Norwich City are looking short in midfield after the departure of Pierre Lees-Melou to Stade Brestois this week.

Dean Smith will be working hard on bringing in a creative midfielder after Lees-Melous left for Stade Brestois this week, leaving them with just four central midfielders.

It also creates a gap in the midfield for creativity with Smith preferring to opt for a 4-3-3, something Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell are not suited to.

This will mean that they'll need to move for a creative midfielder to fill the void left be Lees-Melous with the Frenchman failing to hit the heights he did with Nice in Ligue 1.

Lees-Melous only showed glimpses of his ability in the Norwich midfield, having come in off the back of a positive spell with Nice, accumulating 34 goal contributions during his time with the French side.

With a need to bring in at least one more central midfielder, we take a look at three options Dean Smith and Norwich should consider as they look to bounce back to the Premier League.

Matt Grimes

Grimes has been with Swansea for a number of years and his ability at Championship level has never been questioned.

He's been the beating heart of the Swansea side under several managers and is now captain of the club.

With his overall quality and passing ability, as well as knowhow of playing in a possession based team, Grimes seems to perfect addition to how Dean Smith wants to set up.

Not only that, he's been one of the most consistent players in the Championship and will add some much needed leadership into the midfield.

Tom Cairney

The Fulham captain returned to impressive form last season in the final run-in for Fulham as they gained promotion to the Premier League.

A source of goals and assists, it could be argued that it wouldn't be a surprise to see him drop down a level considering he's been underwhelming at the top level on his three seasons.

Cairney managed four assists in 16 starts last season and came up with goals in key games.

His leadership and ability to roam and create chances will be a huge benefit to Dean Smith's set up.

This is without mentioning his experience and knowhow of getting out of the Championship. Three promotions, including playoff and title wins, he's been there and done it in the second tier.

Ben Whiteman

Whiteman has displayed plenty of potential in his short time at Preston so far and he will be a huge player for them in the coming season.

Whiteman creates an average 1.4 chances per game, dictating play from a deeper position and thrived in a possession based under Ryan Lowe.

Dean Smith will undoubtedly play a similar system and with him sitting deep, dictating the tempo of the game, that will allow the other creators to thrive in advanced areas.