How is Teemu Pukki doing since leaving Norwich City for Minnesota United?
Teemu Pukki, the cult hero of Norwich City, is doing well after moving to Minnesota.
Norwich City began the season in relatively strong form under David Wagner, with the club hoping to re-establish itself among the Championship’s top promotion contenders.
The German is already in his first full season at Carrow Road, having finished 13th last season, which Canaries fans aren’t used to given their recent second-tier performances.
Norwich fans have also had to adjust to life without one of their most recent cult heroes, Teemu Pukki.
The 33-year-old’s contract with East Anglia concluded at the end of the 2022/23 season, bringing an end to a fairly successful five-year period for both club and player. So, with that in mind, let’s see how the Finnish international striker has performed with his new MLS team, Minnesota United.
Teemu Pukki’s performance at Norwich City was evaluated.
Pukki joined Norwich on a free transfer from Danish side Brondby in the summer of 2018, and it’s fair to say it was one of the best transfers in Canaries history, as the striker would make 210 appearances in yellow and green, scoring on 88 occasions.
Pukki would play a major role in Norwich eventually closing up the Championship championship with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on the final day of the 2018/19 season, amassing 94 points in his debut season at the club. He scored 29 league goals that season before returning to the Premier League to pick up where he left off before to the club’s subsequent troubles.
He would go on to become the first Norwich City player in 26 years to score a Premier League hat-trick against Newcastle United before being named the division’s Player of the Month in August 2019. He would score 11 goals as the team eventually fell to the bottom of the table.
Pukki would add another 26 goals to his second-tier tally when Norwich won the league again under Farke’s tutelage in 2020/21, before a further 21 strikes in two poor seasons at Carrow Road.
Teemu Pukki’s performance for Minnesota United.
Despite Minnesota United being lying in 11th place in the division’s Eastern Conference, the 33-year-old hasn’t lost his scoring touch in the MLS since leaving East Anglia.
Pukki joined United in July after his contract with Norwich expired, and he is on one of the club’s ‘Designated Player’ contracts, which means he is not subject to the salary ceiling.
On July 13th, the striker scored his first goal for Minnesota in only his second game, a 3-0 away win over Houston Dynamo. This began a streak of the Finn averaging a goal per two appearances for United, as he has appeared on 10 occasions, scoring five times.
🇫🇮 Teemu Pukki scores his first MLS goal for Minnesota United. Lovely assist by Emanuel Reynoso pic.twitter.com/3BuV2pO8Mh
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) July 13, 2023
How are Norwich City faring in the absence of Teemu Pukki?
Norwich had began their first season without Pukki in some ways, as they were unbeaten in their first four games, winning three of them.
However, cracks have now begun to emerge, particularly defensively. David Wagner’s team have now lost three of their previous four games, with the 2-0 setback to Leicester marking the first time the Canaries have failed to score in a league game this season, followed by a brutal 6-2 loss at Home Park to newly promoted Plymouth Argyle.
City will be hoping for an immediate response when they face Premier League Fulham in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
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