Arriving on a free from Borussia Mönchengladbach in July of 2019, Josep Drmic went to Norwich thinking it would be his way to bigger and greater things in the Premier League.
However, the move would bring nothing but disappointment for the Switzerland international, who only ever managed seven starts (24 appearances overall) for the Canaries, all of which came last year.
In that time he found the back of the net three times, and now finds himself excluded from the first-team ever since the club were relegated to the Championship.
The 28-year-old made two appearances for the U23s, and was then told he couldn’t play there any longer either, meaning he’s been twiddling his thumbs for the best part of the current campaign waiting for January.
That’s because he wants and will probably get a move away from Carrow Road, as he made clear in an interview with Bild on Monday.
He said: “My goal is to find a new club and then return to the Swiss national team. I want to show that I belong there”.
Making his last professional appearance last July, Drmic ‘doesn’t blame others’, but admits he’s thought about his situation a lot over the past few months.
He added: “At first, I thought a lot and wondered what I did wrong. I was always correct, on time with my training, professional and worked extra shifts. Those in charge of all my ex-clubs would confirm that. I also scored important goals, for example in the FA Cup, where we knocked Tottenham out.
“It was probably because we were relegated with Norwich and I was blamed for that. The only explanation I could find for the behaviour of the association is: They want to get me off the payroll. But all these thoughts are now useless”.
This all came as a surprise for Drmic, who still doesn’t really know why he’s been exiled from the Norwich City squad.
He explained: “Neither Daniel Farke nor the director of football Stuart Webber gave me a real reason. In the summer I was only told that I could no longer play and train with the first-team because they no longer plan with me.
“I was not allowed to have contact with professional colleagues, I even had to change in a separate room for the players who had been sorted out. I often sat there all alone”.
As for what he’s done since he hasn’t been able to train with Norwich, he explained he’s learning to produce music as well as painting.
But for his fitness, he’s got a whole regimen: “I asked the club officials to be able to keep myself fit in my home country. I’ve been in Switzerland since then and I’m working hard for my comeback. I train twice a day, with and without a ball, in the gym and on the track. Sometimes I tortured my way up the mountains, sometimes I run in the forest.
“A team of personal trainers and doctors supports me and shows me the right way. I feel like a boxer preparing for a big fight. My whole focus is on the moment when I can attack again at a new club and show myself. I long for this moment”.
