The Canaries confirmed the appointment of Manning as head coach nearly three weeks ago, having paid the release clause that allowed his departure from Ashton Gate.
They’re hopeful of bringing long-time assistants Chris Hogg and James Krause to work with the 39-year-old, but have so far been keen to avoid paying compensation for them.
But with the Canaries’ first-team players returning for the start of pre-season later this week and urgency growing, sporting director Ben Knapper is now open to finding a happy medium with the Robins, who have appointed Austrian coach Gerhard Struber as Manning’s successor.
Officials at Carrow Road still believe that a deal can be done without paying the full compensation fees in Hogg’s and Krause’s contracts, and are keen to give their prospective new coaching staff as long as possible to work with their squad.
Bristol City director Jon Lansdown held firm in a press conference to unveil Struber earlier this week, however, saying: “They’re still employed by the football club as we stand, so it’s up to Gerhard to come in and get to know his staff.
“It’s the same as the players; he’ll work out if there’s anywhere that needs improvement.”
Manning first met Hogg when they played together for City’s bitter rivals Ipswich Town in the early 2000s, taking him to MK Dons as assistant head coach in 2021. The pair then joined Oxford United before leaving the U’s for Bristol six months later.
Krause first teamed up with them at the Kassam, having worked with Knapper in the analysis department at Arsenal. He also followed Manning to the south west, where he currently works as a coach and analyst.
Norwich remain confident that the appointments of the pair are a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’, as they press on with a summer of significant change in NR1.