Norwich City: Idah and Kamara situations will be on Hoff Thorup's mind | OneFootball

The Canaries' new boss needs decisions made on Idah and Kamara's futures soon

Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup faces a big summer as he looks to go one better than his predecessor David Wagner and take the Canaries back to the Premier League next season.

The Dane was appointed on May 30, following Wagner's sacking less than 24 hours after Norwich's heavy defeat to Leeds United in the second-leg of the 2023/24 Championship play-off semi-finals.

Prior to his arrival at Carrow Road, the club decided to release Ben Gibson, Dimitris Giannoulis, Sam McCallum, Danny Batth and Jon McCracken upon the expiry of their respective contracts, while Jacob Sorensen accepted a new 12-month deal and a contract was offered to young forward Ken Aboh, which he subsequently accepted to tie him to the club until 2027.

Hoff Thorup has already been active in the transfer market, as Panamanian defender José Córdoba joined from Levski Sofia last month to become the club's first signing of the summer window, and first arrival under their new 35-year-old head-coach.

There have been no outgoings from the club for a transfer fee as yet this summer, but that will certainly be set to change in the coming months as the rumour mill starts to turn regarding some of their most valuable assets.

Hoff Thorup has work to do this summer, and here we take a look at two players' situations that will be on his mind and must have their dilemmas resolved soon.

Adam Idah

Adam Idah has been at Norwich since the age of 16, but could be set to end his seven-year stay at Carrow Road this summer following a successful loan spell at Celtic.

The Cork-born striker broke into the Canaries first-team in 2019, and scored his first professional hat-trick on just his third senior appearance for the club in a January 2020 EFL Cup win at Preston North End.

Idah has never really been able to nail down a consistent starting place for Norwich in either the Premier League or the Championship - he did net six goals in his first 18 league games last season after Wagner gave him a proper chance, but then lost his place and was allowed to leave on loan in January in the hope of finding more form north of the border.

The 23-year-old netted nine times in 19 games in all competitions as Brendan Rodgers' side won the league and cup double, including scoring the winner in the Scottish Cup final against old rivals Rangers in what was a wholly successful six months at Parkhead.

Celtic are now understandably after a permanent deal for the striker but have seen a recent bid understood to be around £4m to £5m turned down, according to the BBC.

Norwich have reportedly told BBC Scotland that they are not actively trying to sell Idah and new manager Johannes Hoff Thorup is 'excited to start working with him,' yet the Daily Record believes that the Irish international has made it clear to Norwich that he wants to rejoin the Scottish champions this summer.

That leaves the club and head coach with a conundrum regarding Idah's future - there seems little point keeping him around if he does not want to be there, and they could receive a decent transfer fee to then spend on a striker that Hoff Thorup definitely wants if he does leave, yet his form at Celtic has shown that he can score goals regularly at a similar level when given a chance and his departure would leave them definitely needing to bolster their attacking ranks this summer.

It is certainly a situation that looks set to rumble on until a conclusion is reached, and one that both clubs and Idah himself will hope is resolved quickly.

Abu Kamara

Abu Kamara is another loanee returning to Carrow Road who seemingly faces an uncertain future amid transfer rumours linking him with a return to Portsmouth this summer.

Kamara joined the Canaries youth academy at the age of ten and worked his way up their age groups before he signed his first professional contract with the club in January 2021.

After being prolific in the U21 side in 2022/23, he made his professional debut for Norwich in April 2023 as a substitute against Sheffield United and made two more senior appearances that season before joining Pompey on a season-long loan last summer.

The 20-year-old seriously impressed at Fratton Park as John Mousinho's side won the League One title, registering 10 goals and 11 assists in 52 games in all competitions and putting himself in line for a first England U20 call-up last month.

Mousinho has made no secret of his desire to have Kamara back for the 2024/25 campaign, telling the News "we'll be there" if he becomes available for another loan or even on a permanent deal.

Kamara is also a target for Anderlecht, according to Football Insider, with the Belgian giants reportedly tracking the attacker for some time, but Norwich are reportedly determined to keep him at the club beyond this summer.

Thorup was known for giving young players a chance at his former club Nordsjælland, so Kamara could be in line for a first-team berth in 2024/25 if he impresses in pre-season.

It is clear to see that the Dane has a decision to make regarding the 20-year-old though - whether to make him a part of his plans going forward for the next campaign, or cut ties and allow him to leave.