Norwich City bought Panamanian defender Jose Cordoba from Bulgarian side Levski Sofia in the summer of 2024 after beating Rangers, who were then managed by Philippe Clement, to his signature, with the Belgian clearly pleased with how things turned out.

Norwich’s problems in the first half of the season have been well documented, with Liam Manning’s 17-game stay at Carrow Road generating only three wins, none at home, and leaving him as one of the worst managers in the club’s history.

Manning returned to his boyhood club with the expectation of repeating his success at Ashton Gate in Norfolk after achieving a historic play-off spot with Bristol City previous season, but it was not to be.

Former Monaco and Rangers manager Philippe Clement has now taken over at Norwich, and the club’s improvement in form and performance since the Belgian’s arrival has been absolutely amazing, with relegation fears being a thing of the past.

The club has struggled with injuries this season, with key players such as Ante Crnac, Mirko Topic, and Papa Diallo all missing extended amounts of time.

Add to that list 24-year-old centre-back Jose Cordoba, whose recent comeback to the team has coincided with the club’s greatest form of the season thus far, and Clement is no stranger to the Panamanian.

Philippe Clement attempted to sign Jose Cordoba while at Rangers, but he will have little transfer regret today.

Few people will be happier than Clement about Cordoba’s return to fitness, since the Belgian openly attempted to sign the Panamanian while in charge of Rangers.

Norwich confirmed the signing of Cordoba for €3.5 million (£3 million), beating the Scottish giants to his signature, with the then-22-year-old preferring Norfolk over Glasgow, much to Clement’s chagrin at the moment.

Rangers wanted to bring in the young defender to bolster their back line ahead of another hotly contested battle with Celtic for the league title, but were forced to settle for Dutch centre-back Robin Propper, who would only stay with the club for one season before returning to FC Twente.

Clement is unlikely to be frustrated by Cordoba’s transfer decision again, as the 24-year-old is now prospering in the heart of the Canaries’ defence alongside Northern Irishman Ruairi McConville under the Belgian manager’s supervision.

Cordoba will most certainly play a vital part for the remainder of the season, since Norwich is not yet out of the woods, and Clement will be aiming to keep the defender fit and on top of his game. If he can do so, their odds of survival will improve tenfold.

José Cordoba has the potential to be the difference-maker for Norwich City this season.

Since Cordoba’s return to the Norwich starting lineup, their form has skyrocketed, and it’s no coincidence.

Clement will already be familiar with the Panamanian and his qualities, having come close to bringing him to Ibrox just over 18 months ago.

It’s been a rough season at Carrow Road by nearly every metric, with supporters not seeing a home win until the end of November, not to mention the transfer saga involving star striker Josh Sargent and the sheer number of injuries devastating the squad.

So far, Clement has steadied the ship through choppy waters and appears to have offered some solidity and serenity to the Canaries’ side, which was plainly missing in that regard.

The improvement in form since Clement’s arrival and Cordoba’s return to the team is no coincidence, with the Belgian establishing himself as a key figure in the heart of the defence at Carrow Road.