Norwich City: Philippe Clement, Ben Knapper have already struck Canaries transfer gold | OneFootball

Canadian winger Ali Ahmed has been excellent since joining Norwich City in January

It's been an interesting season at Norwich City, to say the least, with their campaign best described as being one of two halves.

In Norfolk, it has not exactly been a conventional year for Norwich, who at one point looked to be a serious contender for relegation in the early stages.

Liam Manning's time at the helm was a disaster, but thankfully for the Canaries, the arrival of Philippe Clement has not only rescued them from imminent danger but also propelled them closer to the play-offs than the relegation zone with seven games to go.

Sitting nine points off the top six, it would still take some remarkable form between now and the end of the season to achieve a play-off place, but the very fact they stand any chance at all is testament to the work done by Clement since his arrival.

The Belgian boss has completely turned the club's fortunes around both on and off the pitch, with the January transfer window proving to be a huge success in its own right.

The likes of Mohamed Toure, Jayden Maghoma, Harry Amass, and Sam Field all joined the club, and aside from Amass, who was struck with a long-term injury shortly after joining, each has been a success, though their £1.4 million capture of a Canadian international may prove to have been the best of the bunch.

Norwich City signed Ali Ahmed for £1.4 million from Vancouver Whitecaps in January

With Ante Crnac, Matej Jurasek, and Forson Amankwah all spending prolonged periods of time out injured, fresh legs were required to be brought in this January at Norwich in wide attacking areas.

The Canaries identified Vancouver Whitecaps' Ali Ahmed as their priority option, and moved quickly to snap up his signature just days into the window, completing a £1.4 million deal to bring him to Carrow Road on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

Ahmed, who was born in Canada to Ethiopian parents, scored just eight and assisted 14 in 102 appearances across all competitions in Vancouver, and arrived with little expectation.

However, just 13 Championship appearances later, the 25-year-old already has four goals and three assists, with important strikes against the likes of West Brom, Coventry City, Leicester City, and Preston North End.

Ahmed has taken to the English second tier with ease, and watching him, you'd never guess that these are his first months in a completely new continent, never mind club.

The Canadian had almost joined 2. Bundesliga side Schalke in the summer, but having suffered an ankle injury, the move was blocked, and he instead joined the Canaries just six months on, with Norwich certainly reaping the rewards now.

Ahmed looks set to represent his country in the summer World Cup, with his home nation being one of the hosts, and he will look to continue his rich vein of form to cement himself in Jesse Marsch's plans.

A strong end to the season and a strong World Cup will only continue to boost his profile, as Norwich looks to have pulled off a huge bargain in the acquisition of Ahmed.

Philippe Clement will hope to replicate the Ali Ahmed deal in the upcoming windows

With Clement's first window at Carrow Road, at this stage, proving to be a huge success, there will be a certain degree of expectancy to replicate that success in future windows.

Whilst players of the ilk of Ahmed are not always available for £1.4 million, Clement has shown his nous in the transfer market in his little time at the club, whilst a degree of credit must also be directed to Norwich's Sporting Director Ben Knapper, who had come under flak for his previous dealings, especially in the summer.

Confidence will not be fully restored in Knapper's ability just yet, understandably, but alongside Clement, the January window has been a crucial point in their campaign, and the capture of Ahmed could well be looked back on in years to come as a crucial piece of business.

The Canadian could well be sold for an enormous profit in the future, and should Norwich not find themselves in the Premier League within the next couple of years, if Ahmed continues this vein of form, he will almost certainly be there without them.

It's proving to be an inspired piece of business from the Canaries, who will hope similar work can be done this summer and in years to come.