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Speculation on Town's Available Players Gets Under Way
Thursday, 13th May 2021 10:34

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.


Photo: Matchday Images



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Lightningboy added 11:30 - May 13
I think in a perfect world we'd have a “successful” team built around the likes of Woolfenden,Downes,Dozzell,Bishop etc etc etc BUT these players have proven to be lightweights,powder-puff & injury prone at 3rd division standard over the last 2 seasons.

Not entirely convinced Cook is the man to rebuild all this (i'd prefer a Magilton/Burley management team in my dreams)..but Cook has probably seen what a bunch of absolute under-achievers most of this lot are & is quite rightly trying to bring in players with a “winning mentality”.

I'm not knocking too many of his decisions so far.
5

chepstowblue added 11:33 - May 13
Dozzell in the prem is a worrying thought. Dobra mustn't be allowed to leave, Bish I still believe is a talented football, Downes adds a 'bit' of steel, and Norwood is our only striker with any devilment. That we're making these available, and being linked with and offering contracts to lesser talents has me fretting. It has all the hallmarks of Paul Hirst's disastrous tenure. Each headline so far has me honestly believing that the worst is yet to come!
2

naa added 11:39 - May 13
Must admit, I'm not happy about this at all.

Gutting the squad is a terrible idea. So, Championship and Premier league clubs are being linked with our players who supposedly aren't good enough for League 1. Makes sense!

Do we also really believe that we are going to be able to replace 11 or more players with better ones? I certainly don't.

We definitely had plenty of dead wood and those that underperformed and happy to freshen things up, but gerting rid of basically everyone is a mistake, especially the young players.

If we think the squad had the wrong mentality then keep the young players with promise and bring in some experienced heads who can bring the winning mentality we need. Don't just get rid of everyone.
6

stocktractor added 11:41 - May 13
dozzell the most overrated player we have at the club...if Norwich want to pay 3-4mln for him good riddance.
this is by far and away the worst team in our history and i am fully behind cook get rid of all of them and build again..
hes going to be an absolute legend of a manager at this club
10

TonyHumesIpswich added 11:43 - May 13
Don't like the idea of Dozzell, Dobra, Norwood or Downes leaving. What's the betting they move to other clubs for minimal amounts and then get sold on two years later for three times as much. If that scenario happened with Dozzell I'd be gutted.
4

TractorRoyNo1 added 11:46 - May 13
Closing down sale, everything must go!
5

jong75 added 11:46 - May 13
It will be good to have a special agent in the norwich camp, be similar to Lambert being in ours.
I trust cook to get this right. His track record is good and wants to win. 14 years of rubbish needs a big clear out. Exciting times ahead. COYB.
7

terryf added 11:47 - May 13
Piss off the Manager at your peril then???

I think he'd seen enough to say these players are not going to be able to play my system.

Let's face it the last few seasons have been bloody awful.
3

planetblue_2011 added 11:55 - May 13
Sell Dozzell what has done? In league 1 he should be ripping it up & he hasn't, Very overrated get the 5M for him, even if it is Norwich🤔
2

GiroJim added 11:56 - May 13
This will all be up to Ashton to sort out. He is the guy tasked with getting money for these players. Im not fussed if Dozzell goes, he is over rated by a lot on here. Id rather he didnt go to the scum, but, if we are moving on then we take offers from anywhere,thats business. We are now being run properly as a business too.
2

raycrawfordswig added 11:57 - May 13
Hope Cook doesn't shoot himself in the foot with this and is unable to find enough players that want to play here.
0

BurleysGloryDays added 11:58 - May 13
Sad to reflect that many of our much-heralded youth - which our fans have pressed our managers very hard on prioritising - are failing to cut the mustard.

That said - it never ceases to amaze me the players town has had over the lat 5-10 years that are now routinely in the premier league.

It could well be the case that these players join those ranks and we feel the same regret.

I was watching an insipid Town this year thinking, crikey. The scale of this challenge is huge, we're a club that is totally uninspired, average at best, devoid.

I think the only thing left for Town, really, is total reset.

And i'm encourage that Cook has a strong enough vision, ownership backing, and has highlighted a few things that everyone can see need changing.

Here's one for you all: he's not that different to Roy Keane. He's spotted the same weaknesses the club has that he wants to change. Perhaps Keane had the right vision but the wrong application.

Let's see if Cook has the right application.
3

ChrisFelix added 12:02 - May 13
Surely our manager is saying any one is available for the right fee. I don't expect the whole to go but maybe some simply are not good enough. Our manager is experienced at this level & I suspect has pulling power. The club now has ambition again.
I also don't expect the 'Kevin Phillips' situation to happen in 2021
0

naa added 12:08 - May 13
BurleysGloryDays: Keane was, until Hurst, our worst ever manager. To be suggesting he was right about aything at this club is a worry.

And to all those who seem to be happy to be shot of Dozzell but don't want him to go to Norwich I ask, why not? Iuf you are worried he'll do well there then that surely suggests you think he could be a good player. So why do we want him gone then?

He hasn't really done it yet I will agree but that's surely down to management as much as anything. How else did Brian Clough pull a team of misfits and average players into a league winning, European cup winning team? It's all about man management. A lot on here seem to think it's all the player's fault when they don't perform, but there's more to it than that.
8

Michael101 added 12:08 - May 13
With this financial fair play thing we might have to sell to be able to spend ,just hope they get it right.
1

brendenward35 added 12:17 - May 13
My worry is if Jason Dozzell wants his son to leave then maybe something is not right with how PC is running things. Two sides to every story as they say
-2

mojo added 12:17 - May 13
So the squad as things stand for 2021/22

Right back - KVY

That is all
11

BurleysGloryDays added 12:18 - May 13
Naa - management is about application of a vision; my point was Keane had identified similar structural and player weaknesses in our club as Cook has. The judgement of whether Cook is a good manager will be on his ability to apply his learnings into a strategy capable of fulfilling his vision. That is where Keane fell short.

Hurst, interestingly, made similar observations as Cook about fitness of players and similarly sold half of our gold when the players didn't respond to it. Again not dissimilar. The question again, then, is was the vision right, but the application bad (well we know the application was bad, or more like abysmal).

I think Cook is in no small part saying these things to issue the warning that there are no free rides on his journey. We all secretly hope it has the impact and players like Dozzell stay and shine.

But the bottom line is being set: no one is safe until the club starts performing, no one is sacred.

We have already seen the 'scared cows' gone, Chambo especially. That's Cook showing who's boss and that change is here. Keane did the same with a captain.

All eyes on Cook, and the ownership, to apply the vision - that, is my point.
7

Rimsy added 12:23 - May 13
Any player at any club is available for the right fee. Does'nt mean they will all be leaving. I'm sure this is a kick up the backside to these players, shape up to what is needed or i'll move you on.
1

istanblue added 12:27 - May 13
The good news about all of this is that with the likes of Ashton and O'Leary at the helm we won't be selling on-the-cheap like we did under Evans. The bad news is that I can see a few of these sales (if they were to happen) coming back to bite us.
2

Nazemariner added 12:27 - May 13
Nothing to see here!

The players that are leaving due to expiring contracts have been made known. And as always, should an offer come in that is too good to refuse then the player will leave. Other than that we will be looking to keep all the players that are currently on the books.

You cannot change 50% of your in one window. To do so would be a recipe for further disaster.
-1

alfromcol added 12:28 - May 13
Dozzell feeding passes through to an "off the ball running" Pukki would be unstoppable. Dozzell has been held back by the dross playing around him.
-8

Dog added 12:35 - May 13
i thought Paul Hurst was never, ever going to be beaten as the worst Town manager, but if this is true, then step forward Paul Cook, you will have won the award hands down.

you cannot decimate the whole team. You cannot get rid of all of the youngsters - those youngsters mentioned are good players who would thrive with better players around them - anyone can see that.

Laughable.
-7

paulcooperisgod added 12:36 - May 13
Hang on hang on. By all means release the dead wood but please leave someone to build a team round!
2

Nottsboy added 12:36 - May 13
Reading some of these posts is like reading a very bad tv soap script, the clues in the title (Speculation as to the players ) if this is true then PC needs to release a statement to that effect but for myself some of the players are good enough EG Dobra, Downs, Wolfie, as for Dozzell I would let him go, if he cant tackle them he fouls them or lobs the ball and the only way to reach the ball is if you are off side.
1


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