Any thoughts about summer transfer moves will not be accepted in the Norwich City dressing room as attentions turn to building for a return to the Championship, Canaries stalwart Alex Tettey has insisted.
The 34-year-old midfielder knows all about the intensity of the second tier battle and is not interested in anyone’s personal ambitions as relegated City navigate a difficult final three games against Chelsea, Burnley and Manchester City.
“The season is not done and whoever has hopes of leaving or whatever, they need to put that aside,” Tettey said after a disappointing 4-0 home loss to West Ham. “I’ve been here and we’ve had good enough teams with players who hoped they would leave and all that stuff.
“In these circumstances if you start thinking like this I don’t think they should be doing that, they should be thinking about the rest of the games.
“After the season people can start doing business if things come in to them but I think we have to take the criticisms that we are young or not experienced enough, or not good enough or whatever, we just have to take it.”
The former Norway midfielder continued: “We knew it was going to be difficult. Since I’ve been here I’ve never been thinking about leaving the club but maybe (other) players are different and what they are going to do, I don’t really care, that’s up to the club.
“But whoever wants to be here next season and knows the Championship mentality-wise, they need to be ready for it - and that’s what after these three games it will be all about, getting together a team that can bounce back and fight.”
City head to Chelsea tomorrow before hosting Burnley on Saturday and travelling to dethroned champions Manchester City on the final day, with Tettey desperate for defensive steel.
“I want to see improvement in the goals that we have been giving teams, it needs to stop,” he added. “If we can improve on that, we can stay in games and have the chance of getting something.
“That’s my short term improvement. We can’t give up, we can’t totally go to these places and be a shamble, that’s when we will be proper thrashed six, seven or even eight nil – if we don’t stop going into games and making these mistakes.”
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