Strihavka passed the Repka test - at that point he was Grant's prize guy. He passed the Tomas Repka test. And at that moment, City boss Peter Grant put the transfer wheels firmly in motion.
For as 24-year-old David Strihavka was officially unveiled at Colney this lunchtime after the 24-year-old Banik Ostrava striker became City s sixth new signing of the summer, so the City chief shed more light on how the 6ft 2in forward became Jamie Cureton s new Czech mate. In particular, how he caught sight of Strihavka bumping into his former West Ham charge, Repka, in a 2-2 draw between Banik and Czech champions-elect Sparta Prague at the end of April. Given Repka s combative outlook on life, it was a big test - could his big, summer strike target cope with the sort of bruising day at the office that Repka invariably doles out and is, more to the point, part and parcel of life in the English Championship.
"I know how tough Tomas is," said Grant, after bagging his man for "an undisclosed fee" as the Canary boss tapped into all his ex-Hammers connections. "And that s in every aspect - he s a fantastic trainer. And Ludek Miklosko, he s a friend of mine, and I spoke to Ludo about David and he thought that we wouldn t be able to get him.
That other top clubs in the Czech Republic would offer too much money for us to get him." He didn t, he admitted, talk to Repka. "No - David speaks more English than Tomas," said Grant, which on this morning s performance would give Repka about a handful of English words.
But then it was, it seems, all about deeds, not words. "I know how aggressive Tomas is and whatever and when I watched the game, David never shirked that challenge; plus he scores in the game and that was probably the thing that made my mind up to make the signing." Grant was clearly delighted, if not relieved, to have finally got his man after the last piece of paperwork was faxed back to Norfolk this morning, formalising his four-year switch to Carrow Road.
The fact that a second club "who have just come into the Championship" were sniffing about at the eleventh hour merely added to the manager s sense of relief and achievement. "We ve watched David since probably when we came in last October. The staff have been over to watch him a few we ve seen him on DVDs.
"And we thought with his quality, we wouldn t be able to get him because there was talk of a few Premiership clubs looking at him," said Grant, with Watford even taking Strihavka on trial last January only for various "contractual things" to bar his path to Vicarage Road. "And you also had top clubs in the Czech Republic wanting him - and I can understand why because he was their top league goal-scorer last year. And I know that Red Star Belgrade and Olympiakos wanted him as well.
I know that for a fact. Strihavka passed the Repka test - at that point he was Grant's prize guy.
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