Stuart Webber rolled the Norwich City dice - but Ben Knapper hit transfer jackpot | OneFootball

Gabriel Sara turned out to be a fantastic bit of business for Norwich City, as he was excellent on the pitch and was sold for a big profit.

When Norwich City completed the signing of Gabriel Sara from São Paulo, there was a sense of intrigue and excitement at Carrow Road.

The Brazilian was arriving with a decent pedigree, having featured regularly in his home country over the years, but the initial £6m fee was a significant outlay for the Canaries, so there was pressure on sporting director Stuart Webber for this deal to work out.

Like most EFL clubs, Norwich need to be careful with the money they spend, and it’s crucial that they buy players who can not only make an impact on the team, but also be sold for profit down the line.

Gabriel Sara was a joy to watch for Norwich City

The primary hope for Sara would be that his performances would help the team reach the Premier League, but unfortunately, despite his best efforts, Norwich fell short during his time in Norfolk.

The 2022/23 campaign brought about a disappointing 13th-placed finish, but seven goals and four assists were enough to convince the club that they had a player on their hands.

After coming from South America, the Canaries were always going to have to be patient with the left-footer, which is why some saw it as a risky move.

Sara was adapting to a new country, to a more physically demanding league, and there are no guarantees that players settle in such circumstances, no matter the ability they have.

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Yet, Sara embraced what Norwich were about, and his second season in yellow was an outstanding individual one, as he scored 13 times and created 12 goals as David Wagner’s side reached the play-off places.

Sadly for the Canaries, they came up well short over two legs against Leeds, and once that Premier League dream was over at Elland Road, it was obvious that keeping Sara was going to be very difficult for the club, as he was destined to play at a higher level.

Yet, it was also clear that they would make a profit on the initial investment, so Webber’s persistence in bringing him to the club would at least benefit the club in a financial sense.

There’s no denying that he made mistakes during his time at Norwich, but Webber will rightly be pleased with how Sara’s transfer played out, even if there will be disappointment that they couldn’t make that final step to reach the top flight together.

Norwich City will hope to repeat Gabriel Sara transfer success in the future

By the time it came to selling Sara, Ben Knapper had succeeded Webber, and he would take a central role in negotiating a sale.

To his credit, he managed to get a substantial fee for the playmaker, with Galatasaray ultimately paying a guaranteed £20m to sign Sara, and he has gone on to enjoy plenty of success in the Turkish capital.

Of course, it was a blow for Norwich on the pitch, and their struggles since Sara left show that the club have gone backwards, which Knapper has to take a lot of responsibility for.

Yet, the arrival of Philippe Clement has transformed the feeling around Carrow Road, and whilst the short-term objective is to continue to pull clear of the relegation zone, they will look to a bright future under the former Rangers chief.

However, transfers will be key to that, and Norwich will need to replicate the success of the likes of Sara.

Pleasingly, it looks like Jovon Makama will be another major success story, and there will be high hopes for Ali Ahmed and Mohamed Toure, whilst Mathias Kvistgaarden and Papa Diallo could come good after fitness issues.