After sacking David Wagner following play-off failure up against Leeds United, Norwich City are now reportedly one step away from signing their new manager and kicking off a new era at Carrow Road.
Norwich manager news
Wagner guided Norwich into the Championship's top six, before watching on as his side were eased out of the way by a dominant Leeds side in a 4-0 thrashing. Those in Norfolk then wasted no time before parting ways with their manager, with the club's sporting director Ben Knapper telling the official website: “David has operated with class and dignity throughout his period as Norwich City head coach, but we now feel that the time is right for us to move in a different direction.
“We remain committed to progressing our football club, in both the short and long-term, working through a diligent and thorough strategy. The appointment of a new head coach is an important one. We will now work and continue our due diligence with the view of making an appointment in the near future.”
That different direction has seemingly taken the Canaries towards Denmark too. According to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Norwich are now one step away from signing Johannes Thorup from Nordsjaelland with his work permit accepted on Thursday. This will likely see the 35-year-old arrive to take charge of just the second club in his managerial career, pending the board's final decision.
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Nonetheless, his first two seasons in the dugout have certainly gone well, with Nordsjaelland finishing second in his first campaign before falling to fourth in his second, meaning that the Dane has never finished lower than the top four when taking charge of a senior side.
Thorup represents an exciting unknown
Norwich find themselves at a crossroads this summer. They're in no position to panic about Championship relegation, but promotion also seems a world away despite reaching the play-offs in the current campaign. And given that they've not been in the Premier League since 2022, they risk stagnation in England's second tier and away from their ability to bounce consistently up to the top flight.
Now is the time to try something new away from the same names and experienced managers. Now is the time to take a risk on a manager like Thorup. He's shown plenty of signs in Denmark that he has the potential to step up in the Championship, but at 35 years old, he will still need the time to build an ideal project at Carrow Road.
His preferred 4-3-3 attacking formation should add the excitement that Wagner lacked at times, whilst his connection with Nordsjaelland will hopefully create a pathway for talent to make their way to English football courtesy of Norwich. The Danish club are owned by the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, which has produced the likes of West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus.
