Norwich City have today confirmed that five first-team players have been released.
They will depart the club at the end of the season, following the expiration of their contracts.
The players in question are Dan Barden, Tony Springett, Shane Duffy, Emiliano Marcondes, and Jeffrey Schlupp. Harry Amass and Sam Field will also return to their parent clubs at the end of the campaign.
It is seen as the start of a shake-up this summer, with more players expected to move on.
In today’s press conference before a crucial match against Swansea City, Philippe Clement explained the thinking behind each decision.
A product of the Norwich City youth academy, Barden made his competitive debut under Daniel Farke in the 2020/21 season. This was following injuries to Tim Krul and Michael McGovern.
He made four appearances that season and looked like a good young upcoming product. The following season, he was sent on loan to Livingston, where it was discovered that he had testicular cancer. He successfully recovered from it after treatment, after which he took a break from football.
Following his break from action, he had loan spells at Maidstone United, Swindon Town and most recently, Dagenham and Redbridge. However, after seven and a half years at the club, he will be released at the end of the season.
Also a product of the Norwich City youth academy, Springett joined the club aged 12 in 2014. He made his competitive debut in the Premier League for the Canaries in the 2021/22 season.
After his debut campaign, Springett would make 34 appearances in yellow and green. During his time at the club, he also had loan spells at Derby County and Northampton Town.
Springett came back into the first-team picture at Carrow Road under Philippe Clement this season. He initially played as a makeshift left back thanks to an injury crisis in that area.
Eventually, he got minutes on his preferred right wing. He finally netted his first goal for the club this season. It came in the FA Cup in a 5-1 win over Walsall. However, he will be released at the end of the season after 12 years at the club.
Here is what Norwich City boss Philippe Clement had to say on the decision: “I spoke also with Tony about what he wanted, and we were aligned.
“Because it was a really, really difficult decision with Tony, who’s been amazing in this dressing room. He’s like the glue of the dressing room.
“Everybody loves him. He’s so funny, so energetic every day with a really positive vibe. But where we are is ambitious, we want to invest also in his best position to get somebody in with extra quality.
“Tony is not the type to be now third or fourth choice in a position. He could do that this year because he came out of two years no football, and he was really happy with everything and every playing minute or every playing second in whatever position.
“But he’s also at an age where he needs to start playing regularly, and he has so much energy. Also, if I would keep him here to do that role, not playing all the time, it would kill him.
“He feels totally the same. So he will go for a new challenge where he has more guarantee of playing minutes.”
“And I can say to whatever team is interested in him (after being released) they’re going to get a really, really positive character and a good football player also there, but he’s now in the moment of his career that he needs to start playing a lot of minutes to make the next step, and maybe one day as a club, we will need to decide to get him back after playing a lot of minutes.
“Let’s hope and see, because he’s also really somebody with the Norwich heart, so it will be hard for him to leave the club, but he knows also that it’s necessary now for his career.
“If Tony had a totally different opinion about things, and he was like, ‘No, I want to stay here, and this is my club, and this is my life’, then it would be much harder.
“He’s part of this club. His heart is here. He’s so respected in the building, with all the staff, within the dressing room, with everybody, but sometimes you need to fly out of your comfort zone and your normal environment, and that’s part of football, also, to make the next steps.
“I had it in the past also, and you discover new things, and your world evolves and becomes bigger.”
Shane Duffy joined Norwich City in the summer of 2023. It’s fair to say that his time in East Anglia has been eventful to say the least.
After helping the club reach the play-offs under David Wagner, he was arrested and charged with “driving while unfit through drink” after an incident close to his home. He was banned from driving for three years after pleading guilty to the charge.
He was also involved in an incident on the social media platform “X” (formerly Twitter) with a Norwich fan in the early part of the campaign, where the club was significantly underperforming under Liam Manning.
Duffy has only made four appearances this season, thanks to injury and the brilliance of Jose Cordoba and Ruairi McConville, alongside the arrivals of Harry Darling and Jakov Medic last summer. The Irishman made 91 appearances in total during his time in Norfolk. However, he will now be released at the end of the season.
“It has to do also with the evolution of other players. So Ruairi stepped up big time this season.
“Jose (Cordoba) was really constantly performing well. Harry (Darling) also stepped up the last couple of months. Jakov (Medic) did well. Shane is getting older, all these guys are younger, so one moment you need to choose for youth.
“I’ve been in that moment of my career, also in the past. It’s a logical one, and we respect everything that Shane has done for this club and we wish him all the best for his next challenge. And it’s sure that he wants to continue playing football. He really loves football, so it’s going to be a new challenge for him.”
Emiliano Marcondes was signed last season under Johannes Hoff Thorup, following a shortage of attacking options, thanks to injury.
He initially signed a contract until the end of the season, but was extended by a year. He has made 50 appearances in Canary colours and will be released at the end of the season after falling behind in the pecking order.
“It had also to do with development of young players, or other players, with the development of Anis (Ben Slimane), how he stepped up from December on, and we brought Paris (Maghoma) in, and Paris is doing also a really good job in the number 10 position, the best position of Emi. Also Jacob Wright.
“We don’t want to block his evolution, because it’s important also that next season Jacob can get enough minutes, because I believe in him.
“So then there will not be enough space for Emi also to compete, because you cannot make a squad where you have four or five players in in the same position, because then you kill certain players.
“He’s been really good, also in the moment that he was out, or when he was not selected, with all the other lads.
“He’s so obsessed with the game, interested in tactical choices and dynamics in a dressing room, we talked about that.
“So later on if he wants to go into management he can always call me. He is an intelligent guy but for the next few years he is going to play and maybe in the future, we’ll meet each other again.”
Premier League winner Jeffrey Schlupp signed for the club last summer on a free transfer to provide depth in several positions on a one-year deal.
However, his campaign was hit by injury, last playing in November and his stay at Norwich City will be short-lived, with the Ghanaian to be released at the end of his contract.
“These are discussions made within the club. It’s not only me but all together looking at squad building for next season.
“I think Jeffrey had the bad luck not to be fit enough this season. He’s back now, the last couple of weeks, and he’s totally fit now. So that’s a really positive for him. Of course, he needs to gain rhythm now, and it’s a short time now to get that rhythm.
“I’ve been impressed in the two weeks that he’s been training, because you see a very experienced player, a good character also in the dressing room when he was injured around the young lads.
“But with the situation that we had with Ben (Chrisene) and Lucien (Mahovo) this season we need to be sure of consistency next season in that position, because too many times we had to play with a right-footed player there.”
Sporting Director Ben Knapper also said the following in the official club statement: “On behalf of everyone at Norwich City, I’d like to say a huge thank you to each of the departing players.
“They’ve all contributed in many different ways and have all played a part in our story. They’ll always be welcome back, and I wish them all the very best for their next steps, whatever they may be.”
