How Philippe Clement feels about Norwich City, Emi Marcondes transfer situation | OneFootball

The Canaries boss has opened up about why the midfielder is set to leave Carrow Road at the end of the season.

Despite Norwich City’s resurgence under Philippe Clement, it is likely the Canaries will just fall short in their quest for the play-offs.

It’s been a staggering turnaround for the East Anglian outfit under the Frenchman, with Clement originally taking over a team second from bottom in the table with nine points from 15 games, as well as losing all eight home matches at the beginning of the term.

Since then, Norwich have taken 45 points from 24 matches, while a 1-0 victory away at Charlton Athletic before the international break stretched Norwich to a run of 12 victories from their last 17 league outings, which has seen them propel into the top-half of the standings and be nine points within a place in the top six.

But with just seven games remaining of the season, Norwich would have to be faultless and hope other sides around them get twitchy, and while it could be possible, it’s a lot of ground to make up in such a short space of time.

So while the Canaries will feel like they have the form to still mount a promotion charge, one eye could be shifting to next season, with Norwich bound to be firm promotion candidates under Clement given their start to life under his guidance.

The playing squad is going to look slightly different, of course, as players come and go at Carrow Road, and midfielder Emi Marcondes is one of those set to head for the exit door after the close of this campaign.

The Dane has confirmed his spell at Carrow Road will come to an end when his contract expires in June, and it’s hardly a surprise given his severe lack of game-time in 2026.

The ex-Bournemouth and Brentford man hasn’t featured in the Championship since the opening week of the new year, with Clement favouring younger and more dynamic players to feature in attacking midfield.

With this in mind, Clement has opened up about Marcondes’ transfer situation, and why the club have refused to let him extend his stay in yellow and green.

Philippe Clement opens up on “honesty” to Emi Marcondes over impending Carrow Road exit

As reported by the Pink Un, Norwich City boss Philippe Clement believes it was important to offer Emi Marcondes “honesty” over his future, with the midfielder not viewed as a “long term” asset by the Frenchman as he continues to lead the Canaries forward.

Clement said: "I think Emi can still have an important part along the way. You never know how things go. He's doing everything and he's training well.

"But one moment you need to decide as a club also to look longer term. We knew we wanted to get a different profile number 10 in, what we did with Paris (Maghoma), who has a younger profile also, for now and for the future.

"Then it becomes more difficult and you need to be honest with your players. For me, that's super, super important. I want to keep my integrity, so that people know that I will always tell the truth to them.

"You see that Emi, he was not happy with it, of course, but he reacted respectfully because it was brought also with respect and respect for what he did for the club also in the years before. We will deliver him towards his next club in good condition because we will work hard with him over the next few weeks. Like we did the last few weeks, from the moment that we had the talk.”

Clement added: "It's also important that we help him to be top fit. He also needs to help the team by staying positive and working hard. If that's not the case, then I need to react differently.

"I want to keep this dressing room really healthy, and you don't need players who are complaining or unhappy or whatever.

"Then there are discussions about that, where this is coming from. So I expect everybody to work hard and to stay positive and Emi is doing that. He will be ready then for his next step also in a good way."

Norwich City have handled Emi Marcondes’ situation the right way

While Emi Marcondes won’t have been happy to discover so early that his Norwich City stay is all but over, it’s refreshing to see the club and coaching staff be honest with the midfielder and provide clarity so he can begin to prepare for his next chapter.

The Dane will have had an idea that his exit from Carrow Road was impending due to his inability to feature regularly under Clement, but the Frenchman has made it clear that he has to prioritise the long-term future of the team and play younger players that can build up their second tier experience and be assets to the club for years to come.

Marcondes, unfortunately, is heading towards the wrong end of his career, but he now has plenty of time to assess his options and decide what club is best for his own interests this summer.

Meanwhile, the midfielder should be motivated more than ever to give his all in a Norwich shirt for the final few games, if called upon, potentially contributing to the Canaries making a late dash for the play-offs.

It’s pleasing to see that the club and Marcondes are on the same page about how they view his future, with too many clubs handing out false promises that they can’t stick to.