Ben Knapper: Norwich City's new sporting director to start job early
- Published
Ben Knapper (left) was chief analyst at Arsenal before taking over as loan manager in 2019
Ben Knapper is to start his new job as Norwich City sporting director early - on Monday, 13 November.
Outgoing sporting director Stuart Webber will leave the role after Saturday's away trip to Cardiff City.
Knapper, 36, was originally due to move to Norwich on 27 November to replace Webber, whose near seven years in the job will end after "a handover period".
He has spent the last 13 years with Arsenal, latterly as loans manager, and was at Scunthorpe United prior to that.
One of the first issues for Knapper to address will be City's woeful form.
On Monday, the Canaries Trust supporters' group claimed there was a "state of inertia" at the club,, external while they wait for the arrival of Knapper.
Norwich have lost their past four games and picked up just four points out of a possible last 27, to drop to 17th in the Championship - causing media speculation over the future of manager David Wagner.
In a boardroom statement,, external the club said: "Continued progress on and off the pitch is what everyone at Norwich City wants and expects.
"The board acknowledges the frustration and concern in the club's recent on-field performances.
"But it remains together in its commitment to supporting its players and staff through this challenging period.
"The board would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Stuart for his hard work and dedication to the club over the last seven years, a period during which he oversaw two EFL Championship titles and promotions to the Premier League, as well as a transformation of the club's facilities at the Lotus Training Centre."
Last weekend, Norwich announced a pre-tax loss of £27.2m in their financial report for the year ending 30 June 2023,, external compared to a £23.6m loss in the previous 12 months.
Turnover fell from £133.9m to £75.6m, largely as a result of reduced broadcast revenue following relegation from the Premier League in May 2022.
The club made a £3.6m profit from player sales in the year covered by the report, but said a "significant profit" had followed in this summer's transfer window.