Norwich City hold a strong case in Emi Buendia argument after Aston Villa move: View | OneFootball

Norwich City's squad from between 2018 and 2021 featured a number of cult heroes.

Not only does that include the current Leeds United manager, Daniel Farke, who masterminded two Championship-winning campaigns at Carrow Road, but some of those on the pitch proved to be some of the best pieces of business done by the Canaries for some time.

The likes of Teemu Pukki, who arrived on a free transfer from Brondby in 2018, before going on to net on to net 88 goals in 210 appearances in yellow and green definitely fall into said category, as does the Argentinian playmaker Emi Buendia.

The 5"7 creative spark was nothing short of sensational in East Anglia, particularly across two seasons in the second tier, which came in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 seasons respectively.

Buendia was a relative unknown upon his arrival from Getafe as a fresh-faced 21-year-old, across a summer that saw an outstanding recruitment drive take place at Carrow Road in hindsight, as the fee, estimated to be just over £1m would prove nothing short of a masterstroke by Farke and Stuart Webber.

Across 38 Championship appearances, he would more than play his part in aiding City's run to the title on 94 points, accumulating eight goals and providing 12 assists. Unsurprisingly, his contributions saw him come third in Norwich's Player of the Season award, behind the aforementioned Pukki and Christoph Zimmerman.

Despite a dismal Premier League campaign, in which Buendia only netted one top flight goal, he and the Canaries would bounce back with flying colours.

One facet of his play is that Buendia is so often able to receive and play the ball in and through tight spaces, as well as claiming the accolades. In truth, it was no real surprise that the Argentinian romped to the Championship's Player of the Year award this time round, racking up an incredulous number of 31 goal contributions from the attacking midfield position (15 goals and 16 assists).

Norwich City seeing the better of Aston Villa deal

Since their promotion from the second tier - which also came in 2018/19 - Aston Villa have pursued some of the EFL's best talent, including Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins, who have since gone on to represent Poland and England on numerous occasions through their development in B6.

Dean Smith and many supporters justifiably believed that the midfielder would be able to follow suit after his incredible contributions in the 20/21 season, with the former Villa manager noting: "He is equally capable as a wide attacker or as a number 10 and is a great addition to our attacking options," after his £38m move two-and-a-half years ago.

No doubt, this verdict from the 53-year-old still rings true, but Villa fans are yet to really see the best of the playmaker's abilities since his well-documented move.

The 2021/22 season was one of frustration, which included a managerial change, as Buendia only started 22 times under Smith and, latterly, Steven Gerrard. However, he still registered ten Premier League goal contributions (four goals + six assists) in his first season at the West Midlands outfit.

But, whilst his game time was more assured, particularly after Unai Emery's arrival in November 2022 - which has seen an even greater transformation of Aston Villa - his output took a slight dip despite the side's qualification for the UEFA Conference League on the final day of last season, following a great run of momentum. Buendia recorded five goals and two assists last term from 38 appearances - 27 of which were starts. However, he would only average a run of 64 minutes per game.

Emi Buendia's return to fitness

Despite Villa's remarkable season this year, which has seen them compete for a place in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1983 when it was named the European Cup, Buendia has only been able to watch from the sidelines after sustaining a serious ACL injury, just days before the opening game of the season.

This came as a damning blow to his personal progression after a stellar pre-season, which included two goals and one assist in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Newcastle in the US-based Premier League Summer Series tournament.

At present, Villa face a crucial nine-game period to secure their place in domestic football's most coveted competition. However, the meticulous Spaniard in charge of proceedings cannot foresee the Argentinian playing any part in their remaining outings.

"Always they (Buendia and Tyrone Mings) are in our mind," Emery stated via Birmingham Live. "They have spirit and they support us in the training ground."

"I think all the season they are going to be out, but hopefully they can train at the end of the season. Then starting next season being fine to come back like before," he added.

The Villa Park faithful will be hoping that the one-time Argentina international can return to form next season, as at present, it's Norwich who have made a greater success from the significant 2021 transfer.