Chris:Villa have done the business with Emi
CHRIS Sutton believes Emi Buendia is a “smart bit of business” by Villa after the club confirmed they had reached an agreement over the Norwich star.
Villa will pay a club-record £33 million for the Championship player of the year, who was expected to undergo a medical and sign a five-year deal after Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Colombia on Tuesday.
The move represents a significant coup for Villa, who have beaten Arsenal to his signature having tabled a more lucrative offer for the 24-yearold.
Buendia will arrive on the back of a stellar season in the second tier in which he registered 16 assists and scored 15 goals as the Canaries marched to the Championship title.
And former Norwich and Villa striker Sutton, who is one of the flagship pundits for the BBC, believes he will be a tremendous asset for boss Dean Smith.
“It’s a smart bit of business by Villa,” said Sutton. “He was the best player in the Championship. He scored plenty of goals and created more than he scored.
“In fact, the last time he was in the Premier League with Norwich, in terms of chances created, he was up there with Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Trent AlexanderArnold.
“And that was for a team that scored 26 goals. He’s a very intelligent footballer, a clever player, but also a fiery character. He’s not a prima donna and he will certainly do the hard yards, there’s no question about that.
“It was no surprise to me that clubs wanted him and, fair play to him, because I remember last season he had his head turned and was subsequently left out of a game against Bournemouth.
“But (Norwich boss) Daniel Farke had words. He didn’t sulk and he came back into the team and was exceptional.
“The fact he has been called up to the Argentina squad on the back of what he did in the Championship, and given their wealth of talent, says a lot.”
Villa will hope Buendia can help push them towards Europe next season with fans salivating at the prospect of seeing him in the same team as Grealish.
Sutton maintains there is a lot of distance for Villa to travel before they can threaten the top six but claimed one of the reasons they may have moved for Buendia was because of the debate they are too reliant on Grealish.
“They can’t get too far ahead of themselves but there’s no reason why they can’t aim for that (top six),” he said.
“Their season fizzled out and there was lots of debate surrounding whether they were too reliant on Jack Grealish.
“Maybe that’s why they have moved for Buendia. But Dean Smith is a smart guy and he will not be getting carried away.
“The question is where does Buendia
fit into the team because he can play anywhere across the front, although he is not a centre-forward.
“He can play as a 10 and for Norwich he played on the right coming inside but Villa already have Bertrand Traore there.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see where he plays, but he will feel he has a point to prove now he is back in the Premier League again.”
A Villa statement read: “Aston Villa and Norwich City have reached an agreement for the transfer of Emiliano Buendia.
“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.”
Norwich said: “Norwich City can confirm that a club record deal has been agreed with Aston Villa for the transfer of Emi Buendia.
“Final confirmation of the transfer will follow upon completion of the player’s medical.”