Ben Knapper has set Norwich City on a path to be Premier League-ready, with the aim to get up and stay up.

City’s sporting director was appointed 12 months ago and after a failed Championship play-off push, brought in Johannes Hoff Thorup as his new head coach.

Knapper also oversaw a busy summer transfer window to equip Thorup with younger talent to launch another top flight promotion bid.

“For a club of this size and with our history, I think every time we play in the Championship, we have to be playing with the target of trying to get promoted,” he said. “The target is actually bigger than getting to the Premier League.

"The target is to get to the Premier League but also be able to stay there and try to be established at that level.

“In order to achieve that, I think that the way in which you achieve the first part, which is promotion, is important because you have to try and arrive at that place with a squad that has a core group of players that you feel can compete in the Premier League.

"Hopefully, at the point you achieve the promotion, you have a group of players that allow you to then have a realistic chance of achieving the second bit. The target is always to try to be as competitive as possible, to try and get promoted into the Premier League.”

Prior to Emi Marcondes’ recent arrival on a free transfer, due to a spate of attacking injuries, City’s summer overhaul had seen no player over the age of 23 arrive at Carrow Road.

“We want to increase the numbers of players that are really in demand from bigger clubs, clubs in the Premier League, clubs in big five leagues,” said Knapper, speaking to football business site, Off The Pitch. “The way in which we do it is important for us in terms of style of play, in terms of working with the right players, the right age profile, the right potential, the right characteristics.

“We've made a change in terms of head coach, a shift in strategy a little bit certainly from where the club has been in the last couple of years.

“To play in a style that the market values that would allow us not just to be successful on the field but also run an effective player trading model.

"Every time that we name a squad on a match day or a starting 11, we want to have as many high-potential assets in the squad as possible."