Norwich City’s rise up the Championship table under Philippe Clement was incredible, but their terrible start meant their play-off bid fell short.

The Canaries were second bottom in the second tier when the Belgian manager was chosen as the new head coach at Carrow Road in mid-November, but since then, Norwich has picked up the fifth-most points in the division.

Philippe Clement’s squad finished with 44 points in 22 games in 2026, tied with Coventry City and Millwall and just four behind Southampton. With all of that and an enormous injury list, it’s reasonable to say that many are excited to see what Norwich can do with the Belgian in his first full season in charge.

The Canaries have a long tradition of dominating the Championship, but they have fallen short of expectations in recent years. Next year will be their fifth consecutive season in the second tier, the longest stretch since a four-year period in the mid-2000s that ended with relegation to League One in 2009.

However, there is much of confidence that next season will not result in a third-tier relegation, but rather the opposite, with many predicting the Canaries as early promotion favourites heading into the offseason.

Paul Lambert encourages Norwich City to aim for promotion next season.

One man who knows how to get Norwich out of the Championship is Paul Lambert, who oversaw the club’s elevation from the third division to the Premier League in 2009 and 2011.

The 56-year-old Scot believes that under Philippe Clement, Norwich can emulate their success and return to the Premier League for the fourth time since Lambert’s initial elevation 15 years ago.

Lambert told Casinostugan that Norwich is the only team in the area, therefore Carrow Road is constantly filled, which benefits them.It provides you with an opportunity to work with an audience that is similar to Scotland’s and their devotion. “Norwich had a strong finish to the season,

which raises expectations.”The Championship is extremely difficult, but the club’s current state allows them to have a little chance. “They should aim for promotion next season.”

The improvement in home form was critical in getting Norwich’s season back on track under Clement, since the team had lost their opening eight games in all competitions at Carrow Road under Liam Manning.

Since Clement’s hiring in November, the Canaries have lost only four games in front of their home fans while winning 11, which is exactly what Norfolk’s noisy, passionate following wants to see.

Replicating such form throughout the season, as Lambert mentioned, will be critical to establishing a promotion push next season.

Norwich City will need to fight hard to get promoted next season.

Despite its expansion to six teams, next season’s Championship campaign is expected to be extremely competitive, with finishing in the play-offs proving challenging.

Wolves, one from West Ham or Tottenham, and Burnley, who have been promoted in each of their previous two seasons, are among the seasoned Premier League sides on their way down.

Along with Norwich, traditional top dogs such as Sheffield United, Southampton, and West Brom will be in the running, as will teams looking to build on last year’s success, such as Millwall, Derby County, Wrexham, and Birmingham City.

It’s difficult to predict who will be in the Premier League in 2027/28, especially because the season is still months away, but Norwich will fancy their prospects if they can sustain their form for three-quarters of the season.

Philippe Clement will need support in the summer, and if he can bring in some more high-quality players, as he did in January, the Belgian team may be unstoppable next year.