Premier League season preview: Norwich heading for relegation struggle
By Nick Ames
Prediction - 18th
Norwich will find it tough but will no doubt go down fighting with a fresh-thinking young manager at the helm.
Signings
Norwich's biggest signing of the summer to date is Robbie Brady, the Hull left winger who joined for a fee of around £7m after a protracted series of negotiations. Brady has a wicked left foot and can also operate further back; his arrival gives Norwich a genuine wide option to complement the right-sided Redmond, and should give the team extra balance both going forward and defensively.
Brady joins the former West Brom midfielder Yussouf Mulumbu in signing on with the Canaries. The dynamic Democratic Republic of the Congo international made more than 200 appearances in his six years with the Baggies and, at 28, should still have enough in the tank to compete against the best. Injury means he is a doubt for their opener against Crystal Palace but he adds considerable strength in depth to what is already a very useful central midfield.
Another ex-Baggie has joined the fold in Graham Dorrans, an intelligent creative midfielder who was Alex Neil's first signing on a three-month loan last season. That move was made permanent after he made an important contribution in his 18 appearances, scoring three times, although whether he becomes a regular in the starting lineup remains to be seen.
Norwich have also signed the former Blackburn goalkeeper Jake Kean on a free transfer, although he will very much be a deputy to the current number one, John Ruddy.
The manager
Alex Neil does not look like the kind of man you would hold up in a dark alley, but the 34-year-old Norwich boss has already marked himself down as one of the most exciting and forward-thinking managers of his generation.
Neil, who was born 10 miles from Glasgow, looks a good bet to follow in the footsteps of some revered names from that area after winning two promotions in his fledgling career in the dugout to date - the second coming with a Norwich sides whose promotion bid had been slipping away.
The Canaries, hotly tipped for promotion after going down in 2013/14, had dropped out of the play-off places by the time Neil replaced Neil Adams last January but the turnaround he wrought was remarkable.
He immediately guided them to victory at eventual champions Bournemouth and, while they were edged out of automatic promotion, a memorable local derby win over Ipswich in the play-off semi-finals, followed by a win over Middlesbrough at Wembley in the final, secured their instant return to the Premier League.
Neil had previous in this regard, guiding Scottish side Hamilton to an unlikely promotion in via a play-off against Hearts the season before. There is no youthful naivety about Neil, a shrewd character who knows his own mind and has made an impact among those at Norwich with his adaptability and the clarity of his instructions. If he can keep them up this season then the sky might just be the limit for a man who could enter the radars of bigger clubs.
One to watch
Nathan Redmond blew hot and cold in his first season with Norwich, flickering only occasionally in a season that saw them relegated from the Premier League, and took some time to get going last term.
But the highly-rated winger, still just 21, became increasingly influential at the business end of the Championship season, scoring vital goals in the play-off semi-final against Ipswich and the final against Middlesbrough.
Nobody has ever doubted the England Under-21 star's talent, and the exciting thought is that a player who has already made well over 150 senior appearances for the Canaries and previous club Birmingham can only keep improving.
Redmond can go outside on the right or cut in from the left and, in a Norwich team that looks short of genuine pace, will be a crucial weapon in what is likely to be a long battle for survival.