Norwich City must rue £8.5m transfer mistake along with these 4 others | OneFootball

Taking a look at five signings Norwich City made that just didn't work out for the club at all

Having been exposed to the riches of the Premier League over the last 30 years at multiple points, Norwich City are a well-known name within English football.

And like any club, they've had transfer successes whilst at the same time suffering from woes in the form of incoming flops.

Here we take a look at some of Norwich’s worst signings from over the years...

Ricky van Wolfswinkel

Ricky van Wolfswinkel joined Norwich in the summer of 2013 after the Canaries had finished 11th in the Premier League table.

According to the BBC, the deal cost the Canaries £8.5 million, signing the Dutchman from Sporting Clube de Portugal after a 25-goal season for the Lisbon-based outfit.

But the forward never lived up to expectations, scoring just once in the top flight from 25 appearances as City suffered relegation to the Championship in 2014.

Van Wolfswinkel played just once more for Norwich after that in the form of a 2015 EFL Cup tie against Rotherham United, eventually departing on a permanent basis in 2016 after loan spells at Saint-Étienne and Real Betis.

Since his Norwich departure, Van Wolfswinkel has scored goals for the likes of Vitesse, Basel and FC Twente, all at a lower level than the Premier League, which suggests he was never quite ready to make that step.

Milot Rashica

Milot Rashica signed for Norwich in the summer of 2021 from German side Werder Bremen, with Sky Sports reporting the deal amounted to £9.4 million.

The Canaries were back in the Premier League at this stage, with Daniel Farke looking to cement their status as a top flight club.

But the playmaker didn’t enjoy a positive spell at Carrow Road, playing just 35 times in the league across a full season and the start of the 2022-23 Championship campaign for the Norfolk outfit before departing on loan for Galatasaray in 2022.

Rashica left on a permanent basis a year later for Gala's rivals Besiktas for £4.5 million, meaning Norwich made a loss on the Kosovan.

Luciano Becchio

Luciano Becchio arrived in the 2013 January transfer window to much fanfare, with the Canaries looking to secure their safety in the Premier League.

The forward had an impressive goal scoring record for Leeds United in the Championship, bagging 46 from 108 appearances at that level.

However, he started just twice in the top flight for the Canaries, making a total of 13 league appearances for the club before going on loan to Rotherham United - his career somewhat fizzled out afterwards.

Christos Tzolis

Christos Tzolis signed for Norwich in a deal worth £8.8 million, as per the BBC, but he struggled to make any kind of impact at Carrow Road.

The Greece international managed six starts across two seasons, making a total of 27 league appearances, before ultimately departing on a permanent basis after only three years.

He spent time on loan with FC Twente and Fortuna Düsseldorf, the latter where he was particularly prolific by scoring 22 times in 30 2. Bundesliga outings, and not long after they triggered a €3.5m buy option for his services, they sold him on to Club Brugge for €6m in a quick bit of profit - something that the Norwich hierarchy cannot say they received.

Steven Naismith

Steven Naismith joined Norwich from Everton in January 2016 in a deal worth £8.5 million, as reported by the BBC.

The Scot had performed well for the Toffees in the Premier League, and it was hoped his quality and experience could help keep the club in the top flight.

However, a return of just one goal and one assist from 13 games proved not enough and the Norfolk side finished 19th and were relegated.