Callum Doyle, who is on loan from Manchester City, is demonstrating why Norwich City went above and above to recruit the England Under-21 defender.

The 21-year-old has already established himself as a crucial player under Johannes Hoff Thorup at Carrow Road.

Lee Dunn, the club’s long-serving head of recruiting, has revealed the lengths City went to in order to sign Doyle this summer.

“I contacted his reps in February, and Manchester City in March. And it continued till the end of last season,” he explained. “Then, when it became evident that we needed to recruit this profile for our game model, it was a really rigorous time of seeing the player and presenting to Manchester City, because, ultimately, he is a Manchester City player.

“We needed to pitch our strategy to them in terms of how he would fit in, how we could assist him grow, and how Johannes would play.

“Similarly, with Callum, you have the opportunity to meet the player at the proper time. Callum came to the training facility, and we presented to him. Obviously, Johannes is the most crucial person he needs to visit. From that point on, it’s all about closing the sale.

“Unfortunately, their US trip has delayed things considerably in this situation. But after meeting Callum and chatting with Johannes, I believe both sides agreed that this was the place for him. However, this is an ongoing process involving numerous players and agents throughout the year.

Doyle, Ben Chrisene, and Jose Cordoba were all left-sided defense additions following the close-season exits of Ben Gibson, Sam McCallum, and Dimi Giannoulis.

“We knew that there’d be gaps, left side of defence for us in the summer, and our strategy really was to recruit three players to cover that, but with one of those players being able to cover both positions,” says Dunn. “It became immediately clear that Callum was a prominent choice.

“From a game model viewpoint, he checked a lot of boxes for us. Callum was a player we watched for maybe four or five years. You don’t need a degree to figure out he’s a terrific football player. However, like with any move, timing is an important consideration.

“It’s possible that the previous summer, Callum was not a player we looked to sign. Everything must come together.

“The sort of profile should be one that you want to attract. His availability, as well as his compatibility with the game model, are essential. This is a no-brainer. The other issue is attempting to get that across the line, which is not simple.

“We always go through the three stages of the process: identification, assessment, and recruitment.” We regularly scout players now, but we may not sign them for three or four years, if at all.

“The essential part comes when we identify what we need; for example, this past summer, we required this left back and this sort of profile. Our reconnaissance efforts should support that, and maybe we can develop profiles that suit.

“It’s then a matter of screening the market and, most importantly, understanding the player’s abilities. So, is it a good player for what we want to achieve now and perhaps in the medium to long term? It’s acceptable to like a player, but is he available? And, obviously, is he affordable? So everything has to line up.”

Watch or listen to our entire interview with City’s head of recruiting, Lee Dunn, where he discusses his history, experience at Norwich, the club’s recruitment method and setup, which markets City is looking into, and an appraisal of the most recent summer transfer window.

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