoolahan made 82 appearances and registered eight goals and 11 assists, helping the club finish 12th, 11th and 18th.

Hoolahan remained with Norwich once they were back in the Championship, although his role in the team did start to wane over time, before he ultimately departed in 2018.

Nevertheless, for a fee of £250,000, the Norfolk outfit signed someone who had made over 300 appearances for the club, scoring more than 50 times and playing a big role in two different promotion campaigns.

Grant Holt

Grant Holt was signed by Norwich in the summer of 2009, following their relegation from the Championship.

It was reported by the BBC that the deal was worth a figure of around £400,000, which proved a real bargain given how important he became to this next period of success over the next few years.

The forward scored 24 times in his debut season at Carrow Road, with his goals powering Lambert’s side to the League One title.

Holt’s form carried over into the Championship, with the striker bagging another 21 goals in the second tier, with the Canaries earning automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Holt spent two more years with Norwich, scoring 23 times in the top flight for the club as they finished 12th and 11th.

His departure in the summer of 2013 to Wigan Athletic for £2m coincided with a difficult campaign for the Norfolk outfit, as they were relegated from the Premier League.