David Wagner will have new Norwich City frustration on Carrow Road evidence | OneFootball

Norwich City have failed to kick-on since they sacked David Wagner back in May 2024.

Norwich City made the decision to sack David Wagner just a day after they lost to Leeds United in the play-off semi-final back in May 2024.

In many ways, it was an understandable decision. The Canaries didn’t just miss out on the chance to win promotion, as they were humiliated by Leeds following an embarrassing display.

After a dull 0-0 draw in the first leg, Norwich were blown away at Elland Road, and it was a night that left many Yellows’ fans furious at the way the team meekly surrendered.

Norwich City have not made progress since David Wagner’s exit

Whether the hierarchy acted too quickly is open to debate, but the consensus was that Wagner needed to go, even if he had done well in guiding the team to the play-offs.

However, the Norfolk outfit had ambitions of reaching the Premier League, and Wagner had failed in his objective, so it was about taking that next step.

Yet, it’s fair to say that things have not gone to plan for Norwich since the ex-Huddersfield man was dismissed.

In the previous campaign, they took a chance by bringing Johannes Hoff Thorup to the club, in what was his first managerial role in this country.

Whilst there were some positive moments, it ultimately ended up in disappointment, as Norwich failed to sustain a push for the play-offs.

Once again, another managerial change followed, with the hierarchy going down the ‘tried and tested’ route, as they appointed Liam Manning after he had done some very good work with Bristol City.

Sadly, it appears Norwich have once again made a mistake, as they languish near the bottom of the table. Of course, it’s still very early days, but it already seems unlikely that Norwich will have a shot at returning to the Premier League. Instead, it could be about avoiding relegation.

Norwich City fans are right to demand more from a talented squad

Normally, such a decline would be understandable if the club had seriously downgraded the squad.

Some will rightly point out that Gabriel Sara, Borja Sainz, Jon Rowe and Marcelino Nunez are among the players to move on since Wagner’s exit, and there’s no denying that they have lost a lot of quality.

Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of talent in the Norwich group, which includes Josh Sargent, who is arguably the standout number nine in the league.

Plus, the Canaries have invested significant sums to bring the likes of Matej Jurasek, Jose Córdoba, Ante Crnac, Pape Diallo, Mathias Kvistgaarden and Mirko Topic to the club, along with a host of others.

So, it’s not like Thorup or Manning could complain about a lack of support, but too many of those recruits have failed to make the impact that was expected, even if injuries have played a part in restricting some signings.

Naturally, sporting director Ben Knapper will be the one that many fans point the finger at. He has had an influential role at the club over the past few years, with the new owners giving him freedom to make some major changes to reshape the squad.

Clearly, as of now, they haven’t paid off, and the real worry for Norwich is that they seem to have been quickly overtaken by many Championship rivals. Needless to say, the longer they stay outside the Premier League, the harder it will be to get back, and it seems a distant dream right now.

The defeat at Leeds prompted change, with the feeling that the team couldn’t make that final step under Wagner, but rather than pushing forward, Norwich have gone backwards - and there are few signs of that changing any time soon.