"Very annoying" - Norwich City view given as Crystal Palace target ex-Canaries star | OneFootball

Former Norwich City man Christos Tzolis could be returning to the Premier League

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Football supporters can so often be left with a sense of 'what if?', and that certainly applies to those of a Norwich City persuasion at this moment in time, as a potential domino effect could be on the cards.

After winning the Championship title for the second time in three seasons under Daniel Farke in 2020/21, the current Leeds United boss had to be particularly savvy in the transfer market, with one of the Canaries' major dealings in the German's final transfer window seeing Christos Tzolis move from Greek Super League outfit, PAOK, for £10m.

With the playmaker being just 19 years of age at the time, it was clear that the East Anglian club were parting with such a figure knowing the potential which could be fulfilled, and that has certainly gone on to be the case. However, frustratingly for those at Carrow Road, it has been achieved elsewhere, and the club may be left with a major sense of transfer regret in the final days of this summer transfer window.

"Annoying" Norwich City stance given on Christos Tzolis amid £25m, Crystal Palace reports

During three years of being permanently contracted to the Yellows, Tzolis made just 30 appearances for the club, scoring three times and registering a further two assists, as well as being loaned out to FC Twente and Fortuna Düsseldorf.

It is through a transfer deal with the German side that the wide man has since slipped through Norwich's fingers, as Düsseldorf activated a €3.5m option-to-buy clause, leaving Norwich way short on their initial investment.

As a result of his subsequent form for them and Club Brugge following a €6.5m transfer last summer, Football League World's Norwich fan pundit, Zeke Downes, has been left frustrated by the chain of events amid talk that Tzolis has been the subject of a €30m bid from Crystal Palace, with Oliver Glasner earmarking the Greek as an ideal replacement for Ebere Eze, with the Eagles and Arsenal agreeing a £67.5m transfer package.

"The Christos Tzolis situation is very annoying, because all the fans knew there was a player there, and we were told when we signed him that he was one of the most promising young players in Europe, which is why we spent £10m on him in the first place," Downes told FLW.

"Then he barely got much of a look in, didn't have many appearances and was sent out on loan. He did pretty well on loan and we could've maybe brought him back into the fold.

"When he was sent on loan to Düsseldorf, we put this stupid clause in that meant they could profit on him. They'd signed him really cheap and then made money on him, which is awful business from us," he stated.

"He always looked like he was going to do well, so I'm not surprised that he has done (well) at Club Brugge. I hope he does really well, and it's a shame he's not doing all of this whilst at Norwich."

Christos Tzolis deal could further haunt Norwich City if he performs well at Crystal Palace

Tzolis' performances in Belgium, in which he has accumulated 44 goal contributions in just 64 appearances - four of which have also come in the UEFA Champions League - have already haunted City as a result of their confusing handling of his departure to the 2.Bundesliga club in 2024.

However, if a move to Palace was to be confirmed between now and September 1st, it is yet another opportunity for the winger to prove the outside doubters wrong after his previous struggles in England. Whilst this would not be a surprise to those at Carrow Road though, who saw the occasional flash of brilliance, seeing a former player excel in the Premier League for a club who have undergone a majorly positive transformation despite only being on an even keel with Norwich less than a decade ago, will be an immense cause of frustration.