THE vultures are circling Carrow Road. Bottom of the table, seven points adrift of safety and with just one league win since November, things are looking ominous for Norwich City.
If – as looks increasing likely to be the case – they strike out in their top-flight return and slump back to the Championship come May, the remaining Premier League clubs will be ready to cherry-pick the Canaries’ best talent, and no Norwich player will be in higher demand than Emiliano Buendia.
The Argentinian winger found himself on Aston Villa’s shopping list last month and, so impressive has he been this season despite his side’s struggles, is now reportedly attracting interest from champions-elect Liverpool.
If the Reds were to move for Buendia, it wouldn’t be the first time they have shopped in the relegation bargain bucket, with Andrew Robertson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri all swapping demoted clubs for Anfield. And with the quality the Norwich attacker has demonstrated in the Premier League this season, other high-aspiring sides would be well advised to follow Liverpool’s lead.
Emi Buendia p90 in the Premier League this season:
4.2 successful take-ons
3.4 chances created
2.9 tackles won
1.5 shotsOnly KDB is creating more chances p90. pic.twitter.com/eCAA6RGo5L
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) February 12, 2020
Although the 23-year-old has some way yet to go in his career before he can be considered a comparable talent, his game echoes aspects of Manchester City pair Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva. His value in counter-attacking situations and ability to thread incisive passes from out wide is reminiscent of how De Bruyne emerged as one of Europe’s hottest talents while at Wolfsburg, and his touch, close control and ability to create space and time for himself with subtle touches away from attentive defenders all have shades of Silva.
What is most impressive about Buendia’s performances this season is that, despite lining up for a desperately struggling side, his creative productivity ranks him alongside the league’s established elite. His average of 3.4 key passes per 90 minutes, for example, is second only to De Bruyne (4) of all players to have featured in at least 100 minutes of Premier League football this season, while his 4.2 completed dribbles per 90 is the division’s seventh-best and his return of seven assists can only be topped by De Bruyne (15) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (10). And when it comes to through-balls leading directly to a shot on goal, he is the Premier League’s best, with a total of nine for the campaign so far.
Buendia has shown not only the quality to fit in at a top club such as Liverpool this season but also the style of play to match what is demanded at Anfield, the Etihad or anywhere else where versatility, positional intelligence and off-ball work ethic are demanded traits. His 57 successful tackles is a higher total than any attacking player in the English top flight, while he has also chipped in with an impressive 19 interceptions, evidencing an ability and willingness to hunt the ball at the breakdown of play.
The former Getafe man has played predominantly from the right wing for the Canaries this term, but he is equally comfortable on the opposite flank or even as a central playmaker in the No.10 role. Such versatility would enable him to rack up significant playing time should he move to top-six side, without the need to necessarily be inserted immediately as a regular starter – perhaps fulfilling a role similar to the one Liverpool recruited Takumi Minamino from Red Bull Salzburg to assume in January, or the one Adam Lallana will vacate at Anfield when his current contract expires this summer.
A run of sloppy on-ball errors and poor form earlier in the season saw Norwich boss Daniel Farke drop Buendia from his line-up for a period. But it is to the player’s credit that he has hunkered down, worked on his game and made the necessary adjustments to regain his place.
The one major concern hanging over Buendia at present is his lack of goals. The Argentinian scored an impressive eight times as Norwich romped to the Championship title last season but is yet to register a single goal in the Premier League. Furthermore, when adding in his La Liga experience, he has just one goal to his name in 44 career top-flight games. Although his expected goals total for 2019-20 of 1.84 hints he isn’t in a position to threaten goal all too often, it does suggest he has had sufficient chances to open his account.
His creative skills alone justify the hype building around him, though. Buendia will be crucial to Norwich’s survival hopes over the final three months of the season. After that, expect big bids for his services to arrive from on high.
