Following a disastrous start to the 2026-27 Championship season, Norwich City could have turned a corner.

Many expected the Canaries to have a surge of enthusiasm entering into this season after nearly missing out on the play-offs last season, but that hasn’t happened at all.

City lost eight of their first 11 games and were only a few weeks away from relegation due to a number of other clubs performing even worse, but back-to-back victories against Charlton Athletic and Watford have boosted Philippe Clement’s side up the table slightly.

They’re also doing it without the sharpshooting Mohamed Toure, who has made an impression since joining from Randers in January.

Norwich City was likely to lose Mohamed Toure for at least a month in 2027.

When Josh Sargent left Carrow Road in early 2026, Norwich needed a plan to replace the American striker, despite possessing Mathias Kvistgaarden and the in-form Jovon Makama on the roster.

They resorted to the Danish league to get Australian speedster Toure, spending roughly £2.6 million for his talents, and he quickly repaid the Norfolk club with goals in abundance.

Toure made a name for himself in his first half-season in England, scoring 10 goals in just 12 league and cup appearances, including two hat-tricks, and he’d scored six goals in eight-and-a-bit matches in 2026-27 before injuring his shoulder early on against Bolton Wanderers, not long after opening the scoring.

The 22-year-old had to have surgery as a result, and he announced last week that he hoped to return to action for the AFC Asian Cup with Australia, which begins January 7, 2027.

Norwich City have received a new Mohamed Toure boost.

Toure’s absence for more than a month on international duty was expected to be a setback for Norwich, with the Socceroos due to receive their first taste of the fit-again striker early next year.

However, a surprise curveball has been thrown, as the Asian Cup has been postponed for over a year.

Due to rising tensions between many Middle Eastern countries, which have caused safety concerns and travel disruptions, the event, which was scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia, has been formally moved to December 2027 instead.

That means Norwich will soon welcome Toure back to the Championship once his shoulder has recovered, and they won’t have to worry about him flying halfway around the world to play international football before putting on the Canaries’ yellow shirt.

Many championship clubs will gain from the Asian Cup delay.

Norwich are not the only club that has benefited from the tournament’s delay. Both Middlesbrough and Southampton were likely to lose at least one first-team player, with Riley McGree and Kuryu Matsuki slated to be called up to Australia and Japan, respectively.

However, they will now remain at their respective clubs for the busy Christmas and New Year period, which will be a comfort for Kim Hellberg and Tonda Eckert, as well as excellent news for Clement.

Of course, this only pushes the can down the road until next year – the tournament is now scheduled to begin just a few days before Christmas next year, and you’d expect that not only will international squads meet at least a week or two before, but getting to the final stages of the competition will take until the end of January, resulting in a significant number of missed fixtures.

For the time being, however, having Toure ready for the second half of the season only for club football will be critical for Norwich, as he is clearly a major goalscoring danger at Championship level when given the opportunity.