Kellen Fisher and U21s striker could save Norwich City millions in transfer fees | OneFootball

FLW looks at two players who could save Norwich City money in the transfer market

Norwich City's first campaign under the management of Danish head coach, Johannes Hoff Thorup, has been a mixed bag so far.

The Canaries have entertained and frustrated the Carrow Road faithful in equal measure, as reflected by their numbers in the goals scored and conceded categories, but remain well among the congested battle to try and reach the play-offs.

No doubt that remains the aim for new majority owner, Mark Attanasio, who spelled out his vision of having a competitive Premier League side between now and 2030 after his company, Norfolk Holdings, acquired an 85 percent stake in the club back in November, taking over from Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones.

In the dugout, Hoff Thorup has already showcased his own vision, which has seen Norwich acquire plenty of young talent in the summer and so far in the winter months.

An £8.5m sum was spent on Ante Crnac and a potential £4m on Amankwah Forson at the beginning of the season among other dealings, whilst the Dane will be hoping Lewis Dobbin's six-month loan proves more successful than Kaide Gordon's spell at the club, as he recently returned to Liverpool.

The East Anglian outfit haven't been afraid to invest a fair sum of cash into a squad which is now the joint fifth-youngest in the division by average age.

So, with that being said, Football League World has pinpointed two players who could save a large proportion of transfer fees, having impressed at such a young age for Norwich.

Kellen Fisher

The first of this duo comes in the form of right-back Kellen Fisher, who continues to enjoy a fine breakthrough with the Championship side.

Having signed from Bromley in 2023 to initially join Norwich's academy, the defender was named on the bench 11 times under David Wagner before being handed his debut in a 3-1 defeat against Sunderland last October, in which he provided an assist for Gabriel Sara.

However, after Jack Stacey regained form as the Canaries cemented their play-off berth under the German, the England Under-20 international would only make three of his nine appearances post-January.

But, this season has seen the 20-year-old come on leaps and bounds under Hoff Thorup, making over 20 appearances in all competitions thus far, as well as featuring out-of-position at left-back on a handful of occasions.

Laying on an assist for Borja Sainz against Preston North End and playing a key role in the leveller in a dramatic 3-3 draw against Middlesbrough in October, which went down as a Seny Dieng own goal, it's no surprise that Fisher was tied down to a new deal until the summer of 2028, earning rave reviews from his new head coach in the process.

"Really happy with Kellen. That's why we play him at the moment and that is why he is an important player. It's not just like a wild card," Hoff Thorup told the Pink'Un.

With Fisher constantly battling it out with the aforementioned Stacey, Norwich wouldn't need to be worried about sourcing a replacement if the former AFC Bournemouth man was to eventually depart in the years to come, with Fisher being regarded as one of the EFL's top talents at this moment in time.

Errol Mundle-Smith

Following on from Fisher is 18-year-old striker, Errol Mundle-Smith, who has impressed in the youth ranks at Carrow Road in recent times, and will be hoping for a breakthrough into the first-team picture sooner rather than later.

Last season, the forward netted nine times in 16 appearances in the U18 Premier League, which included a purple patch of four goals and three assists in high-scoring encounters against Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa.

Mundle-Smith also scored a hat-trick in Premier League 2 action against the Villans' Under-21's at Bodymoor Heath in April, highlighting his ability to mix it with older age groups at this stage of his development.

Unsurprisingly, such a fine season was rewarded with the signing of his first professional contract at Carrow Road.

"Hopefully I can kick-start the season with the Under-21s, and then hopefully I could get a first-team debut,"the forward said in an interview to official club channels after the deal was confirmed.

Mundle-Smith has done exactly that so far this season too, as he currently leads the way in terms of top scorers for the Under-21's, with five goals and one assist in just eight PL2 appearances.

In the years to come, the Canaries starlet could definitely give Hoff Thorup plenty to think about if his trajectory continues in such a manner.