Barnes on £30k-a-week: Who are Norwich City's 5 best paid players? | OneFootball

FLW looks at those at the top of the Carrow Road payroll

The opening months of the Johannes Hoff Thorup era at Norwich City have been a mixed bag in terms of both performances and results.

After parting ways with David Wagner following a sixth-placed finish in last season's Championship, the Dane was poached from FC Nordsjaelland just two weeks later, and immediately set about bringing a new philosophy to Carrow Road.

This was proven by numerous permanent and temporary summer recruits which pointed towards the future in East Anglia, in particular the likes of Jose Córdoba, Ante Crnac, Amankwah Forson and Oscar Schwartau.

As a result, the Canaries are said to have the joint fourth-lowest average age in the division - 24.6 - but still have a number of experienced bodies within their ranks to call upon.

This has made for a very intriguing blend of flair players and dependable performers within the squad. And, with that being said, Football League World looks at the five players who are at the top of Norwich's estimated payroll of £417,500 per-week, based on ESTIMATED figures from Capology.

Kenny McLean

£25,000 per-week

Kickstarting this list is City vice-captain and Scottish central midfielder, Kenny McLean.

McLean's weekly salary of £25,000 per week is also the same figure as Canaries' goalscorer extraordinare, Josh Sargent, and goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

The experienced midfielder and 41-time international signed for the club back in 2018 from Aberdeen, and after initially being sent back on loan to Pittodrie, became an integral part of two second tier-winning campaigns under Daniel Farke in 2019 and 2021.

The Scot has also made 68 Premier League appearances for Norwich, and after signing his most recent contract extension last September - which could run up to the summer of 2027 - has become the club's on-pitch captain on several occasions due to Grant Hanley's persistent injury issues.

After making 52 appearances across all competitions last term and being named as City's Player of the Year, McLean's key role within the squad under Hoff Thorup has remained, despite being handed a four-game ban on two separate occasions so far this season.

Ashley Barnes

£30,000 per-week

Experienced frontman Ashley Barnes was handed a two-year deal at Carrow Road after his arrival on a free transfer last July, following his release from Burnley.

The 35-year-old,who has three promotions from the Championship on his CV from his time at Turf Moor, provided a different profile of striker to the likes of Sargent and Adam Idah during Wagner's final season in East Anglia.

Barnes netted six times and assisted a further five goals for his teammates across 35 Championship games due to the occasional purple patch, as well as suffering knee ligament damage back in September 2023.

Unfortunately for the Austrian international, further injury issues have blighted his current campaign after a calf problem saw him undergo surgery, which has seen him make just a handful of recent substitute cameos under the new management.

However, amid links of a potential switch to high-flying Sheffield United in January, Hoff Thorup clearly values what Barnes is able to bring to the Norwich squad, with the head coach seemingly content with keeping him at Carrow Road for the time being.

Grant Hanley

£30,000 per-week

Next up is Canaries skipper Grant Hanley, who is now in his eighth season with the club, having joined from Newcastle United all the way back in 2017.

The former Blackburn Rovers man is one of very few survivors from their Championship-winning sides of 2019 and 2021, and it was during this period which the Scottish defender asserted himself as a fans' favourite for his commitment to the cause.

Regardless of Norwich's relegation from the Premier League in 2021, Hanley was handed a contract extension by the club, which continues to run until next summer, meaning his immediate future with the club could be under threat.

Hanley suffered a serious achilles injury in April 2023 which kept him in the treatment room until December of last year, before yet another issue saw him sidelined for a bulk of games at the end of the campaign - featuring just 12 times across all competitions.

Despite starting and captaining the side once again in the first game of the Hoff Thorup era against Oxford United in August, Hanley has made just a handful of appearances thus far, mainly being named on the substitutes bench behind Shane Duffy and Jose Córdoba.

Jack Stacey

£35,000 per-week

Right-back Jack Stacey is one of two players at Norwich earning the highest-value weekly wage of £35,000 per week, having signed a three-year deal in May 2023 following his release from AFC Bournemouth.

The 28-year-old featured in all 46 regular league outings across his first season for the Yellows - 43 of which came from the off - as he more-than proved himself as not just a combative performer against opposition wingers, but as a creative threat from deep within the Norwich side with one goal and six assists.

This season has seen Stacey battle it out with hot prospect Kellen Fisher for the starting berth under Hoff Thorup.

But, similarly to the other names on this list, the man with over 25 top flight appearances to his name has remained a key part of the Danish boss' plans with at least 20 games under his belt so far this campaign.

Shane Duffy

£35,000 per-week

The final name in this particular quintet is Republic of Ireland international, Shane Duffy.

Yet another defender with bags of experience at this level, the 32-year-old is currently in the second of three seasons on his contract with the club, having signed on a free transfer last June after being released by Fulham.

As a result of Hanley's aforementioned injury issues, Duffy established a strong partnership with Ben Gibson last term, despite the fact Norwich conceded 64 goals across 46 league games.

So far this season, the leadership qualities which the former promotion-winner with Brighton and Hove Albion and 61-time international provides have been evident.

Duffy has started in every single one of City's Championship outings under Hoff Thorup, and has been handed the captain's armband on the occasions where the previously highlighted McLean has been suspended.