Norwich release 19 PLAYERS including ex-Premier League ace in major squad cull after Championship playoffs humiliation

NORWICH have released 19 players after failing to earn promotion to the Premier League.

The Canaries finished the season in sixth and were then demolished 4-0 by Leeds in the play-off semi-final.

With the club remaining in the Championship for another season, Norwich have announced that 19 players are now unemployed.

Ex-Premier League star Ben Gibson is one of those who have been let go.

The 31-year-old centre-back previously played for Middlesbrough, Burnley and Norwich in the top-flight.

Fellow defender Danny Batth has also departed after just a year at Carrow Road.

And left-back Dimitris Giannoulis, who played 38 times for the club this season, is now a free agent too.

Jon McCracken and Sam McCallum also depart, while loanee Sydney van Hooijdonk is set to return to his parent club Bologna.

From their Under-21s side, 11 players have not earned a contract extension.

Heading out the door is Flynn Clarke, Kenny Coker, Joe Duffy, Dubem Eze, Pedro Lima, Marcel McIntosh, Michael Reindorf, Regan Riley, Joe Rose, Sean Stewart and Ben Watt.

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And the Under-18 stars now without a team are Pedro Amadou, Benjamin McCabe, Alfie Pinyoun and Harrison Thompson.

Norwich also confirmed that Jacob Sorensen and Archie Mair have signed new deals.

Meanwhile, Adam Idah has returned from his loan at Celtic and Christos Tzolis remains with Fortuna Dusseldorf until at the end of the German season.

After their humiliation against Leeds, manager David Wagner was sacked in the first move of the huge summer overhaul in Norfolk.

Norwich want to appoint a boss capable of implementing a more attack-minded brand of football.

They have been linked with Arsenal assistant Carlos Cuesta.

Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has been approached – but he is not interested in the job.

SunSport can exclusively reveal that ex-AZ Alkmaar gaffer Pascal Jensen is now Norwich’s top target.