- Mark Attanasio pops up unexpectedly on BBC Radio Norfolk’s Canary Call.
- Norwich City owner outlines ambitious plans for automatic promotion next season.
- Attanasio breaks the traditional owner mould by facing tough fan questions.
You don’t get many billionaires contributing to football phone-ins, but it seems Mark Attanasio is different from most.
Norwich City’s majority shareholder – and leader of the Norfolk Holdings group – made a surprise appearance on BBC Radio Norfolk’s Canary Call after Saturday’s final day defeat to Hull City.
However, Saturday wasn’t Attanasio’s first time on the airwaves this season.
Back in November, with City in freefall under Liam Manning, the American took an hour to answer fan questions during a Canary Call special during a trip to Norfolk.
Attanasio’s willingness to front up when others refused to showed leadership and transparency that often evades many English football club owners.
The 68-year-old has been on City’s board for nearly four years and in overall control for just over one, and it’s fair to say that he’s seen plenty of ups and downs during his short involvement with the club.
What was covered in Attanasio’s Canary Call appearance?
During his time speaking to host Rob Butler, Attanasio covered several topics including Philippe Clement’s future, reasons for sticking by Ben Knapper and, perhaps most interestingly, plans for next season.
Towards the end of the conversation he said: “Our goal is more than just the play-offs and I have to be careful when I talk like this because I’m superstitious and it can come back to bite you, but when we talk internally our focus is on how to get the team into the top two next year.
“Obviously that’s going to be a huge effort with the teams that might be coming down and everybody’s going to be getting better in the top, and for sure the two extra spots help us.
“But we want to make sure we put ourselves into a good position and everything is directed towards that.”
During the 2024 AGM, Attanasio told shareholders that he would feel like he had failed if the club wasn’t back in the Premier League within the next five years.
No ‘parachutes’ but loads of ambition
A year-and-a-half on, it’s reassuring for City supporters to hear that his commitment to promotion hasn’t wavered despite challenges earlier this season.
Achieving automatic promotion next season would be a huge success for the club given the Championship’s distorted economic landscape, but Coventry City have proven that parachute payments aren’t the be-all and end-all.
To achieve the top two, there is no doubt that Attanasio will have to put his money where his mouth is and back Clement in the summer transfer window.
If he does, and City’s momentum carries on into next season, we could be in for a hell of a ride.
