For the second straight season, Norwich City is fighting for a play-off position, but their top-six ambition has been hampered by their lack of consistency.
The team led by Johannes Hoff Thorup has achieved some outstanding successes, including a decisive 6-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle last month and a 4-1 victory over Watford, another play-off candidate, back in September.
However, the Canaries have also experienced some noteworthy losses, including a 2-0 setback at home to Bristol City and a 3-0 loss at the lowly Queens Park Rangers.
At £417,500 a week, the Norfolk team has the sixth-highest wage cost in the Championship, according to Capology figures.
Football League World looks at how the Canaries can cut £57.5k from their weekly salary in order to address this issue, which Hoff Thorup and company may be aiming to address come the January transfer window:
Ashley Barnes leaves
Ashley Barnes earns £30,000 a week and £1,560,000 annually, making him Norwich’s joint-second highest-paid player, according to Capology’s estimations.
The forward had six goals and five assists in the Championship the previous season, but he had a calf injury in the summer, so it wasn’t until November that he made his first appearance since losing to Leeds United in the play-off semi-finals.
One may argue that the Canaries could move on 35-year-old Barnes given the presence of the prolific Borja Sainz and Sheffield United’s rumoured interest.
The new Norwich manager should be able to spend in January after receiving a fee from the Blades and receiving £30,000 in weekly salary.
Exit of Christian Fassnacht
Christian Fassnacht, having played for his former club in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League, appeared to be a good addition to the Carrow Road team when he joined from Swiss Super League team Young Boys in the summer of 2023.
Though he scored eight goals in 29 games during the previous Swiss Super League campaign and eleven goals in just 18 league appearances back in 2021–2022, the wideman was not particularly productive last season, scoring just six goals in 42 Championship appearances.
According to Capology, the Canaries could save £20,000 on their weekly pay cost by allowing the 31-year-old to leave in January. He has battled for playing time this season due to an Achilles injury.
Kaide Gordon’s loan cancellation
Kaide Gordon has struggled for playing time in the Championship since joining the Canaries on a season-long loan from Premier League powerhouse Liverpool at the beginning of the current campaign.
Although he occasionally makes cameo appearances off the substitutes’ bench, he has not been able to establish a permanent starting XI berth in Hoff Thorup’s squad, despite showing promise when he scored off the bench during October’s 4-0 victory over Hull City.
Gordon makes £7,500 a week, according to Capology’s estimates. The Canaries may try to cut that amount from their payroll by terminating his loan or recalling him in January.
According to reports earlier in December, Liverpool had not ruled out a recall and was preparing to negotiate with Norwich over the loanee.
