Birmingham, West Brom and Middlesbrough miss out as Championship rivals agree £2.5m deal.

Just days after acquiring former Swansea City defender Harry Darling, Liam Manning’s side has taken another significant step towards strengthening a backline that was penetrated 68 times in the Championship last season.

The fact that Johannes Hoff Thorup’s Norwich City were the only second-tier team, aside from champions Leeds United, to score over 70 goals while ending in the bottom half of the table speaks loudly about a defence that dashed any chances of a play-off run. Norwich City had the Championship’s second-best scoring offence but the sixth-worst defence. So it’s no surprise Norwich pounced at the chance to recruit Harry Darling after his contract with Swansea ended. Now, with Jakov Medic also rumoured to be on his way to East Anglia, director Ben Knapper appears to have signed two potential first-team centre defenders in only 48 hours.

According to EFL Analysis’ football journalist Graeme Bailey, West Brom, Middlesbrough, and newly promoted Birmingham City were all interested in signing Medic this summer. The fact that the Ajax misfit has now picked Norwich over some of the Championship’s biggest and most ambitious clubs represents a major statement of intent from Knapper, Manning, and co.

Norwich City beat Middlesbrough, West Brom and Birmingham in Jakov Medic race

Norwich has reached an agreement with Eredivisie powerhouses Ajax, according to highly regarded Dutch reporter Mike Verweij of the De Telegraaf newspaper. Norwich will spend somewhat more than £2 million, potentially up to £2.5 million, for a Croatian centre-back who played Bundesliga football last season at VFL Bochum. Formerly of Nurnberg and St Pauli, Medic departs Ajax after only six Eredivisie outings. At the very least, he left an impression. The well-travelled 26-year-old won Ajax’s Goal of the Season award in 2024 with a devastating first strike against Heracles.

Harry Darling once scored double figures from centre back for MK Dons under Liam Manning. Clearly, having scored 17 goals in his career, Medic is another player who might help relieve the goal-scoring pressure on Carrow Road players Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent. “I’m thrilled. “It’s been a long time coming after a lot of discussions,” Darling tells the official Norwich website. “I’m relieved to finally get things resolved, and I’m looking forward to getting started. “With Liam in charge, I was already familiar with his style of play from my time at MK Dons, so I didn’t need much convincing. I really enjoyed working with him last time.”

Championship rivals must search elsewhere as Medic leaves Ajax for Carrow Road.

West Brom were the club mentioned most prominently in the Dutch press – with Norwich, of course – as the race to sign Medic heated up. Gora Diouf of FC Sion is also popular among the Baggies. And, with his contract at the Swiss Super League club expiring, the 21-year-old Senegalese might emerge as West Brom’s preferred option as a Medic medical at Carrow Road approaches. EFL Analysis understands that a managerless Middlesbrough, such as Paderborn stopper Calvin Brackelmann or Raj van den Berg, is attracting interest away from Riverside. Birmingham City could welcome back Rangers misfit Ben Davies, who played a key role in the club’s League One title-winning season under namesake Chris Davies.

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