Norwich winger Emiliano Buendía has been one of Premier League’s most promising young talents this season, which has led him to be linked with various clubs for a move in the summer transfer window.
The Canaries’ defeat against West Ham on Saturday meant that the club have now been relegated from the Premier League. West Ham forward Antonio scored four goals in his professional hat-trick condemning Norwich to the Championship for next season.
With the Canaries back down in the second-tier of English football, the club will find it hard to hold onto some of their most exciting players like Buendía and Cantwell.
Emi Buendía was part of the Real Madrid youth academy, before moving to Getafe CF in 2010. After making 40 appearances for the Getafe senior side over the course of 3 seasons the Argentinian moved to Norwich City in 2018 on a £1.5 million transfer.
The winger signed a four-year contract with Norwich, and had an sensational first season at the club, playing an important role in helping the canaries achieve promotion to the top-flight. He racked up an impressive tally of 12 assists and eight goals in his first season in England.
Despite Norwich struggling in the league this season, Buendía’s performances have stood out with has fantastic dribbling abilities and incredible vision to create chances for his teammates. Furthermore the 23-year-old can play on both the left and right wing and excels as an attacking number 10.
With the Canaries now relegated, West Ham fans voiced their opinion on Buendía, suggesting that the winger would be a very good addition to their squad in the upcoming transfer window.
West Ham are looking to build their attacking set-up and Buendía is just the kind of target David Moyes needs to bring in. The 23-year-old’s versatility means that he will fit in easily into Moyes’s current squad, and the Hammers must aim to clear out the rest of the deadwood players before making signing the Argentinian.
But West Ham are set to face stiff competition from Leeds United, who are looking on course to get promoted to the Premier League. Leeds are said to be taking active interest in the player, who has notched up seven assists this season, and are viewing him as a replacement for Pablo Hernandez in the long run.
Former Leeds United player Noel Whelan talked to Football Insider about Buendía, commenting, “He could be the man to replace Pablo long-term but I am sure Orta will be looking at many options.
“Buendia has done very well at Norwich. It is a crucial position, number 10, whoever plays there is your Diego Maradona. They have to be creative, score goals, take set pieces – he is your ace in the pack. In the Premier League, you need a real magician in there. Someone like Pablo but a bit younger.”
With Buendía’s current contract with Norwich ending in 2024, the Canaries are expected to demand a fee in the range of £30million for the Argentine’s services, which will be relatively cheap according to market standards.
