- Norwich City’s goalkeepers and full-backs have already been rated.
- It was a season of transition in the centre-back position.
- How each of Norwich’s centre-backs performed in 2025/26.
In recent days, ReadNorwich has rated the club’s goalkeepers and full-backs on their performances for the club in the 2025/26 campaign.
So far, Kellen Fisher has the highest rating with a score of 8.5 out of 10, followed by Vladan Kovacevic’s score of 8 out of 10.
Now, it is time for the central defenders in the squad to come under the microscope for their performances over the past nine months.
Shane Duffy: 3
Without going into our shared incident after the loss to Derby County under Liam Manning, Shane Duffy cannot score a high rating on the basis of the 2025/26 campaign.
He played the fewest games (four) and the fewest minutes (259) of all the centre-backs in the squad, and Norwich picked up one point from the three games that he started.
Some questioned the logic behind Stuart Webber giving him a three-year contract when he first signed, and it did feel like a season too many for the Ireland international in the end.
Duffy will officially leave the club when his contract expires this summer and I wish him well at his next club.
Jakov Medic: 5.5
The next centre-back with the fewest minutes played will not come as a surprise to anyone, as Jakov Medic played 18 times in all competitions and racked up 1,350 minutes.
Ben Knapper signed him from Ajax last summer to be a brick wall at the heart of Manning’s defence, but it was clear early on that he did not have the mobility to perform effectively at Championship level.
Medic was not a total disaster for the Canaries, as he won 59% of his ground duels and 56% of his aerial duels, but he would have been more suited to playing for a team that sits deep and looks to hit on the counter.
The Croatian colossus stepped in and did a job when needed, such as when he played as a centre-forward against Sheffield Wednesday and started against Portsmouth over Easter, but he ended the season as a back-up option.
He could be a very solid Championship centre-back for a team with a different style of play, and that is why I would not be surprised to see him move on this summer.
Jose Cordoba: 7.5
Jose Cordoba played 30 matches in all competitions and racked up 2,431 minutes played, even playing some games at left-back during Manning’s tenure.
The style of play and system that the former Norwich boss wanted the team to deploy left the Panama international heavily exposed in the first 15 games of the season.
He looked out of his depth in a hybrid left-back and left-sided centre-back role that left him with far too much space to cover, with his most difficult afternoon coming in the 3-2 defeat to Wrexham.
Cordoba quickly established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet under Philippe Clement, though, and ended the campaign on a high.
The left-footed monster ended the campaign in the top 1% of centre-backs in the Championship for ball recoveries per 90 (6.20) thanks to his brilliant reading of the game, physicality, and pace.
You only have to watch the video above to understand just how highly his teammates rate him, as he won the club’s final Player of the Month award of the season.
It is now exciting to think about what Cordoba can do in a full season under Clement in the Championship next term.
Ruairi McConville: 7.5
It feels right to rate Ruairi McConville and Cordoba the same because they went through similar journeys over the course of the season.
Despite being available, the Northern Ireland international did not make his first appearance in the Championship until November and only featured in three of Manning’s 15 league games in charge.
McConville then played in 22 of the next 31 league games, missing five through injury, and formed a solid defensive pairing with Cordoba.
The 21-year-old star provided an incredibly dominant presence at the back for the Canaries, winning 63% of his ground duels and 66% of his aerial battles.
McConville and Cordoba has to be the favoured centre-back pairing when the Championship campaign kicks off again in August.
Harry Darling: 6.5
Harry Darling played the most games (38) and the most minutes (3,286) of any centre-back in the squad in the season just gone.
Speaking to the Beyond the Barclay podcast recently, the defender said:
“I thought I’d done alright at the start, but I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve been too happy with the way I’ve been this year on the pitch, which is frustrating.
“I came in wanting to be a massive part straight away, and I felt like I started well, but maybe tailed off a little bit. I’m disappointed with that, but that’s football; there are so many ups and downs, and I’ll probably have more times like that and obviously more good times, hopefully at Norwich.”
It is refreshing to see such honesty from a player about their own performances, but Darling was far from a flop at Carrow Road.
The free signing from Swansea played his part in the revival under Clement and ended the season with a ground duel success rate of 76%, the highest in the squad.
Darling may not have been as impressive as McConville and Cordoba, but you will not find many better third-choice centre-backs at this level.
Few supporters will be disappointed if they see his name on the teamsheet because one of the other centre-backs are absent for any games next season.
