Tuesday 12 January 2016 13:10, UK
Norwich manager Alex Neil says that it made sense for the club to sell striker Lewis Grabban to Bournemouth.
The 27-year-old has made just eight appearances for the Canaries this season and on Monday it was announced that he was returning to his former club for a fee of around £7m.
And Neil said on Tuesday that the deal provided funds which Norwich can re-invest.
"We just felt, for us, he was a player who had run his course at Norwich really," he said.
"He was not involved, he was not in our squads.
"I think he had set his heart on getting a move, so basically it made sense for us. We can gather that money and hopefully re-invest it.
"Sometimes players have their heads turned and get their heart set on going elsewhere, and I think when that happens at times it becomes a difficult one, as you try and get the best out of a player and get him focused on his job.
"But in Lewis' situation? There was too much water under the bridge and it just made sense, because we were not utilising his talents. We had a commodity there that wasn't supplying anything for us.
"So what we had to do was try and get the best value for that, re-invest it and bring someone in who can contribute."
Neil is remaining tight-lipped about the possibility of Norwich adding to their attacking options by signing Steven Naismith from Everton.
But the Canaries boss did pour scorn on the idea that the club's location away from major metropolitan areas made it hard for them to complete deals.
Norwich had a bid for Scotland international Naismith turned down in the summer but have been linked with a second move for the player, who has not featured regularly for Everton this season.
Asked if a deal was in the offing, Neil said: "I can't discuss that - that is not really anything I can go into."
And the manager bridled at the suggestion that potential signings may perceive Norwich as not being ideally situated.
"Whose perception is that?" said Neill.
"That is one perception but if you ask somebody who plays for Swansea they might see it slightly differently, because people regard Swansea as being stuck out in the sticks.
"It is all relative. It all depends on who you are trying to attract, what they see as important to them, and what they are looking for, from their football and from their life.
"I think it is based on individual merit for each player."
