
Norwich City endured a difficult return to the Premier League last term as they were relegated without much of a fight. Daniel Farke’s side decided to stick with the core of the promoted group instead of making new signings with top-flight experience and that cost them dearly as they could not compete effectively in their quest to avoid the drop.
With the return to the Championship, the Canaries have made as many as eight signings and it won’t come as a surprise, if they are prepared to sell some of their young players, who had made an impression in the Premier League last term.
The likes of Todd Cantwell, Emiliano Buendia, Ben Godfrey and Jamal Lewis are all on the radar of top-flight teams and it remains to be seen whether their futures lie come the end of the summer transfer window. Still, we believe the Canaries are favourites to secure promotion and here are some reasons why.
Quality recruitment: The Canaries were reluctant to make new purchases last term, but that has not been the case since their relegation was confirmed. They have continued the policy of working with young players and seven of their signings are aged 23 or below. Tottenham Hotspur’s Olivier Skipp, who has arrived on a season-long loan, will be one of them to watch out for. The 19-year-old is a defensive midfielder by trade and he could have a crucial part to play in the Canaries’ promotion bid. Elsewhere, they have added an experienced Championship campaigner in Jordan Hugill to lead the line. Teemu Pukki had a fantastic debut season in the second tier and he could form a deadly strike partnership with Hugill. The 28-year-old has not made his mark in the top-flight, but he has been a quality performer in the second tier and bagged 13 goals on loan with Queens Park Rangers last term.
Settled squad: For all the speculation, the Norfolk-based outfit have yet to part ways with any of their main players, who helped them secure promotion to the Premier League 14 months ago. With a settled squad, it is definitely a bonus for the Canaries when compared to recently-relegated sides such as Bournemouth, who have already sanctioned the departures of important stars such as Nathan Ake and Aaron Ramsdale. The Canaries have made it clear that they won’t consider the sale of any of their players on the cheap and this has meant that they have kept the core of the promotion-winning side from 2019 together. They could change their transfer stance during the closing weeks of the transfer window, but whatever happens, they are unlikely to cash in on multiple players, which could hamper their promotion push. The club will be well aware that they can command a better transfer fee for their players next summer, should they secure promotion at the first time of asking.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
