Paddy Davitt delivers his West Brom verdict from Norwich’s stunning Championship win.
1. Waving goodbye to the bottom three
‘Philippe, give us a wave,’ was the cry that rose up from the away end at the Hawthorns on a red letter night for Norwich City in a Championship season holed below the waterline for the past three months.
City fans woke up on Wednesday morning outside the relegation zone, and no doubt rubbing their eyes still in delight and surprise at the manner they dismantled a West Brom who were booed off, and berated with chants of ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’.
The same barbs that rang around Carrow Road in the lowest part of this campaign. Not any more. Clement is a totemic figure who has restored belief on the terraces, and in the dressing room.
This is a Norwich collective who are unbeaten in five away games in the Championship. They plundered with a clinical intent at West Brom that was savagely beautiful in the manner they ran over the top of the Baggies.
Clement set his squad a challenge to maintain that standard from here in his post-match briefing, He also explained out of respect for his opponent he will not grant those City fans their wish for a wave from his touchline vantage during a game.
The full-time whistle was a different matter. The Belgian took the applause and reciprocated in kind.
When Norwich have been cooking in modern times there has been a genuine connection between fan base and manager/coach. Paul Lambert, Alex Neil, Daniel Farke to name three. Clement is more clinical, less emotional in his public persona. But it feels like that connection is starting to form.
2. Striker light
Norwich City’s January transfer window striker story is turning into a gripping tale. A plot packed with intrigue, suspense and now the pursuit of a forward who just turned in a Champions League goalscoring display to sink Manchester City with a match-winning brace. You could not make it up.
Kasper Høgh is the name, and the Dane would appear to have worked his way up near the top of a check list of potential striker signings for the Canaries.
City made an enquiry on Monday. Høgh played a leading role for Bodo Glimt on Tuesday. That chain of events alone would tell you either the Norwegians were less than impressed with Norwich’s approach, or they are simply intent on keeping Høgh in the building this month.
That certainly appeared to be the unequivocal messaging from his current club boss, Kjetil Knutsen, when asked the inevitable question after Høgh helped sink the Citizens.
“I don’t have much to say about that. I think he is happy in Glimt and he shows that he belongs there,” he told Norwegian media. “He took a new level today. We have no plans to sell Kasper Høgh to anyone.”
Given Glimt now have a better chance of making the next stage of the Champions League format that door may well have been locked and bolted.
Clement is believed to desire a new forward ahead of the February 2 deadline, and both sporting director Ben Knapper and the club’s US ownership are willing to back their head coach.
That might read as contingency planning for Sargent’s inevitable departure, were it not for the simple fact Toronto FC are nowhere near the club’s valuation. Sargent remains in a state of limbo.
City are instead pressing ahead with their own agenda. Clement may have calculated Jovon Makama is exciting but still raw and inexperienced. While Mathias Kvistgaarden is managing that knee issue which has hindered his debut season.
Overlay Sargent’s desire to depart and you can see why Clement is in the market for a high calibre reinforcement. A plot this good deserves a fitting ending.
3. Any other business
City embarked on this window, by Clement’s own admission, hunting more ‘creativity’ in the attacking part of his team. Ali Ahmed has already delivered an assist and a goal in his first two Championship outings.
But setting aside that striker conundrum the focus has now switched to sourcing a left back, after the luckless Lucien Mahovo was ruled out for months with a muscular issue.
This time last year Mahovo was an exciting fresh talent who looked to have the temperament to match the athletic physicality to make that transition from development project to first team option.
But a season-ending quad injury curtailed his rise, and although Clement indicated he had not suffered a re-occurrence of the original injury it would appear he faces another long rehab road. Yet implicit in Clement’s confirmation of the latest setback, ahead of the Baggies’ romp, were words of encouragement.
City need a player for the here and now, especially with Jeffrey Schlupp another left-back option sidelined for the foreseeable, but Clement rates Mahovo highly and is sure in time he can fulfil that promise.
Norwich is now scanning suitable loan options to provide both back up and competition for Ben Chrisene. It is a delicate balancing act, but set alongside the striker search the prospect of a quiet end to the window for the Canaries looks unlikely.
4. SAS
Oscar Schwartau and Anis Ben Slimane appear to have joined forces to render any need for a new number 10 redundant in this transfer window.
City’s analysts and recruitment types had looked at possibles from Premier League young talent to further afield. But the answers may already reside in the building. There certainly feels far less urgency now than perhaps at the start of this window.
Schwartau showed a glimpse at Wrexham when he was switched inside following the late introduction of Papa Amadou Diallo on the wing. Slimane scored in Wales and created some big chances for Ahmed and Makama after what felt, externally at least, a surprise starting selection call.
It was a role reversal of sorts at the Hawthorns but no drop in the productivity.
Schwartau lashed Norwich in front with a gorgeous arcing strike away from Josh Griffiths. Slimane was introduced at the interval and within minutes jinked into the area and rolled in Ahmed to open his account.
Then he controlled a ricochet from Diallo to smash a shot against the foot of a post and react quicker than anyone else to slot the rebound.
Clement himself also added Jacob Wright to that equation prior to the game and the Manchester City youngster’s passing range and intelligent occupation of space certainly hinted at rich potential prior to Christmas in a more advanced role. Recall his key role in the home win over Southampton.
The challenge for all three now is to maintain this level of influence and output in a position which demands goals, assists and an ability to join the dots.
