Norwich City: Ben Knapper on summer transfer window.

Ben Knapper, Norwich City’s sporting director, believes the club missed a significant opportunity for promotion to the Championship and is now focussing on summer transfer wins.

Knapper’s immediate priority is to replace Johannes Hoff Thorup, but any changes in the dugout will not affect his plans for another squad makeover.

Last summer set the tone under the City manager, with Gabby Sara, Jon Rowe, Adam Idah, and Abu Kamara all leaving and a slew of younger talent heading in the opposite direction.

Knapper indicated in Colney on Friday. City expects to complete an early summer permanent move for Manchester City teenager Jacob Wright.

“Recruitment is huge right now. It’ll be another busy summer, but we’re ready for it. “That is a point worth repeating,” he said. “Our strategy was never, and will never be, about a single person. It is not the head coach. It is not me. Our strategy is based on organisational principles that we want to move towards, such as player development, trading, and playing in a specific way, and these things will remain in place.

“While the head coach may be unplugged and plugged back in, nothing changes in terms of our overall direction and goals.

“Each summer is important. But, given how this season has gone and ended, there is no reason to be shy about it. We understand that. We are prepared for that. We are confident in what we can do.

“We have a great squad of players, and we’ll identify others who we want to bring in as well. We’re excited about it. It’s also an opportunity for us to get back on track and achieve our goals.

“We have aggressive targets that we are determined to achieve, which is why we were unwilling to simply tread water and accept the decline that we were experiencing. We wanted to take action, and we did, and we’re excited about the opportunities that this creates for the summer.”

Knapper believes Thorup’s team was strong enough to compete with Bristol City and Coventry City, who both advanced to the playoffs.

“The season did not go as we had hoped. There’s a lot of frustration and disappointment, because when I look at the quality of our squad, I think it’s a huge missed opportunity. “I believe we could have accomplished something this year,” he stated.

“We have an incredibly talented squad here, which is why there is so much frustration about the season, because I believe we could have done better, and when I look at the teams that did make it (to the top six), it just confirms that kind of belief.

“We are constantly reflecting on how the team is performing, how the players are performing, and what we believe we need.

“Structurally, there were several things we could have done better. I don’t believe it is always the case to say, ‘We performed poorly, so we need better players in this area’. I believe we can work more effectively and make better use of them.”

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