Norwich City should turn to Wigan Athletic to replace the outgoing Teemu Pukki: Opinion | OneFootball

It’s been a dismal 2022/23 campaign for Norwich City, as they head into the final game of the season in mid-table.

The Canaries suffered relegation from the Premier League last season, and as always when Norwich are in the Premier League, many expected them to go straight back up.

FootballLeagueWorld VIDEO OF THE DAY

However, that hasn’t happened this season, with Norwich so far winning the same number of games in the Championship as they have lost.

What are Norwich City’s summer plans?

As we enter the final game of the regular season, Norwich welcome Blackpool to Carrow Road in a game that means nothing to both sides.

The Canaries sit in 12th place, six points adrift of the play-off spots, with their winless run of five games ended any slim hopes they had of reaching the top six.

As they know they will be a Championship team once again next season, Norwich will soon start planning for their summer activities.

This will be an opportunity for David Wagner to make changes to the squad he inherited; it is likely there will be several changes, as Wagner will want his own type of players through the door, and he won’t want a repeat of this campaign.

One player that we know will not be at Carrow Road next season is striker Teemu Pukki. It was announced that the Norwich striker would be leaving the club once his contract expires at the end of this season.

The 33-year-old joined the Canaries in the summer of 2018 on a free transfer, and during his time at the club, he has scored 88 times in 208 appearances.

The Finland international has played a crucial role in getting Norwich promoted to the Premier League in 2019 and 2021. Pukki is currently ranked as the club’s fourth-highest goalscorer in its history.

Therefore, he is going to be a player that is hard to replace, but with potentially limited resources, there may be a player out there who could be a perfect fit for a cost-free deal, and that is Will Keane of Wigan Athletic.

Norwich City should sign Will Keane

Keane has been a shining light in what has been a poor and underwhelming season for the Latics.

On a personal level, the 30-year-old took his impressive season in League One into this campaign, where he has netted 12 times in 43 league appearances.

However, over these two seasons, the striker has netted an impressive 38 times, and that is in a side that may not have the same quality of players as other teams in the league.

Keane is a product of the Manchester United academy, and while he has struggled with injuries throughout his career, the striker has started to become a regular again and got his shooting boots on.

Keane has developed himself into a prolific number nine in the EFL, and with his contract coming to an end at the DW Stadium, he could be someone that is looked at this summer.

The forward is in the prime years of his career, and due to his contract situation, he would be a bargain signing. Norwich are in need of adding more firepower in attack, and if they are to compete at the top end of the table next season, they need squad options.