Norwich City: Is It Really Crazy to Project Top 8?

OK, in case you couldn't tell it from my title—I’m excited.

Norwich have seen some fantastic arrivals during the summer, players of the calibre of Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Leroy Fer and Nathan Redmond.

The pundits say that we are in for another season of struggle, but that disregards the work that chief executive David McNally and manager Chris Hughton have put in behind the scenes.

The defence was a big area of improvement last season, with 10 clean sheets, and the close season provided us with an opportunity to improve our attacking options.

It seems the club has taken it. Norwich can move to the next level with the additions to the squad, with the only area of weakness being a lack of a No. 10 or attacking midfielder to play with RvW. I expect such a player to be signed before this transfer window slams shut on us.

Only 41 goals were scored last season, but with the additions of Gary Hooper and RvW that shouldn’t be a problem this season. In Redmond, we have a player with real pace that could prove a perfect complement for Robert Snodgrass.

Central midfield is a similar story, with a partnership likely to be fostered between Bradley Johnson and Fer. Johnson had a fine season for us in 2012-13, but he perhaps lacked a goal-getter alongside him. That problem looks to have been solved.

At the back, Sebastien Bassong and Michael Turner will continue their excellent work from last season. Martin Olsson is another new signing who has impressed in preseason. Many people believe that he will do enough to hold off the challenge from Javier Garrido for a place in the team.

They can play together, however, when a more defensive shape is sought, as evidenced by the preseason matches.

Norwich missed goalkeeper John Ruddy when he was out injured last season. The England man will be hoping for an injury-free campaign. He is one of several Canaries players in whom other clubs have expressed an interest.

Keeping hold of Ruddy and Snodgrass has been as important as any new signing. It breeds confidence in what we can achieve this season.

An assault on the top half of the table is the minimum that we should be aiming for. But if we can add another central defender and attacking midfielder to the squad, we could finish in the top eight.

After all, West Brom managed to finish there last season—also against the odds.

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