Norwich’s Stuart Webber outlines potential transfer plans; cites three clubs as examples to follow

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Norwich City will look to follow in the footsteps of Swansea City, Burnley and Bournemouth should they go up.

Norwich City sporting director Stuart Webber says he wants the club to follow the likes of Burnley, Bournemouth and Swansea City in the transfer market should the club win promotion, the Telegraph reports.

“If we do go up, we won’t be making knee-jerk decisions. We won’t be signing players for £15m. That has to be the aim, eventually, but we will be looking at Swansea, Burnley and Bournemouth when they first got promoted,” Webber explained.

“You have to believe that if you create a good environment and culture, with young players and smart recruitment, that you can be successful.”

Norwich are in pole position for promotion to the Premier League as they sit four points clear at the top of the Championship table with just four games remaining.

Their success has been built on recruitment of cheaper players with huge potential. The likes of Teemu Pukki, Tim Krul, Emiliano Buendia and Marco Stiepermann arrived for a combined £2.7 million while academy graduates Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey and Jamaal Lewis have broken through in impressive fashion.

Webber rules out making £15 million signings, and instead will look at Swansea, Burnley and Bournemouth as clubs to follow with each largely utilising the squad which got them promoted in their first season in the top flight.

Burnley’s first season back in the Premier League saw them moderately spend on players such as Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Steven Defour and Ashley Westwood. The Clarets finished 16th that season while they remain on course for survival this term and a fourth successive season at the top level.

Bournemouth, likewise, are now established in the top tier with Benik Afobe and Tyrone Mings their two biggest deals upon promotion, both arriving for less than £12 million each according to transfermarkt.

Swansea are arguably the best example of sustainability, despite eventually dropping back down to the Championship. The Swans spent seven years in the Premier League, winning a League Cup and securing top-half finishes. Their biggest outlay upon promotion in 2011 was a reported mere £3.5 million for Danny Graham.