Harry Amass signs: Norwich City's dream XI to face West Brom on Championship opening day | OneFootball

FLW looks at the ideal starting eleven for Norwich City as they begin their first full campaign under Philippe Clement

The 2026/27 Championship campaign is on the horizon, and Norwich City are heading into it as true dark horses.

The Canaries picked up the fifth-most points in the second tier in the 31 games that Philippe Clement oversaw in the dugout, and only Southampton picked up more points in 2026 than Norwich, too.

Despite being second-bottom when the Belgian boss came in for Liam Manning, Norwich's play-off chase only ran out of steam in the penultimate game of the campaign, showing how impressive the turnaround was at Carrow Road last year.

So, with a full pre-season behind him, and a transfer window that Clement himself believes is almost done already, there's plenty of hope that, if the squad can stay fit, Norwich could find themselves back in the Premier League come May.

The race for that promotion begins on August 15 at Carrow Road against West Brom, and this would be the ideal starting lineup for the Canaries for that test against the Baggies.

GK - Vladan Kovacevic

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There were some potential question marks towards the end of the season about whether Norwich would be looking to move on from Vladan Kovacevic after just one year as their number one.

The Bosnian shot-stopper only kept eight clean sheets, and his save percentage was below 70%. But he still prevented 4.71 expected goals throughout the campaign, and his distribution was above par, too.

Kovacevic will continue to be the first choice at Carrow Road, and both he and Norwich fans will be hoping for an improved year.

RB - Jack Stacey

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Norwich are, unfortunately, heading into the new campaign with a couple of injuries already. One of which will see Kellen Fisher absent for the entirety of August.

Jack Stacey is a very solid backup, though, and he'll be expected to hold down the fort until the exciting 22-year-old makes his return.

CB - Jose Cordoba

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Jose Cordoba heads into his third campaign at Norwich off the back of a very impressive World Cup campaign with Panama this summer. Despite heading out in the group stage, the 25-year-old had several solid showings, especially in the final game against England.

Cordoba was nearly ever-present in the side throughout 2026, starting all but two of Norwich's final 18 league games last season, so it's evident he has an admirer in Philippe Clement.

His strong summer showing with his national team will almost solidify his place in the back four.

CB - Harry Darling

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It's a real toss-up for the other centre-back spot between Harry Darling and young Northern Irishman Ruari McConville, but we've just gone with the former.

Darling offers plenty of experience across the backline, and while Philippe Clement liked to chop and change between the 26-year-old and McConville, Darling did get the nod for important games towards the end of the campaign.

It's a good selection headache to have, though.

LB - Harry Amass

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Phillipe Clement does think that the majority of Norwich's transfer business is done this summer, but there'll still be some desire to bring a right-back to Carrow Road.

According to The Athletic, Manchester United could be open to letting young left-back Harry Amass leave Old Trafford permanently this summer, slapping a £6 million price tag on the 19-year-old.

Amass only made the one substitute appearance at Norwich after arriving on loan in January before injury ended his season, and the Canaries could be interested in bringing him back permanently, especially after his strong showings in the division at Sheffield Wednesday.

CM - Pelle Mattsson

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Pelle Mattsson really grew into his debut campaign at Norwich last year, struggling initially under Liam Manning before ending up captaining the side on the final day at Hull City.

That armband nod shows how highly Philippe Clement rates the 24-year-old, and there'll definitely be expectation that the former Silkeborg man can progress even further in his sophomore year at Carrow Road.

CM - Kenny McLean

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Mattson likely won't be wearing the armband for the visit of West Brom, though, as club captain Kenny McLean will likely occupy the second central midfield role, kicking off his ninth campaign at Carrow Road.

The 34-year-old veteran was one of the few outfielders at Norwich last season who went the whole campaign without suffering any serious injuries. He started 39 consecutive games between gameweeks seven and 45, highlighting his importance to the squad.

That likely won't change, even with returning players, and he'll be expected to lead by example again in the heart of the midfield.

RW - Andre Brooks

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Former Sheffield United academy man Andre Brooks is Norwich's marquee signing this summer, with the Canaries spending £8 million to bring him in from their Championship rivals.

With a knee injury cutting his campaign short last season, there are some question marks over whether he'll be fully ready to go from the start against West Brom. The 22-year-old was absent from a pre-season outing with Fulham, but is expected to return to action against Osasuna on August 1.

With the Carabao Cup clash with MK Dons before the curtain-raiser against West Brom, there'll be plenty of time for him to get fit enough to start.

CAM - Anis Ben Slimane

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Like with centre-back, there's a real depth of talent queuing up at Norwich in the attacking midfield department. Paris Maghoma and Oscar Schwartau could stake a claim to start in the number 10 role.

However, Anis Ben Slimane had a real purple patch of form under Philippe Clement when he returned to the fold in January, and he was the main option behind the striker during their impressive run in 2026.

With five goals and two assists in just 15 league starts last season, the Tunisian attacking midfielder could be in for a big year in 2026/27.

LW - Oscar Schwartau

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Danish attacking midfielder Schwartau may not dislodge Ben Slimane from the starting lineup for the curtain-raiser, but the 20-year-old will definitely fancy his chances of playing off the left alongside him.

Schwartau had an extended run in the side in the final few months of 2025, playing the final few weeks of Liam Manning's time in charge before being the starting option for Clement until the new year.

He made only four starts following New Year's Day, but with Ali Ahmed spending the majority of the off-season with the Canadian national team for the World Cup, the 20-year-old has been able to perform in pre-season with Norwich, so he could do enough to persuade the Belgian boss to give him the nod.