3 players Norwich City must try to keep hold of this summer ahead of Championship season

Norwich City once again struggled to retain top-flight status after a promotion from the Championship this campaign.

Having been crowned Champions of the second-tier in 2020/21, the Canaries finished this season bottom of the Premier League.

With Dean Smith likely to remain at the helm, given their recent record in the division, we would expect to see Norwich City right up there challenging for promotion once again next season.

In order to do that, though, the club must first keep hold of some key players and build around them next campaign.

Here, we’ve picked out three players the Canaries must try to keep hold of this summer, opting for those that are proven at this level, and, have been there and done it before with the club in terms of promotion.

The first player on our list that Norwich City should try to keep hold of this summer ahead of next campaign is striker Teemu Pukki.

To put it simply, Pukki is a phenomenal goalscorer at second-tier level, having netted 26 times the last time the Canaries were in the Championship in 2020/21.

The Finnish forward also scored 29 goals for the club in the Championship in 2018/19.

His goal tally of 11 in the Premier League could attract suitors ahead of next season, but Norwich City should resist all attempts to take away a proven Championship asset away from the club this summer.

For similar reasons to Pukki, Norwich City should perhaps be looking to hold on to Todd Cantwell this summer.

The attacking midfielder spent the second half of 21/22 on loan at AFC Bournemouth as they won promotion to the Premier League, but it is looking unlikely that the Cherries are going to make the switch a permanent one.

If that is the case, Norwich should be looking to build around someone like