Norwich City Transfer Dossier: Canaries Require Further Additions to Van Wolfswinkel
Not until the penultimate day of their campaign were Norwich City able to confirm their Premier League status ahead of next season, as much down to The Canaries' shallow squad, as it was to the disastrous dealings in the January transfer window conducted by manager Chris Hughton.
Regardless of the quality coming into the top flight, Hughton faces a summer which could prove pivotal to Norwich's Premier League lives, with the difficult third season on the horizon.
Business so far
Arguably the coup of the summer. Ricky van Wolfswinkel, scorer of 18 goals for Sporting Lisbon last season, has joined Norwich ahead of the new campaign, a real boost to a forward line which looked blunt at the best of times last term. Their other permanent addition could prove just as crucial, with Javier Garrido penning a two-year deal after a season-long loan from Lazio. Simeon Jackson is among 10 players to be released.
What they need
Despite the addition of Van Wolfswinkel, Norwich must look for more attacking options having allowed Jackson to leave, while Grant Holt's future is anything but secure. Luciano Becchio looked out of his depth in his limited outings in the Premier League after moving from Leeds United, and Hughton will be desperate to add depth to an area which provided just 41 goals last season.
Who could join
Andreas Weimann's contact wrangle at Aston Villa has forced several clubs into taking note, including Norwich. Birmingham City's promising winger Nathan Redmond, Reading's Jimmy Kebe, Leeds United defender Sam Byram and Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter are among the candidates to join from the Championship.
Who could leave
There remains little doubt that the transfer saga of the summer at Carrow Road will revolve around captain Holt, who is wanted by Australian league side Melbourne Heart. Hughton is keen to keep the forward, who delivered eight Premier League goals last season but at 32, and with Van Wolfswinkel likely to further restrict Holt's already dwindling opportunities, Norwich might be tempted to part ways.
What the manager has said
"It's our responsibility to try and work as hard as we can which is what we are trying to do," Hughton said. "It is not always easy as there are 19 other teams in this division trying to do the same, but hopefully we are successful in some of the work we do."
Norwich can ill-afford to rest on their laurels after signing Van Wolfswinkel and require genuine surgery if they're survive a third successive season back in the top flight.
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