Paddy's Pointers: Transfer tales and marvellous Makama

Paddy Davitt delivered his Colchester verdict exclusively for Pinkun subscribers. 1. Transfer triggers Lucien Mahovo’s senior Norwich City career has been a mix of giddy promise, and pain from a series of fitness absences. But there was a genuine frisson of excitement that accompanied his elevation to the first team during the brief Johannes Hoff Thorup era. A powerfully built, athletically adventurous left-back with the temperament to handle a seamless step into the Championship. The Dane’s former assistant, Glen Riddersholm, went further after his departure from Norfolk and insisted Mahovo is good enough to play in the Premier League. Or La Liga or Serie A, if he can overcome those fitness hurdles. Philippe Clement is similarly a fan. But he is also a pragmatist. City remain in the transfer market for a permanent left back this summer because the sample size around either Mahovo or Ben Chrisene, in terms of reliability and robustness, is not enough to embark on another Championship tour with no adequate back up. Which is why the sight of Mahovo hitting the deck in the closing stages of a goalless Colchester stalemate did not set alarm bells ringing. Clement’s initial post-match bulletin suggested Mahovo’s withdrawal was precautionary, after a kick on his right ankle. But irrespective, the groundwork has already been laid. City intend to cover every base. “Our thoughts on the transfer window we had a few weeks ago don’t change with one player going down, who cannot play the last two minutes of the game,” said Clement. Our ideas, our visions will not change with that. “I know it's always hard to explain people who are not working in the window. But the best way to explain is you never can say how far you are to bringing in someone because is it 10pc, or is it 99pc done? It doesn't matter. There's no difference. There's only one thing important when a player is signed and is part of the club. So that's not the case for the moment.” For the moment. 2. Make way for Makama Even by pre-season standards this was a goalless affair that will not linger long in the memory for those fortunate to be in attendance behind closed doors at Colney. But there was one stand out moment with the first appearance of Jovon Makama in a Norwich shirt since a cruelly-timed season-ending foot injury. This was a 22-year-old who had gone into double figures for Championship goals by mid-January of his debut campaign in the English second tier. A season that escalated rapidly from longer term 'project' to real-time necessity when Josh Sargent decided Toronto not Taverham was for him. England’s European Championship double-winning under-21s head coach, Lee Carsley, also revealed that broken foot against Blackburn had cost Makama his first Young Lions’ call-up. Those final months of the run-in must have felt like an eternity. From soaring highs to terra firma. But Makama is fit and now has 45 pre-season minutes under his belt. He could be forgiven for signs of rust in the way he snatched at Mahovo’s pinpoint first time delivery barely six yards out in the 70th minute. There was an earlier snapshot of his raw power and explosive pace in the final third, when he rolled his centre back but curled wide of the far post with the Colchester keeper at full stretch. Clement, in his usual manner, spoke up both how much he believes in Makama’s quality while also pointing out the areas of his game that need work. But in the Belgian head coach the young striker has the perfect tutor, and the internal competition from Mo Toure et al to scale even greater heights second time around. 3. No stopping Ruairi From a standing start Ruairi McConville clocked up 25 Championship appearances last season. Plus a handful of starts for Northern Ireland culminating in a World Cup play-off tussle with Italy. It felt like a breakthrough campaign for the impressive ball-playing centre back. One where the 'potential' tag that accompanied his move from Brighton could be replaced with prime first choice material. In Jose Cordoba he found a willing partner to go on a voyage of discovery under Clement’s direction that transformed a porous backline which, irrespective of the personnel, looked brittle and vulnerable in those early months of league combat. Cordoba has embellished his reputation further with a composed trio of World Cup outings for Panama, including that high-profile date against England. But McConville also has his admirers beyond Norfolk. Former Three Lions striker now pundit, Kevin Phillips, sees in McConville the type of upward mobility that once upon a time earned Ben Godfrey a £20m plus Norwich move to Everton. McConville speaks and plays with a maturity that suggest there will be no second season struggles. His challenge is not simply to maintain his levels but find another few gears to handle the expectation and rising optimism around this squad. Even in the gentle surroundings of Colney, in a Colchester run out measured in a quest for sharpness, you could hear the will to win as he voiced his displeasure at conceding a free kick for dumping a Us striker to the turf. In the closing stages of the opening period, with his race almost run as part of the first half XI, he threw himself into a fully-committed sliding challenge to retrieve the situation after his turnover had sparked a Colchester counter. Little asides perhaps in the much bigger picture, but telling nevertheless the competitive juices are already flowing to ensure come West Brom’s opening Championship weekend visit he is pressed into frontline service. 4. Loading Mahovo and Makama are the advance guard from a group who have had to complete the final stages of injury rehab before being released into the full glare of a Clement pre-season. That includes both Chrisene and new headline summer signing Andre Brooks. Clement confirmed after this goalless affair the plan is to integrate both fully back in team training at the start of the week. That raises the tantalising prospect of a first sight of Brooks in green and yellow in the away friendly against Swiss Europa League hopefuls, St Gallen. At the final whistle against Colchester Clement was locked deep in conversation with his backroom staff and performance director, Dr Paul Ford. It increasingly feels like the Belgian has adopted a missionary zeal to the task of turning the dial, and changing the narrative around his squad’s fitness management. “Oscar (Schwartau) is now back on the pitch, Lucien back on the pitch, Joff back on the pitch, after the injuries that he had last season and what he missed now in the off-season,” said Clement. “In the next week to come there will be a few others who will start to train with the team again. "Andre will start with the team again. Ben will start to train with the team again. Ante (Crnac) in parts of the training sessions. So those are again positive things for this pre-season. “We want to see the players who are training now from the beginning become better, stronger, fitter, and maybe we can see some players who restart at the beginning of the new week (in Switzerland). We need to judge that at the end of the week if they're capable without risk to play those minutes or not.” Managing ‘risk’ in this area of Clement’s Championship plan seems to revolve around prevention rather than cure. City’s rivals on the pitch proved less of an obstacle to progress under the Belgian in his first six months than the drag from player unavailability.