Speculation regarding the Town players made available by manager Paul Cook this summer has got under way with a report questioning whether Norwich City could revive their interest in midfielder Andre Dozzell.
On Monday, TWTD reported that in addition to releasing several of those who are out of contract, Cook had told a large number of his squad whose contracts still have time to run that they can move on.
One source told TWTD following the Monday meetings that Cook had told essentially the whole squad they could move on should offers come in, including those whose one-year options had been taken.
The players told to find new clubs are many that fans might have expected to the Blues boss to keep, including Dozzell, Teddy Bishop, Flynn Downes, Luke Woolfenden and Armando Dobra, all of whom have featured since Cook took over. Striker James Norwood, who has worn the captain’s armband in recent games, is also among those told he can depart.
Now the Norwich Pink ‘Un is speculating whether the Canaries could come back in for Dozzell, 22, who they were close to signing in the summer of 2019. The Norfolk club, recently promoted to the Premier League, offered around £3 million with the Blues having put a price of £5 million on his head.
TWTD has previously reported that Blackburn are keen on Dozzell having had an offer rejected in January 2020. Former Blues skipper and coach Tony Mowbray has continued to monitor the former England U20 product and his assistant Mark Venus’s name was on the scouts list for a recent Blues away game. QPR have also monitored his progress this season.
Other clubs which could revive previous interest for members of the squad are Crystal Palace, who offered £1.6 million for Downes last summer, while Dobra was a target of Brighton in January 2020, while other clubs at home and abroad, including Southampton, Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta and Dynamo Kyiv, have subsequently shown interest in the Albanian U21 international.
Woolfenden was linked with Sheffield United in 2019/20 but the Blades opted not to progress their interest further, while QPR and Crystal Palace were also keeping tabs on him at around the same time.
Norwood is likely to have plenty of suitors in League One, although how many would be able to meet Town’s price-tag or match his wages remains to be seen.
The Blues might also struggle to get fees for players such as Jack Lankester, who has featured little this season following a long spell out with injury.
A clearing of the decks this summer had been expected with Cook having made little secret that he was unimpressed with the squad he had inherited.
It seems likely that he is anticipating a number of those available departing, but presumably not all, with no one considered indispensible as he looks to assemble a new smaller but stronger squad over the summer.