While Norwich City are currently regarded as the favourites to be relegated from the Premier League this season, the Canaries have produced enough impressive performances to suggest that they will not go down without a fight.
Despite six points separate the club to 17th-placed Watford, the East Anglian side will take heart from how they fought back against Tottenham Hotspur to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals before football in England was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It remains to be see whether the enforced break will benefit Norwich, but players in Daniel Farke's squad will be motivated to play to their best for a number of reasons.
Ahead of likely upheaval during the next transfer window, Sports Mole takes a look at the most valuable players at Carrow Road.
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Although he has not had as much of the limelight at Teemu Pukki, the potential of Todd Cantwell sees him valued higher than his teammate at £19.8m. The 22-year-old has been a live wire on the flanks, contributing six goals and two assists, and the form of the young Englishman could secure him a move to a bigger club later in 2020.
That can also be said of full-back Max Aarons, who is priced at the same fee. The 20-year-old has perhaps not been as eye-catching as Cantwell, but the prospect has shown enough ability to be linked with a switch to Tottenham Hotspur on a frequent basis. However, should Farke give the green light to sell Aarons, he will demand that Norwich receive more than £19.8m.
Emiliano Buendia is also likely to find himself with admirers over the coming months. Although the 23-year-old has not found the back of the net this season, his price of £16.2m is fully justified having provided seven assists in the Premier League. The Argentine is the last of the highly-priced players, with defender Ben Godfrey and January arrival Ondrej Duda only doing enough to come in at £11.8m.
The pair are closely followed by Northern Ireland international Jamal Lewis, who will also have suitors higher up the top-flight standings. However, like many of his teammates, expect Norwich to demand more than £10.8m for a player who is capable of playing in several roles down the left-hand side of the pitch.
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The most surprising aspect of the list is Pukki being valued at just £9m. While being 30 years of age will come into consideration, the Finland international has 11 goals and three assists to his name from 28 starts in the Premier League this season. Although there is an argument that he has failed to build on a strong start to the campaign, Norwich will demand well in excess of £9m should any teams show an interest in the coming months.
The remainder of the squad find themselves valued at £4.5m or below. Goalkeeper Tim Krul is a notable name in that area of the list, but a 32-year-old goalkeeper representing a bottom-of-the-table side was never going to lead to a high price. Kenny McLean's stock has risen since being handed regular football in light of a packed treatment room, although the 28-year-old Scot is still seen as a squad player rather a first-teamer.
Marco Stiepermann would have been higher up this list had injuries not been a factor, with the German having been restricted to 11 starts and eight substitute outings. There is also an argument that Alexander Tettey should be priced higher than £1.8m, but the tough-tackling midfielder is now 34 years of age without any re-sale value.
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Full list:
Todd Cantwell £19.8m
Max Aarons £19.8m
Emiliano Buendia £16.2m
Ondrej Duda £11.7m
Ben Godfrey £11.7m
Jamal Lewis £10.8m
Teemu Pukki £9m
Tim Krul £4.5m
Kenny McLean £4.05m
Marco Stiepermann £3.6m
Tom Trybull £3.6m
Onel Hernandez 3.6m
Christoph Zimmermann £3.15m
Sam Byram £3.15m
Moritz Leitner £2.7m
Lukas Rupp £2.7m
Mario Vrancic £2.25m
Timm Klose £2.25m
Grant Hanley £2.25m
Alexander Tettey £1.8m
Josip Drmic £1.8m
Michael McGovern £315,000
Sports Mole has used figures from Transfermarkt for the purposes of this article.
