Alongside the likes of Watford and Fulham, Norwich City are becoming one of the sides that look like they need to be in their own separate league.
Like the Canaries, the Cottagers are also set to be competing in a different league for a fifth consecutive campaign, while the Hornets are one further back on four seasons.
Too good for the Championship, but not good enough for the big time – the trio of clubs find themselves in limbo land.
After having a look at a Watford XI if they kept their best players, TBR takes a look at a Norwich City XI if they kept their best players.
Norwich City XI if they kept best players
Tim Krul
The Dutchman has been in Norfolk for four years since arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion.
The 34-year-old will be hoping to achieve promotion with the Canaries for a third time and get the Carrow Road side back into the top-flight at the first time of asking.
No side has conceded more goals than the Canaries this season (79), and while Krul is capable of both the sublime or a moment of madness, he’s been Norwich’s best goalkeeper in recent years.
Max Aarons
The Telegraph have reported that Norwich will sell the England Under-21 international, as they have been relegated to the Championship.
The 22-year-old, who according to The Sun, has attracted interest from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United and isn’t going to fancy a third season in the Championship.
Aarons, valued at £20m, will be the subject of interest in the summer and like may of their previous stars, Norwich will look to get the best price possible for the youngster.
Ben Godfrey
With his second season at Everton drawing to a close, the two-time England international will be hoping to preserve the Toffees’ top-flight status with two games remaining.
Carlo Ancelotti splashed out £25m, which was a record fee for a player sold by Norwich, in October 2020.
According to The Mirror, Newcastle United are interested in signing Godfrey in the summer transfer window.
Grant Hanley
The Scotland international isn’t a swashbuckling modern day centre-back who can stride out of defence with ball-playing qualities, but Norwich’s club captain has been a solid addition since being signed from Newcastle five years ago.
Like the Canaries, Hanley is a player who looks a class act in the Championship, but can get exposed in the Premier League when playing against top-class players, week in, week out.
The 30-year-old will likely be at the heart of Norwich’s quest for promotion next campaign.
Jamal Lewis
Lewis, who came through the academy at Norwich and made his first-team debut in December 2017, was signed by Newcastle for £15m in September 2020.
But after a season under the stewardship of Steve Bruce, things haven’t gone to plan for the Northern Ireland international on Tyneside, since the Magpies’ lucrative takeover.
The 24-year-old hasn’t played since December and was left out of Eddie Howe’s 25-man squad in January. With Newcastle likely to spend further this summer, the left-back could be one of the players that is moved on.
James Maddison
We haven’t exactly gone with the most natural of central midfielders, but when you’ve got two classy playmakers to fit in, you just have to make room.
After scoring 14 goals and laying on eight assists in the 2017-18 Championship campaign, Leicester City spent £20m to bring Maddison to the King Power Stadium.
Although the one-time England international isn’t in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions plans currently, the 25-year-old has produced his best campaign in the Premier League.
Emiliano Buendia
With club captain Jack Grealish expected to join Manchester City, the Villains were quick to fill the void the England international left behind.
Aston Villa paid £33m to bring the one-time Argentinian international to Villa Park and Buendia left Norwich after three impressive years with the club.
The 25-year-old scored 15 goals and racked up 16 assists last season, helping the Canaries win the Championship title.
Buendia made a total of 121 appearances in all competitions and scored 24 goals following his arrival at Carrow Road from La Liga side Getafe for £1.6m in 2018.
Jacob Murphy
The Norwich City academy graduate had six loan spells away from the club before shining in the 2016-17 Championship campaign.
The 27-year-old scored eight goals and provided eight assists that season, and his impressive performances prompted interest from Newcastle.
Murphy, a boyhood Newcastle fan, was signed for £12m in June 2017 and the England Under-21 international has been given minutes under Howe at St James’ Park, since the former Bournemouth manager replaced Bruce.
Todd Cantwell
Another graduate from the Norwich City academy, Cantwell took the Premier League by storm with goals against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, in his maiden campaign in the top-flight.
But the 24-year-old barely featured for Norwich in the first half of this season before joining Bournemouth on loan for the remainder of the campaign, on the final day of the January transfer window.
Cantwell, whose contract with the Canaries expires next June, achieved promotion with the Cherries but the England Under-21 international could be sold this summer.
Nathan Redmond
After being signed by Birmingham City for £3.2m, Redmond spent three years with the Canaries before Southampton signed the one-time England international for £10m in June 2016.
Birmingham-born Redmond made 122 appearances and scored 13 goals during his spell with Norwich and he’s more than capable of producing the spectacular when cutting in from the left-hand side.
The 28-year-old remains a key part of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s Saints side.
Teemu Pukki
The last player to feature in our Norwich City XI if they kept their best players is the Finland international.
Now Norwich did have Harry Kane on loan at one stage and how the Canaries would have wished there was an option to make that deal permanent if they knew what the England captain would go on to do.
But in both of his Premier League campaigns with Norwich, Pukki has hit double figures in each season and he has 78 goals from 166 games for the Canaries.
With 55 goals from his last two Championship seasons, the 2019 Finland Footballer of the Year will be hoping to fire Dean Smith’s side back to the big time at the first attempt.