Norwich City column: Not a mountain to climb this summer for the Canaries but a squad rebuild is needed

The final-day defeat by already-relegated Blackpool on Monday condemned us to a bottom half finish - an embarrassing effort for a club whose aim was promotion.

The reasons for that failure have been well documented and I have no appetite to repeat them again.

All I will say is that heading into the summer, this club finds itself at such a low ebb.

For many, the only way for Norwich City to awaken from that slumber is for Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones to relinquish control to Mark Attanasio - and for Stuart Webber and David Wagner to pack their bags.

In essence, a complete reset is needed.

How many of those happen, if any, will become clear over the coming weeks and months.

One thing already certain is that we will see significant changes on the pitch.

Teemu Pukki's departure has been well-publicised in recent weeks, while it has also been announced that Kieran Dowell and Sam Byram will both leave at the end of their contracts.

More will follow, as we look to reduce our wage bill and free up funds.

The focus must now be on addressing the soft core of this squad.

We need more players with fight, character and Championship know-how to complement the young talent we have at our disposal.

With that in mind, it is not a surprise we have already been linked with Ashley Barnes.

The Burnley striker, available on a free transfer, would provide that nasty streak we are lacking.

To try and end on a high and offer some hope, despite all the doom and gloom, I don't think we have a mountain to climb.

Yes changes are needed, but in the likes of Gabriel Sara, Josh Sargent, Liam Gibbs, Bali Mumba, Marcelino Nunez, Andrew Omobamidele and Adam Idah, we have a group of players that are all under the age of 23 years old - and all capable of taking their games to the next level with the right coaching.

Have a great summer!