Football League World
·20 May 2024
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·20 May 2024
When he first joined, Batth looked set to be a beneficiary of Sunderland's focus on youth.
The central defender was one of the Black Cats' best players during the 2022/23 campaign - and he proved to be a big miss during their play-off games against Luton Town.
However, he was still released by the Wearside club, who opted to recruit some younger central defenders instead, including Jenson Seelt and Nectarios Triantis.
Unfortunately, the latter two were unable to guide the Black Cats to success during the 2023/24 campaign, with Triantis even going out on loan to Hibernian.
Batth, meanwhile, has been at Norwich since signing a one-year contract with the Canaries last summer.
He looked set to be an important player under David Wagner, with the 33-year-old still able to perform well at this level, despite the fact he's potentially approaching the latter stages of his career now.
But his game time was limited, starting very few games and not making the impact that he would have wanted.
Spending much of the campaign as an unused substitute, the defender also failed to come off the bench for either of the Canaries' games against Leeds United in the play-offs.
Norwich have been consigned to another season in the Championship following their defeat against the Whites, which could have increased Batth's chances of staying for another season as a valuable squad member.
However, there has been uncertainty regarding Batth's future for some time, with the Canaries' participation in the play-offs potentially a key reason why they haven't released their retained list yet.
But the centre-back looks set to be released, with the player remaining at Carrow Road for just one season.
He is still looking to play on and continue his career though - and he may not be short of offers considering how well he performed at the Stadium of Light.
Batth pretty much confirmed his exit on social media yesterday.
The one good thing about his exit is the fact he can assess his options now ahead of the summer - and offers could pour in for him.
He may not attract as much interest as he probably would have done last summer, with the 33-year-old failing to appear that much for Norwich.
However, his CV alone should earn him a move elsewhere.
His time with the Black Cats was memorable and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him remain at this level, potentially with a team that are lower down the table.
Pompey have decided to release Sean Raggett - and Batth could be an excellent replacement as someone who has just as much experience under his belt.
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