No Panic Buy for Norwich City
Philippe Clement has ruled out a panic buy after injured Norwich City left back Lucien Mahovo was sidelined for the start of the Championship season.
City were already in the market for a new full back to compete with Mahovo and Ben Chrisene, prior to the 21-year-old suffering ankle ligament damage in a pre-season friendly against Colchester.
Clement's Strategy for Left Back Position
Chrisene made his summer return from shoulder surgery in the 3-0 away win at St Gallen, but Clement insists there will be no knee jerk reaction in the market.
“We said that from the beginning we wanted another player for that position, so nothing changed. We're still looking for that,” said the Belgian. “But you need to find the right player for the right amount of money.”
“The club is still looking for that, but that was also the idea if Lucien was still fit. It's what we need for this season to make the step that we want.”
Focus on Long-Term Decisions
Clement emphasized the importance of making the right decisions for the future. “We're always urgent. We all want, and everybody in the club - the recruitment team, Ben (Knapper), the owners, me, everybody - but it needs to be the right decision because it's not for the next month; it's for the next year and years to come that we need to make the right decisions.”
He added, “So we will see along the way in the next days and weeks when the moment is there to find the right person for the right price.”
Chrisene played the opening 45 minutes in Switzerland, showcasing his versatility, while youngster Vatan Ozcan also earned another outing. Clement is optimistic about Chrisene's development this season, noting his hard work during rehab.
“Yes, 100pc. And he showed it in this game also,” Clement stated. “He showed what I knew already, that he worked really hard during his rehab on everything on his physical condition.”
City have so far added headline summer signing Andre Brooks, former loanee Sam Field, and young Brazilian centre back Bruno Alves to a squad that finished in the top 10 last season. For more details, visit The Pink'un.