A sea of change has swept through Carrow Road this summer.

Driven by ambition and bursting with belief, Norwich City appeared to have decided that the time has arisen for them to have a real go at kicking onto the next level.

Four years of consistently improving their position on the footballing pyramid, without breaking the bank and without forgetting just how far they have come, has ultimately meant that the Canaries have now reached a crossroads as to which direction they would like to proceed.

The club's early movements in the transfer market are the clearest indication yet that Norwich City possess a serious determination to keep moving in an upward motion.

Imposing Dutch midfielder Leroy Fer became the latest exciting talent to put pen to paper with the Norfolk outfit this weekend, following the likes of Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Nathan Redmond and Martin Olsson who have all agreed deals with the club during the close season.

The 23-year-old took to his official twitter account to express his delight at joining Chris Hughton's revolution and will meet his new teammates for the first time when he and the rest of the first-team squad head out to the States on Monday for their impending pre-season tour. 

Like much of Norwich's business this time out, it is once again the sort of signing that screams of both ambition and forward thinking—with players like Fer conceivably able to form the spine of the team at Carrow Road for years to come. 

Such a dramatic shift in transfer policy is bound to come with the occasional knock, with PSV's Ola Toivonen (Express and Star) and Ajax's Toby Alderweireld (Sky Sports) both thought to have rejected switches to Norfolk, but the fact that Norwich are even putting themselves into the equation for the signatures of such quality additions is a refreshing sign of intent in itself.

It's an approach that has also been mirrored by teams like Swansea City and Southampton, with their excellent purchases of Wilfried Bony and Victor Wanyama, respectively, meaning that all three teams have been brave enough to persist with purchases that would have previously been little more than pipe dreams.

With the new influx of money coming into the Premier League courtesy of a bumper new TV deal, competition for positions in the standings promises to be fiercer than ever, and those that stand still could be in serious danger of getting left behind.

It's great to see that Norwich City appear to be taking steps to make certain that they not one of those club's content to stagnate, and such ambition could conceivably pay dividends next season and beyond. 

Of course, a change of direction will sadly mean that some players will be left behind, but there is no room for sentiment in the cutthroat world of top-flight football.

The departure of Grant Holt to Wigan Athletic pulled on the heartstrings of Norwich supporters that have quite rightly idolised him for four wonderful years, but now is the time for fresh heroes to emerge and to take Norwich City into an exciting new era.

And with the current group of players being moulded into one of the finest squads available to a Canaries manager in recent years, more good times could be just around the corner. 

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