Norwich City are delighted to announce the appointment of Ben Knapper as the club’s new sporting director.
Knapper joins City from Premier League side Arsenal, where for the past 13 years he has held various strategic positions in the club’s analysis, scouting and football operations functions.
He was most recently loan and pathway manager at Arsenal, assuming responsibility for the club’s player trading and development activities in this space.
Prior to that period, Knapper spent nine years leading the performance analysis department at Arsenal, working closely with key senior personnel across first team and academy operations.
Knapper will officially begin work at Norwich City on November 27. From that period, he will work through a handover period with existing sporting director Stuart Webber, who will then transition out of the business.
Speaking to canaries.co.uk, Knapper said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Norwich City. It is a club that I’ve admired from afar for a long time.
“My interactions and dealings with the club over the years have always been very positive. It is a club that has always left an impression on me, and I’ve been really impressed with how they operate.
“There are clearly some very good foundations already in place. I’m really looking forward to getting started, meeting everyone and contributing to the next chapter of success in the club’s journey.”
In a statement on behalf of the club’s board, executive director Zoe Webber said: “We're excited to have Ben lead our football department and join our Executive Committee given the extensive expertise he gained at Arsenal, a team at the cutting edge of English football.
“We're all proud of the football infrastructure we've built and believe Ben's skillset and experience will take the club to the next level which we've been working hard towards.
“Throughout the interview process, we were all really impressed by Ben’s depth of knowledge and excellent reputation in the industry, as well as his hunger and desire to join our club.
“We’re sure all of our supporters will join us in welcoming Ben to the Norwich City family.”