Buendia will complete his final medical checks following the conclusion of Argentina’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Colombia.
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Norwich City have confirmed that attacker Emi Buendia will complete a move to Aston Villa for a club-record deal, following the conclusion of Argentina’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Colombia on Tuesday evening. The 24-year-old impressed in the 2019/20 edition of the Premier League despite Norwich’s relegation, scoring once and providing seven assists. He followed it up with 15 goals and 16 assists in 39 Championship appearances this season, as the Canaries were promoted back to the top flight.
Buendia’s stellar performances resulted in a maiden call-up to the senior Argentina squad for their summer matches. The Argentine’s inclusion in Lionel Scaloni’s squad for the country of his birth is certainly a massive boost. He last represented Argentina at Under-20 level when they played at the U20 World Cup in 2015.
“As Emiliano is currently in the Argentina national team’s biosecure bubble, preparing for a World Cup qualifying match with Colombia on Tuesday evening, he will undergo a medical and complete the transfer after the game,” read the statement from Aston Villa.
Villa have recently opted to release 12 players from their squad, which may have been aimed at freeing up funds for Buendia’s addition. Ahmed El Mohamady, Neil Taylor, Tom Heaton, Lewis Brunt, Brad Burton, Jack Clarke, Charlie Farr, Ben Guy, Callum Rowe, Harrison Sohna, Michael Tait and Jake Walker are those footballers released.
One of the happiest players following the decision to sign Buendia would be Villa attacker Ollie Watkins. He will enjoy the presence of Jack Grealish at LW and Emi Buendía at RW.
During the 2019/20 Premier League season, Buendía was the only player with 60+ chances created, 60+ take-ons completed and 60+ tackles made. He has further recorded the second most accurate through balls since the start of the 2019/20 Premier League season. Kevin de Bruyne leads the list with 18 accurate through balls, followed by Buendia (12) and Bruno Fernandes (11).
It will be interesting to see how he goes about adapting to the gameplay at Aston Villa. Arsenal were reported to be competing for the signature pf the Argentine attacker. It will be a blow for them who remain searching for a playmaker following Martin Odegaard’s return to Real Madrid after a short-term loan.
