Norwich have today signed Finland striker Teemu Pukki on a three-year-deal from Brondby. The striker signs on a free transfer from tomorrow subject to international clearance. He becomes the third player to sign for Norwich this summer as they look to rebuild.
Pukki has a very good goalscoring record in Denmark but has struggled at most other clubs. Apart from Brondby over his four-year spell he has only managed double figures at one other club, Helsinki in his home country. He scored just 8 in Germany with Shalke and then just 7 in Scotland at Celtic, a league he thought would be easy for him.
Pukki once admitted he expected the league to be easy in Scotland but he couldn’t get to grips with the speed. The question is now, if he can’t cope with the pace of Scottish football four years ago how will he cope with the pace of the Championship. As pointed out to me on Twitter it is a free transfer so there isn’t much to risk but again, replacing quality Championship players with gambles from abroad isn’t a great strategy.
Introducing our third signing of the summer… 🙌
Finland striker Teemu Pukki is set to join City on a free transfer from July 1 ➡️ https://t.co/cg5HhKclKO#ncfc #WelcomeTeemu pic.twitter.com/PlfNsMQShc
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) June 30, 2018
Norwich finished mid-table last season and the feeling is that it was a “transitional season”. Since the summer started Wes Hoolahan has left after his contract wasn’t renewed and star players James Maddison and Josh Murphy have left for a combined £34 million. The question now has to be asked, what is the ambition for Norwich, a club who see themselves as promotion challengers at this level?
Surely with £34 million banked, or certainly a chunk of it they could spend some money on proven quality? Half the team is now made up of foreign imports and it’s probably fair to say many of them struggled massively in spells during the last campaign. Pukki isn’t a physical player, he was often bullied out of games at Celtic which is a massive worry because Celtic were a dominant side and he still couldn’t make an impact.
Sometimes players can find a home where it just works for them and Norwich fans will have to hope Pukki realises this as his home away from home. You ask most Celtic fans though and they will tell you he isn’t up for it. Neil Lennon will probably tell you the same, and Norwich, unlike Celtic face stiff competition and aren’t a dominant side in the Championship.