Anass Zaroury
Perhaps the most familiar name to Norwich fans on this list, Zaroury rose to Championship prominence when Burnley were promoted to the Premier League in 2023.
That season he scored seven goals and claimed five assists in 34 second tier appearance, adding flair to a side that comfortably won the title under Vincent Kompany and scoring in a 3-0 Carrow Road win.
From there things didn’t go to plan, however, and after playing just six times in the top flight he spent four months on loan at Hull. A swift move to Ligue 1 Lens followed, but a year later he’s reportedly questioning his role under new boss Pierre Sage and could move on again.
City are one of the 24-year-old’s suitors – no surprise given his time under Liam Manning at SK Lommel – but a deal is seen as tricky behind the scenes at Colney. If they could sign Zaroury then they’d be bringing serious pedigree to Norfolk, but right now it’s a big ‘if’.
Anass Zaroury last played in the Championship for Hull (Image: PA)
Abdallah Sima
Another name on the list of potential targets for City is Sima’s, with an exit seemingly impending for the versatile Brighton attacker. Although he scored in a pre-season win over Coventry earlier this summer, he hasn’t made a competitive appearance for the Seagulls since signing for them in 2021.
That means that they’re reportedly willing to part ways with the Senegal international, and it’s understood that Norwich are considering making an approach for him.
A glance at his time as an Albion player explains why, even if almost all of it has been spent on loan. He became a fan favourite in a productive spell at Rangers, which was sandwiched between seasons in France with Brest and Angers. Last season he scored seven Ligue 1 goals, so Ben Knapper could certainly do worse.
Abdallah Sima (right) became a fan favourite at Rangers (Image: PA)
Lewis Koumas
Like Sima, Koumas is a former Stoke loanee. He scored three goals and claimed two assists for the Potters in 43 league games last term, and is on City’s radar in case parent club Liverpool decide to send him back to the Championship for the 2025-26 campaign.
He’s still only 19 but burst onto the scene as early as 2024, scoring for the Reds against Southampton with an FA Cup goal that alerted the footballing world to his pedigree. Once-Welsh international and father Jason Koumas only adds to it, but the winger is relatively raw compared to the other options assessed.
In that sense he’d be a gamble if Knapper and Manning opt to add to their squad, albeit likely less expensive and with the most recent Championship experience to call upon.
Lewis Koumas has also been tracked by City (Image: PA) Lewis Dobbin
Based on his “short and sweet” City loan last season, it’s hard to argue with Dobbin’s talents at Championship level. He added a pace and directness to a side that was lacking it, working well as a different type of cog in Johannes Hoff Thorup’s sometimes rigid system.
But that connection with Thorup and his football was a big part of Dobbin’s success in yellow and green. Their sacking of the Dane in April decreased the chances of a return for the Aston Villa winger, whose injury issues also worry decision makers after a year of seemingly unending fitness crises.
Talks over a potential return have been quiet for weeks now and a reunion looks very unlikely, but there’s an emotional connection that means many fans would be delighted to see one.
Aston Villa’s Lewis Dobbin is unlikely to return to Carrow Road (Image: PA)
Nobody
Perhaps the most controversial option available to Norwich is to stick with what they’ve got.
Swathes of supporters have called for further additions out wide, the departures of Dobbin, Onel Hernandez and Borja Sainz combining with previous fitness struggles for Matej Jurasek to present a rather thin-looking department.
Joining Jurasek there, though, are Ante Crnac, Elliot Myles and new signing Papa Amadou Diallo. His fellow arrival Mathias Kvistgaarden has also played on the left often, while the likes of Gabriel Forsyth, Emiliano Marcondes and Oscar Schwartau are seen to provide cover.
That’s why it’s not a foregone conclusion that another forward will be on the menu after the central midfield priority is likely ticked off with the arrival of Mirko Topic from Famalicao. Whether one is or not, it’s a decision for later in the window, and one that will be shaped by events.