Norwich City have got a gem in Dutch international Leroy Fer, according to the man who helped bring him to Carrow Road.

Fer's instant impact for the Canaries has come as little surprise to director of recruitment Ewan Chester. The impressive 23-year-old scored his second goal for the club since his summer move from FC Twente during the priceless 3-1 Premier League win over West Ham ahead of the international break. Fer saw a proposed move to City's top flight rivals Everton collapse at the start of this year, but Chester had no hesitation in recommending him to Chris Hughton.

'I went to Holland to see a team playing FC Twente and in the Twente side was Leroy Fer who was outstanding and the best player on the field,' said Chester. 'He is what Graeme Souness used to cal, 'a proper player'. I went back to Chris and he was brilliant at backing my judgement and he took it on from there. I went back to see him the following week and I was absolutely convinced that he was the most complete player I saw last season. That is an illustration of how it can work. You have to be extremely open-minded.'

Chester now heads up an ever-growing scouting network at home and on the continent in City's on-going quest to bolster Hughton's squad. The duo previously worked together at Birmingham before Chester followed Hughton back to Carrow Road for his second stint in Norfolk.

'We've got a very close-knit staff and the work ethic comes from Chris. Along with David Moyes they are probably the two managers you are most likely to see watching games,' said Chester, speaking on Skysports' Footballers' Football Show. 'That is something that has radically changed. When I started it was an accepted part of the job, but now there are so many external pressures it can be difficult but we as a club still cover a large amount of games. Our philosophy among the staff is pretty similar. There has to be a trust and it is a very important relationship between manager and chief scout. I think our due diligence is second to none. People might class me as a traditional scout but I see huge benefits from working with analysts because when you make a signing you are trying to take as many risks out of the equation. That said, all the technology available can only be a recruitment aid because there is no substitute for watching players live.'