Norwich City manager Neil Adams has confirmed that midfielder David Fox and goalkeeper Carlo Nash are the only two players to have left the club so far this summer – as he begins planning a Championship promotion push.
Adams was joined by City chief executive David McNally and chairman Alan Bowkett for a press conference confirming his permanent appointment as the club's first-team manager this lunchtime.
The former Canaries midfielder confirmed Fox and Nash were the only players in the current squad who were out of contract, that the club don't have an option to extend, and that the fringe duo would be leaving.
However Adams is not expecting too many changes to his squad this summer, saying: 'I don't anticipate wholesale changes at all, as I say the vast majority of the players are 100 per cent behind the club.
'I think we saw that with the performances that we got in the last five games against some very tough teams.
'I think you saw in the vast majority of the minutes we played in that the players their attitude was excellent, their commitment was excellent and their desire, one of many other things that we have guarantee when a player pulls on the yellow and green jersey, again that's something that I have to focus on.'
Fox played 76 times for City and was a key part of Paul Lambert's team which were promoted from the Championship in 2011.
The midfielder played a regular part for City during their first season in the Premier League but played just twice in the league during Chris Hughton's reign of almost two seasons.
The 30-year-old only featured in City's two FA Cup third round games against Fulham in January this season, following a loan spell at Barnsley earlier in the campaign when he played seven times for the Championship club.
Veteran former Manchester City goalkeeper Nash, now aged 40, was only signed as cover for John Ruddy and Mark Bunn while youngster Declan Rudd has been on loan at Preston and never made an appearance for City.
Adams said he is already starting to shape the squad that he wants, saying: 'Things have been ongoing, I was obviously the manager for the last five games of the season so there's plans already been put in place regarding players, regarding potential transfer targets,' Adams said.
'So the priority, obviously with the players away, is to deal with those ongoing issues and making sure that we're ready and right to go when the players report back.'
Adams said the club have not yet had any approaches for any of their players this summer but said he realises some of his players are likely to leave following relegation from the Premier League.
'There'll be some of course, it's a case of sitting down with players, that's already been done, already been dealt with at the end of last season, finding out the players who want to be on board,' the City boss continued.
'I think that's the key message there, some players might want to be on board some might not.
'I think the message certainly for me as the manager of the club is that I've got a group of players that want to play for Norwich City, that have fire in their bellies and are good players.
'There's a really good core group of players here already, it's imperative that we keep of many as them as we can and of course add to that with better ones who leave the club.'
Chairman Alan Bowkett added: 'Neil has already been given the financial brief that if he wants to keep every player that we have, then we have the financial resources to do that.'
Adams is clear on what his job is for next season though – steering the Canaries back to the Premier League.
'I'm looking no further than beyond the first game of next season, that's what I'm working to now, to getting it right for the first game of the season,' Adams said.
'The club belongs in the Premier League, it's a Premier League set up with Premier League support, without a shadow of a doubt, there's no hiding away from that.
'As I said before there's a lot of people hurting, including myself and the gentlemen alongside me (Bowkett and McNally). We need to get this club back into the Premier League, that's our sole priority and our sole focus now.'
Related links
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