Norwich City

Rob Butler
BBC Radio Norfolk Canary Call presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has been speaking to the press ahead of the Canaries' Championship encounter with Coventry City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

On Friday it was confirmed that winger Lewis Dobbin has joined City on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season, following news that striker Ashley Barnes has left the club and rejoined promotion hopefuls Burnley.

Here are some of the key points from today's media conference:

• Midfielder Anis Ben Slimane suffered an ankle ligament injury at Luton and will be out for "four to six weeks".

• The head coach says he expects news of a potential FA charge for Borja Sainz to come later on Friday. Sainz was involved in an incident at the Sunderland game on 21 December 2024.

• Thorup on Dobbin signing: "He can also play as a '9' for us and he's a good runner. He can run in behind".

• More on Dobbin: "I think he's best when he is on the left and can dribble in and shoot. He will be in the squad tomorrow (Saturday)".

• Thorup on Barnes' departure: "He actually wanted to stay but he wanted more clarity on game time and what he can expect. From a club perspective we could use him but we have to accept his situation - but from his perspective, his contract runs out this summer".

• Thorup says Norwich won't look to replace Barnes but that the club are looking at potential offensive recruits during the January transfer window.

You can listen to full live commentary of Norwich City v Coventry City with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB, coverage starts at 14:00 GMT on Saturday.

Norwich will seek to follow-up their 1-0 win at Luton on Wednesday as they welcome Coventry to Carrow Road on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Sky Blues had to settle for a point from a 1-1 draw at Cardiff as they try to haul themselves away from danger at the foot of the table under Frank Lampard.

• Norwich City are unbeaten in their past nine league meetings with Coventry City (W6 D3), a run that started in December 2010 under Paul Lambert.

• Coventry City have won just one of their past 17 away league games against Norwich City (D9 L7), winning 2-1 at Carrow Road in February 2009.

• Norwich City won 13 home league games in 2024 (D8 L2), their most victories in a calendar year at Carrow Road since 2018 (also 13).

• Coventry City have lost just one of their past eight league games on a Saturday (W4 D3), but that sole loss did come in their most recent such fixture, losing 4-1 at Portsmouth.

• Coventry City's Frank Lampard has only faced Crystal Palace (W5) more often in the league as a manager without losing than Norwich City (W3 D1), doing the double over the Canaries with Chelsea in the 2019-20 Premier League campaign.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Lewis Dobbin is poised to sign for Norwich on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old winger could wrap up the move in the next 24 hours and has already visited the Canaries' Colney training ground.

Dobbin is available after his loan at West Brom was terminated, as he struggled for game time at the Hawthorns.

He joined Villa from Everton in a £10m move this summer, then moved to thethe Baggies in August but made just one league start for them - a 1-1 draw against Preston in November - as well as 16 substitute appearances.

He was left out of Albion's matchday squad for their New Year's Day home win over Preston and joint-caretaker boss Chris Brunt confirmed that the two clubs had come to an agreement to terminate the loan.

"Villa have asked to call him back," Brunt told BBC Radio WM. "He's not played as much as they would have wanted for a loan player coming out of a Premier League club. We will just have to roll with it and move on."

At Carrow Road, he is viewed as a replacement for midfielder Christian Fassnacht, who re-signed for Swiss side Young Boys on a two-and-a-half-year deal on New Year's Eve.

The Canaries are also keen on Slavia Prague winger Matej Jurasek.

Meanwhile, Louie Barry is being assessed at Villa following his return from Stockport County.

The forward scored 16 goals in 24 games for the League One side and is unlikely to move immediately, but he is expected to be loaned out to the Championship during the January window.

Phil Daley
Radio Norfolk sports editor

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City travel to Luton Town in the Championship on New Year's Day (15:00 GMT).

Head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup spoke to the media on Tuesday - here are some of the key points from his news conference:

• Thorup said there was no update on top-scorer Borja Sainz, who is facing an investigation by the Football Association. The expectation is Sainz will be available for Luton.

• On Christian Fassnacht joining Young Boys - "We had to make a decision at some point, he's not the perfect fit for our strategy going forward - it's a good solution for everyone."

• Thorup says that due to the relentless fixture-list he will make changes from the draw against QPR

• On January - "We are ready," JHT says they have a plan for ins and outs and they are ready to execute as and when opportunities arise.

Listen to commentary of Luton v Norwich City with BBC Radio Norfolk FM and DAB on Wednesday from 14:00 GMT.

Image source, Getty Images

Marcelino Nunez' goal rescued a late point for Norwich City at home to Queens Park Rangers, but Canaries boss Johannes Hoff Thorup was still left frustrated that his side did not play better at Carrow Road.

"First half is not perfect, but we still have OK control and create some OK moments, but that goal just before of course half-time changed it a lot," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"We tried to push them back and we tried to create as many moments in and around the box as possible.

"We created enough chances to score at least one goal," he added.

QPR did not have a shot on target, with the goal they scored going in off Norwich striker Ante Crnac from a set piece, much to the disappointment of the Canaries boss.

"40% of the goals that we concede come from set pieces, from the last international break to now. It's frustrating because we should not be in that situation."

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City top-scorer Borja Sainz is facing a Football Association investigation, head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has confirmed.

It follows an incident during City's 2-1 defeat at Sunderland on 21 December, but no charge has yet been placed against the Spaniard.

"We haven't seen what it's about, or any footage of it, so that's what we're waiting for - and the reason why he's still playing," Thorup told BBC Radio Norfolk following Sunday's 1-1 draw with QPR.

Asked whether it involved an allegation of spitting at an opposing player, Thorup added: "I will be careful saying too much. I need to see the incident first and then to hear from Borja. It just came to our attention and it's something we need to get sorted."

Sainz has scored 16 goals for the Canaries this season, but none in their past half dozen matches.

Chris Goreham
BBC Radio Norfolk commentator

Image source, Rex Features

What do Norwich need?

Norwich have been playing right-wing roulette this season. Lots of players have been tried but it's the one position that no-one has nailed down.

Johannes Hoff Thorup doesn't seem to fancy Christian Fassnacht or Liverpool loanee Kaide Gordon. Onel Hernandez tends to be used as a substitute.

What sort of business are they likely to do?

Owner-to-be Mark Attanasio has told fans there is money available to spend. It comes with the caveat that it must align with the transfer policy outlined by sporting director Ben Knapper in the summer.

City have been working on reducing the age of the squad and bringing in talent they can develop and sell for a hefty profit.

How successful have they been in recent January windows?

Any transfer talk around Norwich City always comes with the health warning that January is a difficult time to do business.

Last year they only signed striker Sydney van Hooijdonk on loan from Bologna. He didn't start a game or score a goal. The 10 substitute appearances suggested he might not be a chip off the old block.

But then Harry Kane didn't score any goals for the Canaries during his loan spell in 2012 either and he turned out ok.

Are there likely to be any notable departures?

All eyes will be on Borja Sainz. Norwich don't want to sell in January but he is the Championship's hottest property and top scorer. He only has 18 months left on his contract so a big money bid would test the club's resolve.

A couple of experienced players, Grant Hanley and Ashley Barnes, are out of contract in the summer. They may be interested in moves if they don't get much game time over the festive period.

How key is the window?

Sainz would be difficult to replace so that's a situation that Norwich might prefer to face in the summer, especially if the Spaniard's hot streak continues.

The vibe around the club is that this is seen as the first season of a new project under Thorup. Any deals would be about improving the depth of the squad and increasing the options.

Attanasio has set a goal of getting into the Premier League within the next five years so January doesn't feel make or break.

Norwich City welcome Queens Park Rangers to Carrow Road on Sunday in a clash between two sides with very different records as of late.

QPR sit 17th in the Championship, four points adrift of the 12th-placed Canaries. But with just one loss in their previous eight matches, the Rs have closed the gap between themselves and their upcoming hosts, who on Boxing Day picked up their first win in five to halt a recent slide down the league table.

Sunday's visitors also emerged victorious from the last meeting between these two sides, which finished 3-0 in west London earlier this month.

• Norwich have lost just one of their last 19 home league games against QPR (W13 D5), losing 1-0 back in September 2008.

• QPR have scored just one goal in their last six league visits to Norwich City (D2 L4) with Bright Osayi-Samuel scoring a penalty in a 1-1 draw in 2020-21.

• Norwich have won their final league game in just one of the last 13 calendar years (D6 L6), beating Aston Villa in the Premier League in 2015.

• QPR have ended the year with a league win in just two of the last 13 calendar years (D6 L5), winning 2-1 at Wolves in 2016 and 2-1 at Bristol City in 2021.

• Queens Park Rangers have won just one of their last 25 away league games against sides beginning with N (D10 L14), winning 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in December 2018.

Phil Daley
Radio Norfolk sports editor

Image source, BBC Sport

Norwich City will have the comfort of a home game this Boxing Day as they welcome Millwall in the Championship on Thursday (15:00 GMT).

Head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup spoke to the media on Tuesday - here are some of the key points from his news conference:

• Goalkeeper Angus Gunn is free to play after not receiving a ban for misconduct in the match at QPR.

• No new injuries, but they will miss Jose Cordoba after his red card against Sunderland on Saturday.

• Thorup says the Canaries are vulnerable at defending set-pieces at the moment and it's something they are addressing.

• On their recent poor form, he said: "We need to be clever. Finding the balance between pushing and settling for what we are capable of at the moment."

• On Millwall: "They are one of those teams that you can't switch off for even a second because they will punish you."

Listen to commentary of Norwich City v Millwall with BBC Radio Norfolk FM and DAB on Thursday from 14:00 GMT.

Norwich welcome Millwall with a less than stellar record in the Championship of late.

The Canaries have lost three of their past four league games, drawing once during that period.

Milwall ended a winless run of their own in style on Saturday, sealing victory over Blackburn and ending Rovers' six-game winning streak.

• Norwich City are unbeaten in their last 20 home league matches against Millwall (W13 D7) since losing 3-0 back in 1968.

• Millwall are looking to win consecutive league games against Norwich for the first time since 2001 when they won at Carrow Road 4-0 during the second of two wins.

• Norwich City have lost their last five league games on Boxing Day, scoring just one goal in this run. Two of their last three wins on this day have come against Millwall, however – 2-0 in 2009 and 6-1 in 2014.

• Millwall are unbeaten in their last six Boxing Day matches (W4 D2) since losing 1-0 to Walsall in 2015.

• Josh Sargent has scored in each of his two home Championship appearances for Norwich against Millwall, scoring three goals in total.

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City goalkeeper Angus Gunn will be available for their games over the festive period after being fined £4,500 for misconduct.

The Scotland international admitted behaving in an improper manner around the tunnel area during the half-time interval in the game against QPR earlier this month.

A disciplinary panel decided, however, that a fine was sufficient punishment.

Team-mate Kenny McLean received a four-match ban for violent conduct during the same game, which Norwich lost 3-0.

The 24th-minute incident was not seen by match officials but the suspension was imposed retrospectively.