McBurnie features: 5 free agents who Norwich City must consider ASAP | OneFootball

Norwich City should look at some of the available talent in the free agent market in order to bolster their squad for the 2024/25 campaign.

On top of the issue of recruitment, the higher-ups at Carrow Road need to deal with the small matter of appointing a new manager.

The club's 4-0 loss to Leeds United in the second leg of the play-off semi-final was David Wagner's last as the boss of the Canaries, and now they are looking all around Europe for options to replace him, including impressive Dutch coach Pascal Jansen.

Getting their next manager appointed quickly will make the job of bringing in additions to the playing staff much more smooth, but these five free agents are ones that Norwich should have their eye on anyway.

Ben Johnson

Soon-to-be former West Ham United full-back Ben Johnson would be a welcome addition to this City squad, who have announced that both Dimitris Giannoulis and Sam McCallum will leave the club when their current deals expire.

Norwich need cover in wide areas, defensively. The top flight experience that he would be able to bring would immediately improve the team.

Teams that do vie for his signature are expected to face competition, with Ipswich Town, Leeds United, and Southampton all interested in him, according to reports, and convincing him to drop down to the Championship might be hard to do.

Oli McBurnie

Currently, striker Oli McBurnie is set to leave Sheffield United this summer, when his contract expires. But, he wasn't included in the list of players that the Blades announced wouldn't be with them for the 2024/25 Championship campaign and reports suggest he's been offered an extension on reduced terms.

Striking options must be considered by the Canaries though, with Leeds said to be looking into making a move for American forward Josh Sargent, as per the Sunday Mirror (19/0, p70).

McBurnie has a solid record in the second tier. He would also provide more diversity in their current frontline, which makes any move for him make sense even if Sargent were to stay.

Divin Mubama

Whereas McBurnie would be an interesting proposition to look at, regardless of whether the American leaves East Anglia, Divin Mubama is a deal to try and prepare in case Sargent goes.

One of the best prospects who is set to appear on the free agent market, the 19-year-old forward looks set to leave West Ham soon. He has also already made appearances in the Premier League, the Europa League, and the Europa Conference League.

Two factors will make this a tough deal to do. Firstly: Sunderland's interest. The Athletic have reported that the Black Cats are favourites to get Mubama in the summer.

Secondly: the timing. Unless Sargent moves on quickly, the teenager may have already committed his future elsewhere by the time they realise they need him.

Josh Knight

Peterborough United is a factory that has been developing English prospects for a few years now. Their most recent batch of exciting products features central defender Josh Knight, who is attracting interest from big European clubs.

Journalist Will Unwin has said that German club Werder Bremen have offered the 26-year-old a new deal.

While the prospect of playing over on the continent could be tempting, the comfortability of his home country may be more appealing to Knight, who was part of the Posh side that made the 23/24 League One play-offs.

Norwich have confirmed that centre-backs Ben Gibson and Danny Batth will depart this summer, making the need for someone like the 26-year-old even greater.

Dan Potts

Defensive cover is the big, glaring issue that has come from City's retained list, with a majority of the players that are confirmed to be leaving being in that area.

While the aforementioned Johnson will help with this, if Norwich were to get him, because of his ability to play in either full-back position, the Canaries will need an out-and-out left-back.

Dan Potts was a solid option for the promotion-winning Luton Town side of a season ago, starting 24 games in the 22/23 campaign.

He is a veteran at the level and would offer more specialised skills on the left-hand side than the West Ham man would.