Norwich City: Connor Southwell on Canaries transfer objectives

Norwich set out to cut costs, raise funds and ensure the team were competitive enough for David Wagner to lead the team to an improved finish in the Championship this season. The early indicators are looking positive. 

City's recruitment department, and Webber himself, have copped a lot of flak due to their approach to previous windows and swaying more towards potential than options capable of helping the club push for survival in the Premier League. 

Ultimately, like everything in football, recruitment is judged on how things have unfolded on the pitch. 

There is no perfect science to getting recruitment right - Teemu Pukki was brought in as a risk-free addition who would push Jordan Rhodes. Ben Marshall was seen as a marquee Championship addition. Christoph Zimmermann originally signed as fourth choice. 

Those three examples show how the theory doesn't always match the reality. 

If it was easy - nobody would ever make a bad signing. Sometimes things don't click; a coach might not be suited to a player or vice versa. Adaptation can be slow. There are a million reasons why any move might not work. 

After what has unfolded at the football club over the last two seasons, this had to be a window they got right. The circumstances were testing. The club has been paying for the sins of the past, to tap into a piece of former discourse. 

Against a backdrop of £66m worth of loans, there was a necessity to raise funds and cut the cloth accordingly to ensure the club got back on an even financial keel. 

Mark Attanasio has absorbed half of that outlay, but the rest was always going to come from player sales. That is why Webber was bold by publicly discussing Max Aarons, Milot Rashica and Andrew Omobamidele's situations back in May. 

Norwich sold all three. That was always the plan. In the process, they could earn north of £30m on those deals if every clause is activated in the future. That would cover the other portion of the loan not being paid for by Attanasio and his group. 

Then there was the mission to cut costs - perhaps the best example is letting Tim Krul depart to join Luton whilst welcoming George Long to the club, a massive saving on the wage bill. 

Norwich City swapped Tim Krul for George Long this summer. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Teemu Pukki, Sam Byram and others departing at the start of the window helped - but Norwich have been strict with their wage structure and made the most of the free transfer market. 

The decision to produce a thinner squad is also an attempt to make savings - whether this comes at a competitive cost will only be known with time. 

After a failure to get promoted last season, this summer was always going to be about raising funds and trying to reach a financial security. Those conditions have always been the type that Webber and his transfer team thrive in. 

During his time at the club, for as much criticism as has come from incoming and justifiably so in recent times, Webber has always been somebody who haggles well for decent fees on Norwich's talent. 

By his own admission in a statement around his scheduled departure, Webber spoke of his regret at recruitment errors. Daniel Farke felt it cost him his job. Dean Smith was frustrated by the lack of activity last summer. 

That infamous window of 2021 is perhaps the best example. In the Premier League, Norwich need every signing to come off to have any hope of survival. Beyond Angus Gunn and Josh Sargent, it's hard to feel that any of them did. 

Webber felt he was too loyal last season. This summer, nine new additions have come through the door. There has been evolution. 

All bar Christian Fassnacht have arrived without a transfer fee, perhaps underscoring the delicate financial tightrope they are walking at present. Even his outlay came after Bali Mumba's move to Plymouth Argyle. 

Ashley Barnes has played a major role in Norwich City's positive start to the Championship season. (Image: Paul Chesterton)

They were aggressive in their pursuit of Ashley Barnes, Shane Duffy and Jack Stacey - beating a host of Championship clubs to their signatures and convincing them to join through the weight of their project. 

It was also proof that they had learned from windows gone by where potential has outweighed instant impact. 

That trio has been pivotal in setting standards and shifting the mentality within the group - something Wagner pushed for internally since the early weeks of his reign. 

But then there have still been signings for the future. Borja Sainz is one that creates excitement, Fassnacht is a throwback to previous strategies in recruitment and Hwang Ui-jo is an unknown on these shores - it's all been geared towards achieving a better balance within the squad. 

Danny Batth and Adam Forshaw became financially suitable deals. Kellen Fisher has shown early signs of progress. The U21s, led by head of emerging talent Mariela Nisotaki, seem to have shifted their policy and recruited a higher calibre of player. 

Borja Sainz is yet to make his Norwich City debut. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

After a scattergun approach in windows gone by, this feels like one that has gone to plan. There was a strategy and it's been followed - now, time will tell whether it leads to success on the pitch. 

Ultimately, when the window closed last Friday, Webber could tick all three objectives. The results will dictate the transfer window's success in the long term, but the early indicators are looking positive.