Despite being promoted to the Premier League this year, Norwich City were relatively quiet during the summer transfer window.
While Aston Villa and Sheffield United spent big, the Canaries elected to keep the purse strings tight and make very targeted captures.
Their most significant expenditure was on goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann, who joined on loan for the season from Schalke for £2.7m.
Despite being the club’s most prominent summer transfer, the German is yet to feature in the Premier League, instead having to play second choice to Tim Krul.
His sole appearance for the club so far has come in the EFL Cup, with Fährmann playing all 90 minutes in a surprise defeat to Crawley Town.
It’s a situation the goalkeeper, who has made close to 200 appearances in the Bundesliga during his career, is unlikely to have anticipated when he elected to head to Carrow Road this summer.
That’s something his advisor, Stefan Backs, admits to while confirming his client can’t escape from the situation because a recall option is “excluded” from his loan deal.
“He likes it very much in England. Both the club and the football that is played here fascinate him,” he told Fussball Transfers.
“He did not know before that he wouldn’t play, but the coach didn’t give him any operational guarantee.
“He gets along well with (Tim) Krul, Ralf is a very sociable person. Nevertheless, of course, every player wants to play.
“As of now Ralf will go back to Schalke (at the end of the season), of course, you have to wait for the development of Alexander Nübel.”
