- Kenny McLean has penned a contract with Norwich through to the summer of 2028.
- The Scotland international will be eligible for a testimonial if he sees the deal through.
- McLean has had plenty of eye-catching central midfield partners over the years.
Norwich City officially confirmed that club captain Kenny McLean has put pen to paper on a new two-year contract on Wednesday night.
The central midfielder’s deal was due to expire in the summer of 2027, after his 12-month extension was activated last year, and now he is locked in at Carrow Road until 2028.
McLean has racked up 310 appearances for the club in all competitions so far, winning two Championship titles and playing 68 times in the Premier League.
The Scottish star has had many impressive central midfield pairing throughout his time in Norfolk, and we have attempted to rank the top five…
5: Pelle Mattsson
Whilst this is a partnership that is ongoing and yet to win any silverware, Pelle Mattsson already looks like one of the best players who McLean has played alongside.
Philippe Clement made them his first-choice pairing in the middle of the park to take the Canaries from 23rd to ninth during his time in the dugout.
They played 35 games as a pairing in the 2025/26 campaign and averaged 1.45 points per game, including the dreadful start to the season under Liam Manning.
Hopefully, the Danish destroyer will go on to be one of the many central midfielders who have won titles alongside McLean.
4: Mario Vrancic
One of the icons of the Daniel Farke era, Mario Vrancic had so many special moments in a Norwich shirt and often played alongside McLean in midfield.
The pair played 56 times together for the German head coach, winning two Championship titles, and averaged 1.57 points per game.
Vrancic, though, often came off the bench for the Canaries because Farke preferred other players to start, which may have been because he was not as mobile and defensively sound as other partners for McLean.
There was no doubt about his quality on the ball, though, as the left-footed wizard racked up 13 goals and 12 assists in the two title-winning seasons combined.
3: Gabriel Sara
Some may be surprised that Gabriel Sara is not higher on this list, but the Brazilian star does make the top three.
The left-footed magician and McLean both started all 48 of Norwich’s Championship games, including the play-offs, in the 2023/24 campaign, leading the team to a play-off semi-final.
Sara scored 13 goals and provided 12 assists from central midfield in the league that term, earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year, whilst McLean won the club’s Player of the Season award.
However, partly down to David Wagner’s tactics and partly down to McLean and Sara’s profiles, Norwich had the sixth-worst xGA (64.4) in the league that term.
Norwich’s woeful defence ultimately cost them promotion, as they were hammered 4-0 by Leeds at Elland Road, and the midfield pairing played a role in that, as neither have natural defensive instincts.
2: Tom Trybull
Coming in at second place, German midfielder Tom Trybull deserves to take this spot because of his outstanding performances in the 2018/19 campaign.
McLean and Trybull averaged 2.38 points per game as a midfield pairing that term, which would be 110 points over 46 games.
The German star ranked in the top 1% of midfielders for defensive contributions per 90 (9.73) in the league that season, showing that he provided the exceptional defensive work that McLean did not get from Vrancic and Sara.
Trybull and the Scottish ace did not play tonnes of matches alongside each other, playing 32 games as a pairing in total, but they were incredibly effective when they did.
1: Ollie Skipp
It just had to be. Number one, of course, goes to Ollie Skipp after his season on loan at Norwich in the 2020/21 Championship campaign.
The England U21 international joined from Tottenham Hotspur and almost immediately struck up a perfect partnership with McLean in midfield.
They won 81 points in 36 games alongside each other in the middle of the park, an average of 2.25 points per game, as the Canaries won the league title under Farke.
Skipp ranked in the top 3% of midfielders for defensive contributions (215), the top 2% for tackles won (100), and the top 1% for passes made (2,208), as he showcased his ability on and off the ball.
Like Trybull, the English star did the ‘dirty’ work in midfield to allow McLean’s technical ability to shine through, whilst he was also an exceptional passer in his own right.
It will forever be a ‘what if?’ moment when Norwich supporters think back about what could have happened if the club signed him permanently after their promotion to the Premier League.
Now, Skipp is set to play in League One with Leicester and McLean could be on his way back to the top-flight again with Norwich under Clement.
