Norwich City nailed James Maddison transfer call that made them millions - Is it the best in recent times? | OneFootball

Norwich City bought James Maddison for just £2.5m, but they made much more than that when he joined Leicester City in 2018

Norwich City pulled off an eventual masterstroke by signing James Maddison from Coventry City in 2016, which simply has to go down among the club's finest pieces of business in recent times.

Maddison made the move to Carrow Road in January 2016, with Norwich agreeing a £2.5 million fee with the Sky Blues. The deal saw the creative midfielder, who had reportedly been tracked by a host of Premier League clubs, head back to Coventry on loan for the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign.

The then-19-year-old was promptly sent on loan to Aberdeen for the first-half of the following season, where he returned two goals and three assists from 17 appearances before returning south of the border.

Maddison marked his league debut for Norwich with his first goal in a 3-1 victory at Preston North End in April 2017 after finding himself on the first-team fringes following the loan spell with Aberdeen, although the Canaries' appointment of Daniel Farke that summer would change everything.

He enjoyed a sensational 2017/18 season and duly earned a move to Leicester City for a fee in the region of £22 million.

Maddison returned more than 50 goals across a stunning five-year stay with the Foxes before leaving for Tottenham Hotspur last summer in a £40 million move following their relegation from the Premier League, and he has been instrumental for Ange Postecogolou's side, too.

The success which the England international has gone on to enjoy in his career vindicates Norwich's decision to purchase him in the first place, and it makes their £2.5 million outlay look a real snip. It was inspired business, make no mistake about that.

James Maddison's 2017/18 season at Norwich City

Maddison evidently felt as though he had a point to prove heading into the 2017/18 season, and rightly so.

He was forced to bide his time for opportunities at Norwich for the previous 18 months, but alongside the likes of Jamal Lewis and Max Aarons, he was among a number of young players to be provided with significant trust and faith from Farke.

To say Maddison simply repaid that faith would be an understatement. The playmaker stood out all year long for Norwich and received the club's Player of the Season award after scoring 15 goals and weighing in with 11 assists across all competitions.

All but one of those strikes came in the Championship, where Maddison put himself right up there as one of the division's most impressive performers.

There was precious little in the way of surprise when he decided to move to the Premier League the following summer in a move which returned incredible profit for Norwich.

James Maddison is one of Norwich City's best recent signings

Maddison ticked all the boxes for a successful signing; he was purchased at a low cost, he developed at the club, made an invaluable first-team impact and then returned significant profit.

However, Norwich have made some other signings in recent times which perhaps represent even better business - which takes some doing, it must be said. Maddison's impact was undeniable and his status as an outstanding acquisition is certified, but it is a testament to Norwich's shrewd recruitment eye that finer signings have been made.

Teemu Pukki may be the pick of the bunch, even if Norwich did not make any profit from his services.

The Finland international frontman joined in the summer of 2018 on a free transfer, plundered home 88 strikes from just over 200 appearances to put himself fourth on the club's all-time list of top scorers, won two Championship titles and then left for nothing, too.

Nothing in the way of resale profit, then, but the impact was incredible.

In terms of that metric, though, Maddison is eclipsed by Ben Godfrey. The central defender was signed from York City for just £150,000 back in the same window as Maddison's arrival, and he racked up more than 70 appearances in Norfolk before completing a £25 million move to Everton four years later.

Maddison is having a better career than Godfrey, who is currently with reigning UEFA Europa League champions Atalanta, but they signed him for even less and sold him for even more.

To have received £25 millon for Godfrey in the first place was outstanding, and Norwich have shown how well they can identify, develop and drive up high fees for talent time and time again.