Chris Lakey Andrew Surman has set his sights on an immediate return to the Premier League and insist the Canaries must take the Championship by storm next season.The 23-year-old didn't need much persuasion to leave Premier League Wolves after just one season - but he is hoping Carrow Road will become the platform for another crack at the top flight.

Chris Lakey

Andrew Surman has set his sights on an immediate return to the Premier League and insist the Canaries must take the Championship by storm next season.

The 23-year-old didn't need much persuasion to leave Premier League Wolves after just one season - but he is hoping Carrow Road will become the platform for another crack at the top flight.

“I am joining a club on a the crest of a wave,” he said. “It was a fantastic achievement last season in getting promoted and the nucleus of the squad is still here.

“Everyone is positive, the manager is positive anyway and I think we are expecting to take the Championship almost by storm really and try and get up that league and our aim is to win it.

“There is no point in setting our goals any lower, we want to go out there and win it - win as many games as we can and get as high up in the league as we can.”

It's ambitious, fighting talk from one of the City newcomers, but he makes no bones about the desire for success he has encountered since signing a three-year deal at City.

“You have to be positive,” said Surman, who came through the ranks at Southampton where he made 144 appearances.

“The manager is positive, you can tell that he believes in the players and he believes in the club and I think that can only rub off on the players as well, because everyone believes that we can do that.

“Obviously it's going to be tough. It's no easy thing coming up into the Championship. It's a level up from League One, but we have good enough players and we're ready for it.”

It was the Lambert factor which swung it for Surman.

“He said obviously we are still positive from last season and he was really ambitious,” he said. “He didn't really have to say too much, looking at the achievement of last season, but what he did was he showed me how positive he was and showed me he wasn't just going to rest on his laurels from last season and that he wanted to push the club forward and wanted me to help do that.

“I was obviously taken in straight away and really impressed and I signed not too long after that and I am really looking forward to it.”

Surman's playing record with Wolves - just three Premier League starts - adds to his determination to succeed at Carrow Road.

“Every player's aim is to play at as high a level as you can,” he said. “I didn't play as much as I would have liked to last season, but I think it was a split decision - I was in the Premiership, but I wasn't playing and there is no point me sitting on the bench every week or sitting in the stands.

“I wanted to try and revamp my career and when Norwich came calling I was really impressed and it is a good opportunity for me to maybe play some more games.”

For the moment it's all about getting ready for the opening game against Watford and shaking off the summer cobwebs.

“It's been as tough as I expected, as pre-season always is,” said Surman. “It's been good, but I'm looking forward to the start of the season now. Everyone expects that and obviously the gaffer's expecting a high level of fitness from us and the lads are working hard.

“I think it improves team spirit because everyone is pulling each other through it. It's mainly the running, it's tough, the blisters and the stiff legs and it's mentally draining as well, but everyone expects it, you know it's going to come and hit you for six weeks at the start of the season.

“We just try and get through it and get as much fitness as we can ready for the start of the season.”