It’s that time of year again for Norwich City supporters.
The sterile speculation has turned to tangible progress on the sales of their key players, with the turning of the calendar from July to August bringing belated interest from bigger clubs.
That’s already manifested in the form of Gabriel Sara’s move to Galatasaray, with attention turning to Jonathan Rowe and his future after Leeds United opened talks over the 21-year-old.
In the space of four days things went from fairly relaxed to fears of a fire sale, with the familiar gut punch of losing a fan favourite eased little by warnings that it would happen. They’ve been through it plenty of times before, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
It’s the unfortunate reality of being a Championship club with no parachute payments, however, that good players will need to be sold to balance the books. Season tickets and merchandising don’t get close to the discrepancy between second-tier TV revenue and that of the Premier League.
That’s why those fans have been here so many times before, whether it was with James Maddison, Ben Godfrey, Jacob Murphy or one of the many others.
But another consistent condition of the Championship experience is the creation of new heroes, as the cycle dictates that replacements are found for those outgoing stars. That’s one of the benefits of following a selling club.
Where Champions League supporters gain a couple of new favourites every decade, those lower down the food chain see the plates shift on a near-yearly basis. While the longevity of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mo Salah can hardly be questioned, how many have the Carrow Road faithful fallen in love with since they burst onto the scene?
There would have been no Emi Buendia in yellow and green without Leicester purchasing Maddison, and the budget might not have allowed for Josh Sargent’s arrival had the Argentinian not gone to Aston Villa.
Now Norwich are in the process of extending that chain, of looking for the hidden gem that makes Sara’s exit feel worthwhile. It’s a tough ask of sporting director Ben Knapper, but it’s the sort of decision that could write his name into folklore, too.
Along with any new additions there will be those already at the club keen to fill those shoes, to give their careers a boost and become secondary beneficiaries of Galatasaray’s swoop.
Chief among them appears to be Borja Sainz, the hope among many fans to fill the goal contribution void left by his good friend. He already scored eight times last term despite an injury-shortened season, and now has 12 months of English football adaptation under his belt.
Curbing his more impulsive instincts and conforming to Johannes Hoff Thorup’s detailed tactical system will be the Spaniard’s challenge, but the raw materials are clearly there.
Someone who’s already practiced that tactical taming is Marcelino Nunez, another candidate to step up and make his presence felt this season. The 24-year-old became a consistently impressive performer as City made it to the play-off semi-finals, cementing his name in history with an East Anglian derby winner.
But producing those moments more regularly is the task he’s faced with, especially under a more offensively-minded coach in Thorup. Nunez has only scored five times in two years with the Canaries, in stark contrast to the man many are looking to him to replace.
In any case the step up to Sara’s level is a big one, which is why he cost what he cost and saw as much interest as he did in his services. But as previous generations of Norwich players have shown, the step up isn’t impossible.
Whether they’re new or old, the opportunity is there for someone to take up the mantle and become the latest hero in a long line of them at Carrow Road.
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