Alex Neil is making no apologies for setting the bar high in Norwich City's recruitment drive.
City missed out on both Marvin Zeegelaar and Mitchell Dijks this week as they line up potential replacements should Robbie Brady depart, but the Scot insists scouring Europe for top talent is the right strategy.
'We have to aim high and I make no apology for that because if I sign a player who is not good enough then the first person getting criticised is me,' he said. 'That is what I would want to hear as a fan. I am not settling for second best. I am not going to bring a number in for the sake of it. After every window I want to think I have improved my squad. That is my sole purpose.
'The fact is for us to improve our squad I could quite easily drop down to League One or League Two and sign players. Do I think those players at that level can improve us? The answer is obviously no otherwise I would be shopping there. If I did find a player who could improve us I would try and get them.'
Neil dismissed any suggestion City's lack of activity ahead of next Tuesday's transfer deadline is a sad indictment on their recruitment network.
'The circumstances differ each deal, so it is hard for me to throw a blanket over it and talk in general terms,' he said. 'Every single deal is completely different, whether it is the player, the club, the agent, the contract. The negotiations where you agree a set price and then they sit around a table and double the price. No one deal is the same. We are working as hard as we can to improve the squad.'
Neil revealed yesterday James Maddison will stay with the Canaries rather than seal a potential loan return to Aberdeen. Ben Godfrey is also too important to farm out.
'Ben has been in and around the squad for the last two games,' said Neil. 'He started at Southampton, he was on the bench at the weekend. Ben has become important to us.'
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