"They aren't at the level" - Norwich City backed over triple exit decision | OneFootball

Angus Gunn, Onel Hernandez and Jacob Sorensen will depart Carrow Road this summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Norwich City will be moving into a new era from next season.

In the first full season under new majority owner Mark Attanasio, the Canaries will have a new man in the dugout, and now only Kenny McLean and reserve goalkeeper Daniel Barden will remain from their 2020/21 Championship-winning squad.

This comes after Norwich announced the departure of Onel Hernandez and Jacob Sorensen, alongside goalkeeper Angus Gunn, as part of their end-of-season retained list.

Onel Hernandez was part of both the Championship-winning campaigns under Daniel Farke, with Sorensen joining in with the second promotion party following his arrival in 2020. Gunn arrived ahead of the 2021/22 season and, after playing just nine times in the Premier League, has been the club's first-choice stopper in the three seasons since their return to the second tier.

All three will leave Carrow Road with fond memories, but FLW's Norwich City fan pundit, Zeke Downes, feels that their release is ultimately the right decision.

Fan Pundit feels the Nowrich City trio's time was up

Speaking to Football League World on whether he felt that Norwich City made the right moves in letting Gunn, Hernandez and Sorensen go, Zeke felt that it was time for Sorensen and Hernandez, with Gunn's decision being "the only one that maybe could've gone either way.

"I think that [Gunn's] been let go because he has dropped in form this season and he's not looked at the standard as he's done previously," he stated.

"It's a bit of a shame it hasn't worked out as well as we would have hoped, as he is a local boy and his Dad is a legend at the club, but I think it's the right move for everyone."

Angus' dad, Bryan, made close to 500 appearances at Norwich City and even managed the club for a short period in 2009.

Whilst Onel Hernandez and Jacob Sorensen haven't reached the cult hero status that Bryan Gunn achieved, they still depart having contributed to some silverware.

Zeke continued: "Hernandez and Sorensen have been bit part players in the squad recently, but they have won titles with us, and that's always going to be a really fond memory.

"It was the right time to let them both go, though. They aren't at the level that we need right now."

Trio of releases shows intent by new Norwich City board

With Gunn still starting the majority of games in goal for the Canaries this season, and Hernandez and Sorensen still serving as reliable back-ups, their release ultimately shows how Norwich, under the ownership of Mark Attanasio, are going to be ruthless in their pursuit of the Premier League.

Johannes Hoff Thorup was dismissed, thanks in part to the new ownership, and it seems that the new owners at Carrow Road are going to be acting similarly when it comes to whether they feel the squad is at the level to challenge at the top, too.

It seems that Norwich will be looking to throw their names back in the proverbial play-off hat ahead of the 2025/26 season - it'll be interesting to see what upgrades they will be looking to bring in over the summer to replace those they have released.