Norwich City

Liverpool have reportedly "intensified their interest" in Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell and will look to beat a host of Premier League rivals to his signature this summer. 

Cantwell, 21, made his Premier League debut against Jurgen Klopp's side in August and has been one of the most impressive players at Carrow Road during a tumultuous top-flight campaign.

The Athletic's David Ornstein (h/t Joanna Durkan of This Is Anfield) wrote the playmaker is expected to cost £30 million irrespective of whether Norwich are relegated this term.

Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are also said to be in the running, although Liverpool are understood to have stepped up their pursuit since the January transfer window closed.

Cantwell has scored six times and recorded two assists in 26 Premier League appearances for the Canaries (22 starts), second only to Teemu Pukki (11 goals, three assists) in direct goal involvements.

The England under-21 international has played largely off the left flank for Norwich this term, but StatsBomb highlighted his profile as a well-rounded midfield utility in late January:

Todd Cantwell, Norwich City 2019-20.

What can't Todd do well?

(Fires self into the sun.) pic.twitter.com/PwVeVpfdoc

— Hudl Statsbomb (@Statsbomb) January 23, 2020

Klopp could allow Adam Lallana to leave Anfield on a free transfer this summer when his contract is due to expire. Lallana—who turns 32 in May—has made only three Premier League starts this season, though his deal contains the option of an additional year should Liverpool opt to extend his stay.

Reds coach Klopp got another look at Norwich product Cantwell when Liverpool won 1-0 at Carrow Road on Saturday thanks to a 78th-minute Sadio Mane winner:

Tough to take pic.twitter.com/vSm8HgUkQl

— Todd Cantwell (@ToddCantwell_10) February 15, 2020

Ornstein added that Cantwell's display "impressed members of the [Liverpool] playing and coaching staff" despite emerging on the losing side.

It looks unlikely that Norwich will remain in the top flight beyond this term, with the Norfolk outfit sat at the bottom of the Premier League and seven points adrift of safety with 12 matches remaining.

Manager Daniel Farke also appears aware of the interest in one of his most coveted assets, per Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge:

Daniel Farke says Norwich need a ‘little miracle’ to stay in the Premier League. Also insists Aarons & Cantwell should stay at the club for a few more years. Good to visit my old university today, too. #NCFC #afinecity pic.twitter.com/dO9Szqv3h9

— Michael Bridge (@MichaelBridge_) January 24, 2020

Takumi Minamino has slotted into Liverpool's plans and played mostly on the right wing since his January signing, providing a promising alternative to first-team star Mohamed Salah.

Cantwell could perform a similar role on the left and add competition behind Mane were he to arrive at Liverpool, who look certain to face stiff competition for the emerging Englishman.

Norwich City announced on Monday that they have agreed to terms with Coventry City midfielder James Maddison on a three-and-a-half year deal. 

The deal came with just an hour to go in the Premier League's deadline day, as Maddison will play the rest of the 2015-16 season on loan with Coventry. 

Maddison was sold to his new club for an undisclosed fee. 

A 19-year-old, Maddison has scored two goals for Coventry, who play in England's League One, two levels beneath the Premier League where Norwich play. 

The youngster seems thrilled to join the Premier League side. 

"I've been working hard towards achieving this goal, and I'm delighted to be signing for a club the size and stature of Norwich," he told the team's official website. "They are a club moving in the right direction, and I'm looking forward to progressing my career there after finishing this season at Coventry."

He has been receiving attention from some other big clubs, including Liverpool and Tottenham, according to David Freezer of the Eastern Daily Press. 

Norwich manager Alex Neil spoke on his newest option at midfield.

"We’re delighted to sign James, as he is a fantastic prospect who has already made a mark at Coventry at such a young age," Neil said. "He has real potential to develop, making this deal one we’re really pleased to get over the line."

Coventry executive vice chairman Chris Anderson wasn't happy to see Maddison go. 

"We're sad to see James leave the club but wish him all the best for the future," Anderson told CCFC.co.uk. "It was with great reluctance that we accepted Norwich's offer, but the deal provides a level of revenue which will help the club grow in the future to build a successful squad beyond the rest of this season."

The midfielder is Norwich's eighth signing of the January transfer window as they look to improve their standing in the Premier League.

Maddison made his League One debut with Coventry as a 17-year-old and has made 31 appearances in all competitions since, scoring four goals. He's scored two goals this season from the midfield. 

For a player his age, Maddison has shown solid vision in the midfield that can be the motor of an attack one day at Carrow Road. He also holds a scoring touch that could add another dimension of offensive play for Norwich. 

Sitting in 17th place through 23 matches, Norwich are just three points above the relegation zone. Only five teams have scored fewer goals than the Canaries, who look to have acquired a midfielder for the future. 

The only question is whether that new midfielder will be playing his football in the Premier League or Championship once he is able to put the yellow and green on. 

Stats courtesy of BBC.com

WEMBLEY, London — Fifteen minutes of hard work, 75 minutes of defensive diligence, and now a summer of celebration for Norwich City.

The Canaries are a Premier League team once again, counting the rewards—and their fans revelling deep into the night—after a comfortable 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in front of nearly 86,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

Having beaten arch-rivals Ipswich to get to this stage, and then controlled the final almost from start to finish, this was almost the ideal way for the club to secure promotion back to the big time. A reported £120 million windfall—a television windfall that seems to grow every year—will please owner Delia Smith and the rest of the board, although only time will tell how much of that will have to be reinvested in the squad if they are to stay there.

“I think Middlesbrough have been great over the course of the season. They are a hard side to beat, but I thought if we played to our maximum we could win the game,” Alex Neil, Norwich’s 33-year-old manager, said afterwards.

“I’m not silly, I know how big the task is [now]. We’ll be one of the smallest sides in the Premier League, but there are other similar-sized clubs who have gone up and done well, so why can’t we?”

PREMIER LEAGUE | Our heroes in yellow & green. #OurFinalStep pic.twitter.com/3KCBPMjHDz

— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) May 25, 2015

For Neil, it was his second promotion in as many seasons, having taken Hamilton Academical to the Scottish Premier League in very similar fashion 12 months ago. Since arriving in January, he has now overseen 17 wins in 26 games for his new club, losing on just four occasions.

It is tempting to wonder whether Norwich would have even had needed the play-offs if he’d been at Carrow Road from the start of the campaign.

Middlesbrough, late arrivers on the day in literal terms due to traffic issues, never got going on the pitch—the match was already out of reach by the time they began to play with anything approaching the coherence and vibrancy that was so evident during the play-off semi-final win over Brentford.

“Always when you lose a game it is difficult, and especially when you are losing the final,” Boro's Spanish manager, Aitor Karanka, said. “But the first thing I want to do is congratulate Norwich.

“We have to think about where we came from, and where we are. This club is improving, getting better every single day. We have done a very big step, but we were not ready to play in the Premier League next season.”

Middlesbrough actually won both previous games between the two teams this season, but as always, such details can be misleading. The first game, a 4-0 Boro win at the Riverside, came prior to Neil’s reign, with Chris Hughton’s side in the midst of a precipitous drop in form that would ultimately cost Hughton his job.

The second, April’s 1-0 defeat at Carrow Road that effectively ended Norwich’s automatic-promotion hopes, came on a Friday evening after both sides had played on Tuesday—hardly ideal preparation.

Middlesbrough’s preparations were similarly affected this time around, despite the best-laid plans. Karanka actually brought his side down to London early as part of his approach, taking them to Saturday’s League Two play-off final to give them a taste of the occasion they would soon experience. It seemed to be the planning of a man in full control, but on Monday, the team bus ended up needing a police escort to get to the stadium, eventually arriving less than an hour prior to kick-off.

Karanka insisted it was not unusual, adding: “It is not the first time. It is sometimes the same, because I like to manage how long we are in the changing room. I prefer to arrive at that time, and that is not why we lost today.

“As a player, I like to arrive at the pitch and go to the warm-up as soon as possible. Yes [there was traffic], but it wasn’t a problem.”

Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson said the fact that the team bus arrived late at Wembley today would be "an excuse" @itvfootball

— Phil Roscoe (@PhilRoscoe_) May 25, 2015

Neil was not convinced: “I don’t think that was planned. I think they’d stayed at The Grove (near Watford), and didn’t factor it in in terms of traffic. Any little advantage that can help us, I’m delighted with.”

Middlesbrough’s sluggish start rather suggested that, if it was planned, it was certainly not the correct approach. Bradley Johnson’s early half-volley off the crossbar was matched (in almost identical fashion) by Jelle Vossen just seconds later, but after that, Norwich made the decisive interventions of the game.

Boro defender Daniel Ayala was caught on his heels by Cameron Jerome, the rest of the Boro defence seemingly frozen in time as the powerful forward waltzed into the box and beat goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, who really should have covered his angles far better, at his near post.

Then the defensive unit as a whole broke down, as Norwich threatened to take the tie out of reach. Steven Whittaker spotted Nathan Redmond’s unchecked run into the box, the winger taking a touch before unleashing an unerring low shot across Konstantopoulos that found the bottom corner.

Under 15 minutes gone, Boro were in a real hole.

“It is not about intensity, it is about the mistakes,” Karanka said afterwards. “When you make mistakes it is difficult to win games, and especially finals.”

With a comfortable early advantage secured, Neil had the luxury of being able to change things around, rearranging his side into something resembling a narrow 4-1-4-1 formation that promised a tough path to goal, with Alex Tettey screening in front of the defence and Jerome upsetting the Boro defence with his pace and physicality.

Boro tried to get the ball wide, particularly to Albert Adomah, but too often they found themselves surrounded by yellow shirts who took their defensive obligations with admirable seriousness. The scoreline played a part, but such diligence is also often a symptom of a manager who demands responsibility and inspires trust.

“I believe in the message I am trying to convey, and I believe they can carry out,” Neil said. “If you have good quality players who are willing to work hard, then I believe you can get success.”

Shed a tear fir Aitor Karanka. No matter what he tried, couldn't recover from early blows http://t.co/JH7NnfmLt9 #Boro #playofffinal

— Sam Tighe (@stighefootball) May 25, 2015

His opposite number, Karanka, tried to change the game in the second half—and the addition of Emilio Nsue at right-back definitely offered Adomah the support he needed to finally make an impression—but, with Vossen out of sorts, Lee Tomlin isolated and Patrick Bamford clearly not fully fit, chances proved elusive even as the team in red began to control more and more of the play. Ayala, a giant of a centre-back, had a couple of chances from corners, but in truth, it was Norwich who came closer to the third goal, with Russell Martin heading over from just six yards out.

From early in the first half, you sensed that Boro lacked the belief that they could mount a comeback.

“The one thing we were criticized for in the last game [against Boro] was the slow start,” Neil noted. “In terms of their starts this season, when they’ve taken advantage, they’ve tended to go on and win, but I think if you look when they’ve gone a goal down they’ve only come back once.

“When we got the second, I was very confident from then on we would see the game out.”

The final whistle sparked the customary celebrations for one half of the stadium, as the Middlesbrough fans poured out after a brief pause to give their side a generous round of applause for their efforts this season. Bamford would seem certain to be in the Premier League somewhere next term—on loan most likely, with Chelsea probably a jump too far at the moment—but for the rest, they will surely have to earn their way to the top flight by better negotiating the Championship snake pit next term.

“You can see the reaction of the fans. I think they had lost their happiness and this season the club got their happiness again,” Karanka noted. “If I have to mark the players, it is 15 out of 10, because again at the beginning of the season, we had a lot of squads who spent a lot more money than us.

“I know it is hard, especially for the players and club, when they were very excited about this game. They have to recover again as soon as possible. I want to transmit to them only positive things, because it is not possible to start our pre-season thinking about last season.”

The pain & glory of the @SkyBetChamp #PlayOffFinal pic.twitter.com/uOzIKgYPJr

— EFL (@EFL) May 25, 2015

Getting out of the Championship is difficult, staying out of it even harder—a challenge Norwich must now steel themselves for. Ten of their starting XI on Monday were regular contributors in last season’s relegation campaign (Jerome the only addition), meaning these two seasons would rather seem to have established the fact that this squad is good enough to reach the top flight, but not good enough to stay there.

The two significant differences from two years ago (it is worth noting that Norwich stayed up a couple of times prior to that) seem likely to be Neil’s demanding presence as manager and the flourishing skills of Nathan Redmond, who has grown with a full season under his belt and must have quietly impressed the watching England manager Roy Hodgson with his work rate and impact on Monday.

Nevertheless, additions will surely need to be made, adding to the grit and grind the team displayed at Wembley with the (expensive to acquire) additional class that the Premier League demands.

“We’ll need to add a few quality signings, but the one thing I will do is stick with the hardcore group of the squad and make sure they get their opportunity,” Neil noted. “I think they have shown enough over the last few seasons [to deserve that].

“The next couple of days will be busy. We had two plans in place in terms of recruitment, and now we need to have a hard look at that.

"I think my biggest challenge is going to be expectation. Because obviously two years of back-to-back promotions mean people expect us to go 'boom!' and do really well in the Premier League. But it will be extremely difficult. The gulf between the Premier League and the Championship is vast."

For the manager, it is such considerations that will almost instantly eclipse any moments of celebration and reflection, the demands that come with being good at your job (although he will fly out for a well-deserved holiday on Thursday).

Paul Lambert’s dismissal as Aston Villa boss in February meant that, for the first time since the formation, the English top flight did not have a Scottish manager. Neil’s presence now rectifies that, heightening the focus on a man already guaranteed to achieve plenty of attention for his youth and stratospheric rise to date.

Like many of his countrymen before him, Neil seems to possess the tactical acumen and training-ground presence to deliver a well-drilled, well-prepared side—a man ready and willing to use both the carrot and the stick in pursuit of what he wants.

Just as that ultimately confirmed their comfortable victory on Monday, such qualities should help Norwich significantly (it is perhaps worth noting Hamilton started the SPL campaign this season very well).

It will not guarantee their survival, however, and they will have to invest in the squad. Fortunately, they will now have a fair bit of money to do so.

All quotes obtained firsthand.

Norwich City have appointed interim manager Neil Adams to a permanent post as the team start preparations for their challenge in the 2014/15 Sky Bet Championship.

The club released an official statement via their own website, stating Adams has the full support of the board members, despite not being the only candidate for the role. The statement cited his desire to win and his willingness to work with younger talents on their way to the first team as reasons for the hire:

As the Board has previously indicated, Neil was one of a number of candidates for the position assessed by Directors as part of a very thorough selection process. 

Throughout the process his passion for the Club, his commitment to playing attractive, winning football, his hunger to succeed and his desire to continue to progress young, talented players through to the first team squad shone through. 

He has the full and unanimous support of the Board and will receive robust backing in this summer’s transfer window. Announcements about coaching backroom staff will follow in due course. 

David McNally, the team's chief executive, said the new manager impressed during his time as interim caretaker, despite his inability to avoid relegation from the Premier League:

Neil impressed us when he stepped up to the plate for the last five games of the season in the most trying of circumstances and he’s continued to impress us during a very rigorous round of talks about the full-time managerial position. He is a very talented coach who is hungry to succeed at Norwich City, playing the kind of football we want to see.

The man himself called his new role an "honour," as he emphasised attacking football and winning as his two main priorities moving forward:

It is a huge honour and I am immensely proud to be confirmed as the Club's manager going forward, and work starts straight away on putting into place the necessary requirements for next season. 

The priority is to ensure that attacking, attractive and winning football is once again the norm for supporters of this Club, and it is essential that we now have everyone pulling in the same direction for the challenges that lie ahead.

As shared by Sportsvibe.co.uk's Ian Stafford, the news brings a sudden end to the rumours linking former Celtic manager Neil Lennon to the Canaries:

BT Sport's Jake Humphrey was surprised, but he understood why the club made the decision and called for everyone to have the manager's back:

Of course, there were some who criticised the move:

Adams didn't win a single match during his period at the helm at the end of the last season, losing four and drawing once at Chelsea.

But the club was in complete turmoil and looked likely to face relegation when Chris Hughton was sacked, and few expected Adams to really make a difference late in the season.

Adams tried to instigate some changes, including updating the system used for much of the year, but it was of no avail.

Adams' hiring on a permanent basis is good news for those in favour of younger English managers getting a fair chance to prove their worth. The Canaries were a sinking ship when Adams came in charge last year, but with a full summer to work with, there's no telling what the former winger could do with the club.

With players like Robert Snodgrass and Leroy Fer, Norwich still have plenty of talent to work with, and a swift return to the Premier League should be possible if the squad is managed properly.

Adams will get a chance to prove he is capable of doing just that, but he will be expected to contend for the Championship title straight away. Should his team struggle early, the voices of the doubters will quickly grow louder.

Congratulations to likely future Norwich Player of the Season Carlo Nash! 

Haven't heard of Nash? It's OK, neither have we. 

The Englishman is currently the relegation-fighters' third-string goalkeeper. He hasn't made a single Premier League appearance this season. In fact, the 40-year-old Englishman hasn't made a Premier League appearance since a stint on loan with Stoke in 2008. 

But he's currently winning the Player of the Season voting, which will conclude on May 11.

Unfortunately for the cynical or sarcastic voters, Nash will turn down the award. 

@jamiecox98 @TheRedRedRobbie @AlexKibbleWhite I would have to graciously decline and of course give it to someone who has earned it.

— Carlo Nash (@carlonash1973) March 28, 2014

But fortunately, even if the Canaries are relegated, he'll have plenty of time to to continue on with his flourishing career in honeymoon publishing. 

[SB Nation, h/t EDP24]

Norwich City have issued a swift rejection of midfielder Wes Hoolahan's transfer request.

Despite the 31-year-old only having made five starts during this campaign, the club will not countenance the sale.

The official Norwich City website broke the news:

City can confirm Irish international midfielder Wes Hoolahan has today submitted a transfer request which has been rejected.

The Board of Norwich City has stated clearly no senior players will be sold against the Club's wishes and Hoolahan, 31, is contracted to the Club until June 2015.

The Club will make no further comment at this time.

It's thought that former Canaries manager Paul Lambert was keen to take Hoolahan to Aston Villa, having been heavily linked to the player recently, per Christopher Devine of Goal.com.

Jake Humphrey of BT Sport shared his thoughts on Twitter:

Rather than shipping players out, the Irish Independent reports that Chris Hughton is focused on adding reinforcements at Carrow Road:

At the moment our concentration is on can we add to the squad? Can we improve the squad? Not on letting players go out.

We've had a few injuries, especially in midfield, and then Michael Turner will be out for a while as well.

We are trying as hard as we can [to sign players], the same as everybody else, but January is notoriously bad time to bring in players. But they also have to be right for the club.

Hughton's standpoint is admirable and it's completely understandable why the club expect Hoolahan to stay put.

The Republic of Ireland international is adept at opening up defences from his advanced midfield position, and his in-game intelligence would be manna from heaven for Lambert.

Villa have struggled this season to provide decent service into their front men, and Lambert is well aware of Hoolahan's suitability to his side.

Whilst in charge at Norwich, Lambert played a midfield diamond specifically to get the best out of the player, and he excelled in the role. Hughton appears to disagree and has only used Hoolahan sparingly.

It's obvious from the player's transfer request that he sees his future elsewhere, but according to James Nursey of the Daily Mirror, Norwich Chief Executive David McNally will stand firm.

McNally and Lambert's falling-out precipitated the latter's move to Villa, and even if the club softened and sold an unhappy player before the end of the transfer window, it is highly unlikely that Hoolahan's final destination would be Villa Park.

It was a summer of optimism at Carrow Road. A series of new multi-million pound signings had raised expectancy levels around the club to an unprecedented high. Everything looked in place for Norwich City to really kick on and lead an assault on the top 10.

However, it hasn't worked out that way. After spending much of last season battling relegation, the Canaries once again look set for a campaign of struggle having suffered six defeats from their opening 10 games.

Last weekend's flattering 7-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City (flattering for Norwich City that is) was the final straw for many fans, who have become increasingly frustrated at a desperate run of form since the turn of the year.

Several tame defeats and even tamer performances in 2013 have seen the pressure cranked up on Chris Hughton, and there is little doubt that patience is wearing very thin in Norfolk.

It's hard to understand why arguably one of the best squad's on paper ever assembled by a Norwich City manager is finding life so difficult, but a lack of belief could be the best explanation.

Much has been made of Chris Hughton's negativity on the pitch with his willingness to persist with one up front, but there is also an air of negativity off the pitch with the vast majority of his press conferences tending to focus on the strengths of the opposition rather than what his own team are capable of.

Of course, the Premier League is an unforgiving environment, and Hughton is absolutely correct to be wary of the quality that other team's possess, but as a leader it is vitally important to install a belief into your players that anything is possible.

Such a vast change in psychology and approach has proved to be a tough adjustment for Norwich City, with Paul Lambert's reign centred completely around extracting the absolute maximum out of the players at his disposal.

The Scot would continually drill into his men that they had "earned the right" to rub shoulders with the best in world and that courage was reflected in the team's performances.

In terms of ability, there is no comparison between the current group and the class of 2011/12, but Lambert managed to convince his players that they belonged in the Premier League despite many having previously lived nomadic existences.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, ex-Canaries striker Steve Morison summed up the difference in mentality between the two managers:

Paul Lambert makes you feel like you’re untouchable. You end up wanting to win for him more than for yourself. That first season was great and the fact we played with no fear came from him.

When Chris Hughton came in you could see from day one he was going to play with a lone striker and Grant Holt would be it. It was incredibly boring, incredibly frustrating.

Obviously Chris Hughton and Paul Lambert are two completely different characters, but Lambert really showed just how much can be achieved when everyone is pulling in the same direction.

It's a similar trait that Hull City appear to be showing in this year's Premier League with the Tigers continuing to get results without possessing the names or the quality of many of their opponents. Despite this, you can sense the unity between the players and the management staff at the KC Stadium, and that has been enough to lead them to an impressive start to the season.

If Norwich City could somehow recapture a similar attitude that previously served them so well, then results will inevitably come because there are undoubtedly some very talented players in the Canaries squad.

Whether Chris Hughton is the man to inspire that change is questionable, but he must take heart in the fact that Norwich are not yet cut adrift and there is time to turn things around.

Nonetheless, he will only do this by showing more faith in his players, and he must allow them the chance to express themselves.

The fact that Norwich's three summer striker arrivals in the shape of Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Gary Hooper and Johan Elmander have only managed six shots on target between them all season is a frightening statistic and shows exactly why the Canaries need to be more adventurous.

Failure to do so and both Hughton and his team could be set for the bleakest of winters.

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It’s never nice to see your side in the relegation zone of the Premier League, especially after they have been ripped apart by the league leaders.

I didn’t have the pleasure of watching the game due to a family engagement, and it seems, in retrospect, that was a good thing.

But it’s always important that we maintain a bit of perspective after results such as the Arsenal one.

The same really can be said of the Chelsea defeat that occurred prior to it. Of course, we can talk about the improved squad that Norwich City now has and how that should allow the club to compete better against the best sides.

However, we know that in reality things are a lot harder than that. The Canaries have won two games this season against sides they would have been confident of beating before the game. That is the sort of situation that will occur next against Cardiff City, a team that Norwich will know that they have a good chance of beating.

And it’s this sort of match that will hold a lot of importance towards the season as well as the future for Chris Hughton.

The Norwich manager has recently admitted that he is under pressure with the club in the relegation zone and suffering four league defeats in the last five games, including losing the last two.

This is why the game against Cardiff is such an important one for him to prove that he continues to be the right man to lead the Canaries forward.

The team has struggled to score goals this season and Gary Hooper and Ricky van Wolfswinkel really need to get amongst the goals in order to improve the league position.

This is especially the case considering the level of investment paid for the two, although the service to the strikers has also been an issue. Certain players have shown ability this season, but it doesn’t all seem to be working as a cohesive unit just yet.

There are, of course, ways that the team can be adjusted in order to improve form.

For example, Wes Hoolahan is a player who hasn’t been heavily involved this season but could well hold the key to getting better results. Jonny Howson and Leroy Fer have also looked pretty good, so there are reasons to be optimistic.

That all being said, the problem with taking no points from Chelsea and Arsenal is that it increases the pressure on the more winnable games. So hopefully that will not affect the team when they go into action against Cardiff.

It might be premature to call it a must-win game, but the pressure will increase with every missed opportunity. And that pressure will clearly come from both the fans and the board.

I think we will all feel a lot better if we can just claw our way out of the relegation zone.