The Emi Buendia Show continues as Norwich go four points clear at the top of the Championship

Credit: @NorwichCityFC

When your star player scores a wonder goal ahead of the opening of the January transfer window, it can be seen in one of two ways.

On the one hand, it can be seen as an incredible achievement to have such a talented player flourishing at your club. On the other hand, the intense speculation that a bigger club will try to sign him away from you over the coming month can become incredibly concerning.

Daniel Farke chose to focus on the former, insisting that Emi Buendia wasn’t for sale and wouldn’t be leaving the club in this transfer window.

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This comes after the 24-year-old scored the winning goal in a Man of the Match performance against in-form Barnsley at Carrow Road, and it really was a wonder goal.

Kenny McLean stood roughly on the halfway line, pinged a long through ball over the top of the Tykes defence after spotting the run of Buendia. The Argentine latched onto the end of it, hitting the ball on the half-volley to fire past Jack Walton in the Barnsley net.

This was yet another performance where Buendia has been the difference in a game of fine margins. Despite missing six players due to Covid-19, Barnsley stood toe-to-toe with their table-topping opponents.

As expected, they kept their 3-4-3 shape superbly and did well to close down any gaps in the defence. While Norwich had the vast majority of possession and attacking intent, Valérien Ismaël’s side could’ve gone ahead after just eleven minutes when Luke Thomas’ shot rattled the Canaries’ crossbar.

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Although the Tykes matched the hosts on effort and determination, the gap in quality was evident, and moments such as Buendia’s goal often prove the difference between a good Championship side and a promotion-winning side. If Norwich want to be the latter come May, they’ll have to keep ahold of their star winger in the upcoming transfer window.

In fact, it’s taken quite a while for Buendia to reach this level. In his first season at the club, when the Canaries won the Championship, he was a crucial player as he achieved eight goals and 12 assists that season. His debut Premier League season was underwhelming at best, showing glimpses of his potential but often falling under the radar and even dropping to the bench.

Now, after just 23 games, Buendia has already matched his tally in assists from 2019/20 with seven and is only one goal from matching his season’s best tally in goals with eight from 2018/19. There’s still half of the season left to play.

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With that integration period now over, he’s invaluable to Norwich. The attacking trio he forms with Teemu Pukki and Todd Cantwell is arguably the most dangerous in the league. They focus on pace and subtle runs that expose pockets in the opposition’s defence. Of course, that relies on the passing range of Mario Vrancic and Kenny McLean as well, but Buendia is arguably the jewel of what is an incredibly cohesive Norwich side.

Furthermore, the job of replacing would be incredibly difficult, no matter what fee Norwich would receive for him. The Canaries often focus on signing players from foreign lower leagues, which the club’s Sporting Director Stuart Webber receives a lot of credit for. However, The Athletic has reported that the new Brexit “points-based” regulations may prevent them from doing so.

Max Aarons, Buendia’s partner on the right flank, was subject to interest from Barcelona late in the summer transfer window. Norwich stood firm and made sure the 20-year-old stayed at Carrow Road, and as a result, he’s played a crucial in the Canaries’ defence.

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It highlights that the club aren’t in a position where they need to sell, especially a player on a long-term contract. They’re still top of the league and have parachute payments coming in. This wasn’t the case when James Maddison left the club for just £20 million in 2018, with the club languishing in the middle of the Championship.

Norwich have the upper hand here and that’ll be crucial for them as they aim for an immediate return to the Premier League. Even if Arsenal do come calling, they have no reason to sell at this stage, and keeping ahold of their current squad will surely see them promoted come May.