Emiliano Buendia: The superstar Norwich need to carry them back to Premier league glory

Emi Buendia returned to the Norwich starting 11 at the weekend and shone in the 4-1 hammering of Stoke City at Carrow Road.

The playmaker came straight back into Saturday’s starting lineup following his two-match suspension and grabbed a goal and an assist as well as winning the penalty which led to the fourth Norwich goal.

The goal contributions against Stoke makes it eight goals and eight assists in the Championship this season for Buendia, no other player in the Norwich squad has more goal contributions this campaign nor plays such an instrumental part in the Norwich attack.

The form of the Canaries has been notably poor this season when Buendia hasn’t featured, so could the forward be the key to unlocking Premier League success once more?

One area that Buendia has struggled with this season is his disciplinary record. The winger has been sent off twice this season – more dismissals than any other player in the Championship. Both of the red cards came after two yellows, something that will concern manager Daniel Farke with the forward not being able to control himself when already on a caution.

Regardless of if Norwich can secure promotion this year, Buendia looks more than likely to be playing top flight football next season with multiple clubs interested in securing the services of the 24-year-old.

Numerous clubs are rumoured to be interested in signing Buendia in Summer, with Arsenal seemingly leading the race for the Argentine’s signature. The Gunners were heavily linked with Buendia in January as they looked to recover from a terrible start to the season, although talks never really developed. Arsenal have been thought to be in contact with Buendia’s agent and will look to pay the £40 million asking price to Norwich in the summer.

With Norwich currently leading the race in the Championship, Farke will be hoping that Buendia will stay loyal to the Canaries if the Norfolk side can secure promotion this season. The German manager knows just how pivotal the winger is to the current Norwich side, with Farke talking about Buendia and his possible move away in the summer:

“In less than four months the season will be over, and there’s a good chance they then are a key part in a club in the spotlight at the top level. The club trusts you, the coach trusts you, the fans love you, it’s a fantastic position to be in.”– Daniel Farke speaking to Sky Sports in January