Chris Lakey Glenn Roeder has targeted a return to the Premier League within three years for Norwich City. The Canaries boss says he has yet to discover the full effects of yesterday's record-breaking deal with Aviva, but insists that good times are around the corner after one of the worst campaigns in years.

Chris Lakey

Glenn Roeder has targeted a return to the Premier League within three years for Norwich City.

The Canaries boss says he has yet to discover the full effects of yesterday's record-breaking deal with Aviva, but insists that good times are around the corner after one of the worst campaigns in years.

“I don't know anything about the finances yet, but that's wonderful for Aviva to come up with such a big sponsorship for a club that's in the Championship next year and hopefully within those three years they are with us we can get in the Premiership and really, if you want, appetise what is a worldwide brand already.

“It is absolutely wonderful. I am very pleased to be here at this moment in time at the beginning of this sponsorship and it just shows you that this club has a big standing in the game of football - it just needs to make sure we take that to a new level in the next couple of years by climbing up into the Premiership.”

Roeder's ambitions will be music to the ears of City fans who had to wait until the penultimate game of the season before Championship football was guaranteed for next season.

City's playing squad will undergo major surgery over the next three months and while finances are still expected to be tight at Carrow Road, Roeder insisted his vision of the future was realistic.

“Of course it is,” he said. “You have to set yourself goals and you have to stretch yourself and if I'm saying that a club like Norwich City need to be in the Premiership that is the truth, and we need to do it in the two or three years, that is also the truth.

“I don't want anyone in this club playing in the comfort zone, whether that is on the pitch or off the pitch, and that includes all my staff.

“We need to stretch ourselves, I need to be stretched, and you have to set yourself targets, difficult targets, and then when you achieve them it is very fulfilling and you get a great feeling.

Roeder said he was only made aware of the Aviva deal in recent days and had yet to discuss its implications.

“This was a big surprise to everybody,” he said. “It is amazing how they have kept it such a secret. Normally in football there are no secrets.

“We have not had time to sit down and talk about the effect of the sponsorship money that comes in and how that would affect me, but I guess the feeling I get having had meetings with the directors at board meetings is that they will do everything that they can in their power to make some money available to improve the squad and to bring new players in, because if a dozen players leave then we'll be looking for at least nine or 10 new players to start the season with us and it's going to be a very busy summer.”

(.) To watch a video of the launch of the new Norwich City sponsorship deal go to www.edp24.co.uk