Norwich City Premier League season preview 2015/16
Saturday 8 August 2015 10:25, UK
All the transfer news, statistics, pundit views and odds ahead of Norwich City's 2015/16 season.
Position last season: 3rd in Championship (play-off winners)
Sky Bet title odds: 5000/1
Ins: Graham Dorrans (West Brom), Youssouf Mulumbu (West Brom), Robbie Brady (Hull City), Andre Wisdom (Liverpool, loan), Jake Kean (Blackburn, loan).
Outs: Cameron McGeeham (Luton Town, undisclosed), Mark Bunn (Aston Villa, free), Carlton Morris (Hamilton, loan), Sam Kelly (Port Vale), Remi Matthews (Burton, loan).
Overview
Norwich are back in the Premier League at the first time of asking after their play-off final victory over Middlesbrough in May, and their promising young manager Alex Neil is bidding to keep them there for the long-term.
The Canaries boss revealed his “disappointment” at their slow progress in the transfer market earlier this month, but since then they have added the signings of Robbie Brady from Hull and Andre Wisdom from Liverpool to the arrivals of Graham Dorrans and Youssuff Mulumbu from West Brom earlier in the summer.
Norwich can also take heart from their record since Neil’s appointment in January. The Norfolk outfit won 17 of 25 games under the Scot last season, and they begin the new campaign with a relatively kind run of fixtures against Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Stoke.
Charlie Nicholas' view: "I’m obviously happy to see a Scottish manager back in the league in Alex Neil and he speaks very honest, very raw, from the heart. My concern is that the likes of Cameron Jerome and Gary Hooper haven’t really proved themselves in the Premier League, while Robbie Brady cost a lot of money for not a lot of added quality to what they’ve got."
Charlie Nicholas' one to watch: "They will be a team that will be happy just to stay up and John Ruddy will be absolutely vital if they are to do so, offering experience in the international set up and having produced some great performances last time they were in the top flight."
Opta stats
- Norwich have suffered relegation in three of their last five seasons in the Premier League.
- Only one player (former Norwich man Jacob Butterfield, 120) created more goalscoring chances in the Championship (incl. play-offs) last term than Nathan Redmond (117).
- Norwich City are winless in their last 12 opening day matches in league competition (D6 L6).
