Celtic will look at Norwich City hero's success with serious regret: View | OneFootball

Teemu Pukki became a hero at Carrow Road but his time at Celtic wasn't as successful

After five successful years at Carrow Road, it was somewhat strange seeing a Norwich City side without Teemu Pukki during the most recent campaign, such was the impact he made at the club.

Pukki's signing in 2018 was an inspired one, and the Finnish striker helped the Canaries win two promotions to the Premier League, and he certainly became a modern-day hero at Carrow Road.

Norwich City were the only English side that Pukki played for, but he did also have a forgettable, less successful spell north of the border with Scottish giants Celtic between 2013 and 2014.

Pukki's time in Glasgow wasn't particularly successful, but there must have been some serious regret at the Hoops for not giving him more of a chance when they saw the striker banging in goals on a regular basis a couple of seasons later at Norwich.

Teemu Pukki struggled at Celtic

In the summer of 2013, Celtic signed Pukki from German outfit Schalke on a four-year deal, reportedly paying a fee of £3million to bring him to Celtic Park.

The 23-year-old had featured quite regularly in the Bundesliga in his two years at Schalke, so it seemed a decent move for Celtic, but Pukki struggled with the physicality of the British game.

The Finnish international had a miserable time at Celtic, but his time in Scotland got off to a perfect start, and he scored on his debut in a 3-1 against Hearts, and he backed it up the following game with a goal against St Johnstone to make it two from two.

However, that's as good as it got for Pukki, and despite adding five more goals to his tally throughout the season, seven goals from 33 appearances wasn't an overly impressive return, especially when you consider he was playing for a side that won the league by 29 points.

Pukki would begin the 2014/15 season in Scotland, and he played five times for the club, once in the league and four times in the Champions League Qualifiers, where he bagged a brace against KR Reykjavík, but he signed for Brondby on a season-long loan on deadline day, and that was to spell the end of his Celtic career.

After a season on loan in Denmark, Brondby made the deal permanent, and his time at Celtic was cut short.

In total, he made 38 appearances for Celtic, registering nine goals and three assists - not an awful return, but better was to come in British football.

In the summer of 2018, Norwich City moved to sign free agent Pukki, who had left Brondby earlier that summer after failing to agree a new deal with the club.

It was a signing that didn't particularly set pulses races amongst Norwich fans, but the striker showed exactly what he was capable of in his first season at the club.

He scored an incredible 30 goals in 46 appearances for Daniel Farke's side during his first season, helping Norwich win the Championship title, and he picked up the EFL Championship Player of the Season award for the 2018/19 campaign.

With the Canaries now in the Premier League, there was scepticism about whether Pukki could replicate that form in the Premier League, but he took the division by storm in August.

He scored five Premier League goals in the Canaries' first three games, and he made it six in his first five after a goal against Manchester City in mid-September, but he was unable to keep that form up.

However, he still managed 11 league goals, an impressive return considering the Canaries were relegated.

With the Canaries back in the Championship, it was more of the same for Pukki, and he scored 26 goals in 42 games as Norwich won the Championship title for the second time in three years.

Given his scoring form in Norfolk, Celtic must have seriously regretted their decision to let him leave after just one season, and signing Pukki on a free transfer looked like better business with each goal for Norwich.

Norwich were yet again relegated after just one season in the Premier League, and Pukki was one of only a handful of Norwich players to emerge with any credit, as he found the back of the net 11 times in the Premier League.

The 2022/23 season was Pukki's worst in terms of goals, and he only managed ten goals, but he continued his record of reaching double figures for every season at Norwich - no mean feat.

With his contract expiring at Carrow Road in the summer of 2023, Pukki decided to opt for something new, and he moved to the MLS to join Minnesota United, leaving with the best wishes of everyone at the club.

Pukki is Norwich's fourth-highest scorer of all time, and there's absolutely no doubt that he's a legend at Carrow Road.