Exclusive: Lee Hendrie names which 3 EFL clubs he is most concerned about right now | OneFootball

FLW have asked Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie to identify three EFL clubs that are worrying him at the moment, and here are his replies.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports Pundit Lee Hendrie has explained which three clubs in the EFL have given him cause for concern so far this season.

The November international break marks a significant break point in the 2025-26 season.

In the Championship and across much of League One, it's the last of three opportunities for clubs since the start of the season to regroup before the slog of fixtures which will start from next week through to the penultimate weekend in March.

For those who are in a rich vein of form, the interruption to their rhythm may be an unwelcome distraction, but for those who've been struggling, the opportunity to pause might even be welcome as a reset following an underwhelming start to the season.

"It's a concern and a eyebrow-raiser at that" - Lee Hendrie identifies three EFL clubs who worrying him

Football League World have spoken exclusively to Lee Hendrie, asking him which three EFL have been concerning him the most so far this season, and his first choice is no surprise whatsoever: "I'm really concerned at the way Norwich's season has gone and at the way things seem to be unfolding now. I know they've changed manager now, but to see them in this sort of situation, which they haven't been for quite some time, I do have a little bit of concern about who's going to come in and maybe turn that team around."

Lee is surprised by Norwich's poor start to the season, but has questions over whether a new manager can turn them around, even though they should on paper have the players to do so: "It's one of them where I've looked at and thought are they a team that can turn a corner? They've got the potential to do so, but you feel that the start they've had it's a concern and an eyebrow-raiser at that."

He sees striking similarities between the situation at Carrow Road and at another club a division below them: "It's similar in League One with Plymouth sitting bottom of the table. Again, a team I thought would go well under Cleverley, even though a couple of wins can see you right back in the thick of things in League One, it's so tight."

And his third choice also comes from League One: "And I think I'd throw Peterborough into that equation. Over seasons they've always been quite stable, they've always had young talented players. I think the players they lost last season, they probably haven't been able to replace with something similar that usually gives them a really good platform."

But Lee does feel that League One is so congested that there is still time for struggling clubs to turn things around: "I've always been impressed with Peterborough and their style, but there are obviously concerns at the moment, even though we're only 14 or 15 games in in League One and that could change quite quickly of how tight it is. They're ten points off a possible play-off spot, which shows how tight and congested it is."

Norwich, Plymouth & Peterborough are all in different phases of the managerial merry-go-round

Having taken just three points from their last 11 games and without a win since the end of August, there is certainly much to be concerned about at Norwich City at the moment. New head coach Liam Manning was relieved of his duties following their 2-1 home defeat to Leicester City on the 8th November, but a week into the two-week break no replacement for him has yet been identified and fan anger has already spread to sporting director Ben Knapper, with an online petition to remove him as well having reached 1,400 signatures.

The Canaries are only being kept off the bottom of the table by the financially stricken Sheffield Wednesday, and this comes with the club having spent a not-insignificant amount of money on new players over the summer break. All of this puts the club's owner Mark Attanasio in a tricky spot. A new head coach will be announced in due course, but the club will not be able to make any significant changes to their playing personnel until the start of the new year, and replacing the sporting director would cause even more upheaval.

There has been something contradictory at the heart of Plymouth Argyle's season so far. Their 3-1 loss at Huddersfield in the last match before the international break was their fourth in a row, leaving them rooted to the foot of the League One table, and included in those four games was the most punishing sort of loss of all; a 2-0 defeat to Exeter City in a big local derby match.

But Plymouth have shown clear signs of their potential this season, too. When their form briefly picked up in September, their run of wins included a 4-2 home win against Stockport County, who are currently top of the table, an impressive 3-2 win at Luton Town, and a 4-0 away thrashing of Burton Albion. That said, though, there is little question that manager Tom Cleverley is under serious pressure and that results need to change soon if he's to stay in his position, even though he, like Liam Manning, was only appointed at the start of the summer.

Peterborough United, on the other hand, have perhaps already started to turn that corner. They sacked Darren Ferguson on the 25th October following a 2-1 home defeat to Blackpool, but replaced him fairly quickly with Luke Williams and have already seen the green shoots of recovery, with a 1-0 win against Cardiff City in the FA Cup in his first match in charge being followed up with a 5-0 home routing of Wimbledon in the League in the last match before the international break.

These three clubs are all in subtly different stages of the managerial merry-go-round, but none are meeting the expectations that were held for them before the start of the season. All three will be hoping for significant improvement when they return to action for the next phase of the 2025-26 season.