Ben Knapper offers update on Norwich City man linked with Leicester City | OneFootball

The Canaries' sporting director assesses the Andrew Hughes situation with the Foxes said to be interested

Norwich City sporting director Ben Knapper has heaped praise on set-piece coach Andrew Hughes, after the dead-ball coordinator was linked with a move to Leicester City.

Incoming Foxes boss Steve Cooper is said to be interested in bringing Hughes to the King Power Stadium after his unveiling earlier this week, as he starts to prepare for the Championship title winner’s Premier League campaign.

Fellow top flight side Brentford are said to also be interested in the former Huddersfield Town coach, who made the move to Carrow Road alongside departed coach David Wagner in 2021.

The former Leeds United player’s impact on the Norfolk side can’t be understated, with the Canaries among the top three sides in the division in converting set-piece opportunities in the previous campaign.

Norwich City sporting director Ben Knapper gives Andrew Hughes update amid Leicester City, Brentford links

Only two sides in the second tier scored more than City’s 18 goals from dead-ball situations in the Championship last season, with East Anglian neighbours Ipswich Town scoring 19, while division-leaders Cardiff City mustered 21 goals from such occasions, according to Opta.

That proficiency from corners and free-kicks is said to have caught the eye of Cooper [pictured], who is wasting no time in getting his backroom staff setup ahead of the Foxes’ Premier League campaign.

The ex-Swansea City boss was given the role at the King Power Stadium on Thursday, following the departure of Enzo Maresca to Chelsea, with the Italian moving to the capital after his success in leading City to the Championship title last time around.

And after rumours linking Hughes to the newly-promoted side, Knapper gave an update on the situation at a Norwich City press conference on Friday morning.

He said: “Nothing is done. There's still conversations on-going around that. But what I would say is Andy's a fantastic person, for a start, and a great coach.

"He's somebody that we value a lot here and he's played a big part. He's done fantastic work. If something does get finalised, he would go with absolutely our very best wishes, but we're not there yet. But again, let's see how things develop in the coming days.

We’d look at it [getting a replacement] of course. Andy adds a lot of value. Everyone can see from the season just gone, the impact that he made around set pieces. If we get to that stage, then we need to have a conversation around how that looks for us moving forward.

“I think it would be highly likely that we'd look to add something, but it's not even happened yet, so we need to just let things play out and then we can act accordingly.”

Ben Knapper assesses Ken Aboh, Norwich City contract situation

Knapper also commented on the ongoing contract situation with young star Ken Aboh in Friday’s meeting with the media, with the teenager offered a new contract to keep him at Carrow Road past the summer.

The 19-year-old signed a two-year-deal in the summer of 2022, and with time ticking down on his current contract in Norfolk, Knapper reassured fans that the situation is close to being resolved in a positive manner.

He continued: “Look nothing's done yet. So I think it would be remiss of me to talk too much about it. But we're in a really good place.

“There's a few details still to finalise. But I'd like to think that we'll get to where we all want to be on that one. Sooner rather than later.”

The Canaries will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the situation with Alex Matos last summer, where the young talent left Carrow Road to join Chelsea, having not played a single game for the Norfolk side.