Assessing Teemu Pukki and Norwich’s midfield options in FPL 2021/22

Our series on the newly-promoted Premier League sides continues with a look at Norwich City’s midfielders and forwards.

We have already assessed the Canaries’ defence, with focus now switching to Teemu Pukki (£6.0m) and his teammates who operate higher up the pitch.

WHAT IS NORWICH CITY’S GOAL-SCORING POTENTIAL?

Norwich were crowned 2020/21 Championship winners with the second-best attacking record, having scored 75 goals in their 46 league fixtures.

That was four short of Brentford’s total and 18 fewer than they managed upon promotion in 2018/19.

However, no team attempted more shots (716) than Daniel Farke’s side, and they also made the most passes while averaging 58.3% of the possession in their matches.

In the end, the team accumulated the highest points total in the Championship since Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018, but questions remain about their ability to compete at the very highest level given that chief creator Emiliano Buendía (£6.5m) has been sold to Aston Villa.

The Argentine playmaker assisted the most goals in the division last season (16) and chipped in with 15 of his own strikes; combined, that total means he was involved in over 41% of the goals that Norwich scored in the English second tier.

Pre-season may offer us clues as to how City will operate in the Premier League without him, but given their awful early schedule, we have plenty of time to assess their Fantasy prospects before their schedule takes a turn for the good in Gameweek 5.

The question many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers will be asking themselves is: can any of Farke’s current crop embrace the extra attacking responsibility?

MIDFIELDERS

Buendía’s departure does leave a significant hole in the Canaries’ attack, but Todd Cantwell (£5.5m) is perhaps the one who is most likely to step up.

In his debut Premier League campaign, the 23-year-old bagged six goals and two assists, a total that he improved upon last season with 12 attacking returns in 30 starts.

Priced at just £5.5m, Cantwell could offer value once the fixtures ease.

Chelsea loanee Billy Gilmour (£4.5m) also has potential as a bargain-bin enabler, who can sit on your bench and at least offer appearance points when required.

While the general assumption is that the Scottish international will slot into the hole left in the starting XI by Oliver Skipp (£4.5m), Farke may switch from his usual 4-2-3-1 setup to a 4-3-3 in an attempt to carry more central dominance.

That may see Gilmour and another no. 8 sit in front of a defensive midfielder, which would allow him to operate slightly higher up and therefore give him a better chance of picking out those through balls Pukki thrives on.

Either way, he should at least be a week-in, week-out starter, which is perhaps all we can ask for in a £4.5m midfielder.

Elsewhere, Kieran Dowell (£5.5m) may take up the no. 10 position if Farke keeps faith in his 4-2-3-1. The attacking midfielder finished 2020/21 with five goals, all of which arrived in the final part of the season, but it is Buendía’s replacement, Milot Rashica (£5.5m), who arguably has the most potential.

The 24-year-old joined Werder Bremen in 2019 from Vitesse Arnheim and went on to record a combined 46 goals and assists in 100 games. 

Rashica played mostly in a 3-5-2 and 3-4-3 in Germany, as either the central attacking midfielder or a striker, but has also shown an ability to play on either flank.

At this stage, we should note that he struggled a bit last season, perhaps as a result of having his head turned by transfer speculation linking him with a move to AC Milan, but he is an exciting player. 

Meanwhile, Przemyslaw Placheta (£5.0m), Onel Hernández (£5.0m) and Lukas Rupp (£4.5m) saw limited game-time last season due to injuries or a lack of form, while box-to-box midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou (£5.0m) arrived earlier this week from Nice. 

He played largely on the left of a midfield three in France and scored four goals in 34 appearances last season. Nothing to get too excited about from a Fantasy perspective, then, but he will at least add some competition in the midfield area.

FORWARDS

Norwich have a trio of options up front, but providing he is fit, Pukki is the one who will start.

The 31-year-old scored six of his 11 Premier League goals in 2019/20 in the Canaries’ opening five matches, and though his influence dropped off, it was still a reasonable return from a budget forward.

The Finland international scored on 26 occasions in last season’s Championship, accounting for 35% of his team’s goals, and once again proved to be one of Farke’s strongest assets.

His movement is superb and he thrives off balls in behind the opposition’s backline. He also loves to shoot from the right-hand side of goal, which is something to keep in mind once we know which teams are more susceptible to giving up chances from that zone.

However, the loss of Buendía is a real blow for Pukki. The Argentine produced eight assists for him last season, and their partnership will not be easy to replicate.

Finland were eliminated from EURO 2020 in the group stages, which does allow Pukki the recovery time to be ready for Gameweek 1, but most FPL managers will surely be happy enough adding him to their watchlists and making a move in Gameweek 5 if the signs are positive.

Adam Idah (£5.0m) and Jordan Hugill (£5.5m) make up the forwards list, but are nothing more than back-ups to Pukki.