Norwich City won big with clinical Chris Sutton for two reasons: View | OneFootball

The striker brought goals and a big transfer fee to Carrow Road

The early 1990s were certainly one of the more positive periods in the history of Norwich City.

In several seasons during that time, the Canaries found themselves as one of the clubs competing at the top of the table, in the top flight of English football.

They would also enjoy some impressive runs in the cup competitions both at home and abroad, with some memorable wins along the way.

One player who certainly played a big part in the success that Norwich enjoyed over that time was Chris Sutton.

Canaries got plenty of goals from Chris Sutton

Starting his professional career at Carrow Road, Sutton had initially begun as a centre-back, before moving up the pitch to operate as a striker.

That decision to change his role was one that would pay off in emphatic style for Norwich, as he became a key man upfront for the club.

Having made his senior debut late in the 1990-91 season, Sutton then started to become a more regular feature in 1991/92, scoring his first goals for the club, as they reached the FA Cup semi-final.

With the Canaries finishing that campaign 18th in the top tier, it was the following season, the first of the Premier League era, where the striker really started to come into his own.

Across the course of the campaign, Sutton scored ten goals in 43 appearances in all competitions, finishing the season as their second-top scorer.

In doing so, he helped Norwich to spend much of the campaign competing for the Premier League title, before eventually finishing third, their highest-ever finish in history.

The following season saw him become even more integral for the Canaries, consistently getting himself onto the scoresheet.

In total, Sutton scored 28 goals for Norwich in the 1993/94 season, as they spent much of the early stages of the campaign in the top five, though they would ultimately drop to 12th in the final table.

That season, he was also part of the Canaries side that would knock German giants Bayern Munich out of the UEFA Cup, another major moment for the club.

The summer of 1994 though, would see Sutton depart Carrow Road, although even then, he was able to do the club another final favour.

Blackburn paid Norwich a big fee for Chris Sutton

Unsurprisingly, the striker's form was attracting plenty of attention from other clubs across England, and he would indeed move on in a record-breaking deal.

It was Blackburn Rovers, backed by a hugely ambitious owner in Jack Walker, who would complete the signing of Sutton for a reported £5 million.

In doing so, the striker became the most expensive signing in the history of English football at the time, representing an excellent piece of business for Norwich.

Given they had brought him in for nothing and turned him into the most expensive player in the game in this country, Norwich had, of course, made a huge profit on him.

Combined with the impact they got from him in terms of his goals as well, Sutton was certainly a player who served the Canaries extremely well both on and off the pitch.

His move to Blackburn would also work out, with the striker forming the deadly SAS partnership with Alan Shearer helped win Rovers the Premier League in his first season at Ewood Park.

With Norwich having played such a key role in his development, there may also have been some pride in seeing him go on to enjoy such success after heading for pastures new.

As a result, there can be no denying that Chris Sutton's time at Carrow Road can surely be considered a major success for the club, in just about every sense.