Bristol City v Norwich City Sky Bet Championship Emiliano Buendia of Norwich in action during the Sky Bet Championship match at Ashton Gate, Bristol PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxCHN Copyright: xPaulxChestertonx FIL-14742-0065
According to Football.london, it is believed that Arsenal have not moved for Emiliano Buendia but any January move would depend on Norwich. The report states that Buendia is one of the names on the Gunners’ shortlist but the club have made no approach to sign him. Manager Mikel Arteta remains an admirer of the Norwich man though.
Emiliano Buendia had a brief stint in the youth ranks of Real Madrid before completing his development at Getafe. He initially featured for the club’s reserve side in the third tier before making his La Liga debut during the 2014-15 season.
However, the Argentine midfielder struggled to establish himself as a regular fixture at Getafe and joined Norwich City in 2018 after impressing on loan at Cultural Leonesa in the Spanish second-tier. The 23-year-old bagged 8 goals and 12 assists during the 2018-19 season as the Canaries secured promotion to the PL as the outright winners of the Championship.
Buendia was one of the brightest sparks in an otherwise disappointing 2019-20 campaign for Daniel Farke’s side that ultimately ended in relegation from the top-flight. The diminutive playmaker impressed with a goal and 7 assists in 36 PL appearances.
When Arsenal nabbed Willian on a free transfer after his contract expired at Chelsea, it was seen as a real coup. After all, the Brazilian was a seasoned campaigner in the league and Europe. Yet as he closes in on his 14th game for the club, handing him a £220,000-a-week contract for three years looks another expensive mistake by the club. The Brazilian is yet to score and has only contributed to 3 assists.
Nicolas Pepe, who was usually reliable last season, has seen his stock plummet after being sent off against Leeds for violent conduct. Arsenal’s entire attacking unit seems to be running on empty this season as they have managed a measly 10 goals in 10 league games as the club languish in 14th place.
It is no surprise that Arsenal and Arteta are keen on adding to their offensive resources in January. In that regard, signing someone like Buendia could be an astute decision by the club. Buendia is a natural right-winger who can play as an attacking midfielder and as a left-winger.
The player has carried on his form from last season and is again tearing up the Championship. Two goals and five assists have already been provided by the Norwich man this season. It is clear that the Willian experiment is not paying dividends. Signing a young and fresh talent like Buendia could go a long way towards easing Arsenal’s attacking problems.
