Norwich City have confirmed the departure of Academy prospect Waylon Renecke to Danish giants FC Copenhagen.
The 18-year-old joined the setup in Norfolk at the under-14s level but has played as high as their under-21 side, featuring in this year’s Premier League 2 against Nottingham Forest as a substitute.
He has made his way into the senior side at Carrow Road on one occasion, being named on the bench in a Championship fixture away to Stoke City. The Canaries won in Staffordshire 3-0 thanks to goals from Josh Sargent, Gabriel Sara and Ashley Barnes.
Renecke is one of many academy prospects to leave City this summer, with Abu Kamara also departing for Hull City following his transfer request last month. Forward Jonathan Rowe emerged through The Canaries too before leaving on loan to Marseille, with that move having an obligation to buy clause.
A South African youth international, the defender was part of the Amajimbos’ side that were knocked out by eventual champions Senegal in the U-17 African Cup Of Nations in Algeria. They conceded 13 times and qualified as the second-best third-placed team,
Danish football magazine Tipsbladet confirmed the move, suggesting that Copenhagen will pay under 1 million krone (£112,000) for the 18-year-old after turning down a ‘large’ contract offer from The Canaries. The transfer window shuts there tonight.
According to the magazine, Renecke has travelled to Denmark and will join the club’s under-19 setup for the foreseeable future. The Lions are back-to-back runners-up in the U-19 league, having last won the competition in 2021/22.
Writer’s View
It seems that Norwich City were encouraged enough to sign Waylon Renecke to a new contract but the player has instead opted to move to Denmark to continue his development. Whilst they will not be competing this season, the Danish side gives him a chance to play in the UEFA Youth League should they qualify for the Champions League. getting to play European football, even at an academy level, will be extremely beneficial.
Norwich may see this as one that got away, but will ultimately get some financial compensation from it now and in the future. Johannes Hoff Thorup has recently loaned in Manchester City’s Callum Doyle to play alongside Shane Duffy with Grant Hanley also being a capable option if needed. It was unlikely Renecke would have had any regular first-team chances in the near future and has now moved to a club where he may get that chance, as The Lions only have two senior centre-backs in their squad.
