Gregg Broughton has revealed that new Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup was on his list of potential managerial candidates at Ewood Park.
Broughton left Rovers earlier this summer after serving as director of football for the past couple of seasons.
He was involved in the processes to appoint Jon Dahl Tomasson and then John Eustace, who is currently leading his first pre-season with the squad.
Broughton, who previously worked as Academy manager at Norwich, explained why he was impressed by Thorup and why he feels the Dane has what it takes to be successful at Carrow.
“An excellent appointment, really forward thinking,” he told The PinkUn. “A brave appointment, I think any appointment outside of England and outside the Championship is always a brave one.
“But they have done really well to get him on the back of another good season with Nordsjælland where they came close to the top end of the league.
“They did well in Europe before Christmas and will have another batch of their young players moving to big European clubs this summer, so I think the timing is good for both parties as well.”
David Wagner was in charge at Norwich last term as the Canaries reached the play-offs before coming up short against Leeds over two legs.
Broughton continued: “(Thorup) is somebody who had sat atop of a coach list that we were running consistently in my previous role where you were looking at the best coaches across Europe in four different areas.
“Are they able to win games? Can they bring in a style of football that helps you to win games but also develop players?
“Do they develop players – not just 16,17 and 18-year-olds but players later in their careers as well.
“Finally, are they able to trust young players from the Academy and integrate them into a squad?
“There are various different measures that sit under each of those four pillars that allow you to assess coaching talent across Europe, and Johannes sat very highly on the list because of the work he had done at Nordsjælland.”
There was a big focus on developing youth players during Broughton’s spell at Rovers and he reckons more Championship clubs will follow suit due to financial restrictions across the division.
He said: “In the Championship, it's a lot easier to do than it is in the Premier League. If your squad design is clever, it allows you to have those young players very close for the opportunities that will arise.”
Broughton added: “There is a very clear model now in the Championship where you're allowed to overspend by £40m over three years.
“Clubs have been very conservative with their wage bill and very conservative with what they are prepared to spend on transfer fees to make sure they don't fall foul of that rule. The easiest way to do that is to bring your own players through.”
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