15th Aug 2013 | Football
Norwich City 2013-14 Preview
The Canaries were an under-hyped 11th in 2012-13 and they have now added some heavy artillery up front.
Best odds to finish top 10: 9/2 (Boylesports)
Last season: 11th
Reasons for hope:
Having defied expectations by staying up quite comfortably for two years running, the Canaries have now started to enhance the squad in key areas. Most notably, the Norfolk club boast a potentially dynamic new strike-force of Gary Hooper (£5m from Celtic) and Ricky van Wolfswinkel (£8.5m from Sporting Lisbon). Leroy Fer, Javier Garrido and Nathan Redmond are also among those added to the mix.
Potential bet: Norwich top league goalscorer - Gary Hooper: 2/1 (BetVictor). The Scot found the net 63 times in 95 league games for the SPL champions.
Reasons to worry:
If the new forwards don’t take to life in East Anglia then a lack of goals is bound to be a major concern for Norwich who only grabbed 41 last term - the third fewest in the division. Grant Holt netted 8 of those, the most at the club, as well as 15 the year before that and 21 in the promotion season from the Championship. Canaries fans could come to regret his departure to Wigan for just £2m.
Potential bet: Norwich to be relegated - 3/1 (Bet365)
Verdict:
Chris Hughton has a superb managerial CV that continues to get largely overlooked. He will surely keep Delia in the top flight again after some shrewd summer business.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 11:44 15th Aug, 2013 but subject to change
