Daniel Farke has admitted, via Pink Un, he would have preferred to keep Emiliano Buendia at Norwich but could not stop the midfielder joining Aston Villa in a club-record transfer.
Dean Smith’s Villans paid an initial £33m for the Argentine last month, in a deal that could reach £38m. It eclipsed the £28m rising to £33m that they paid Brentford for Ollie Watkins last year, as the Birmingham side again sought to sign top talents from the Championship.
Buendia played an instrumental role in Norwich securing their instant return to the Premier League as second-tier winners. The EFL named the 24-year-old the Championship Player of the Year after he scored 15 goals and provided 17 assists.
Farke admits he cannot praise Buendia enough, and would have preferred to keep him at Norwich than sell to Aston Villa. But the will of the midfielder saw the Canaries accept a club-record fee for a player and begin planning for the future.
“A fantastic player but there are times when you also have to accept the big wish of the player to have this type of move,” Farke said. “From the financial point of view, it is an unbelievable amount of money, which in turn allows us to strengthen our squad.”
He added: “Of course, as a manager you want all the best players, and I would prefer to still have him. But you cannot deny his will, it was the right solution, [and] I accept this. You cannot praise Emi enough. That is for sure.
“Twice a title winner at Championship level and he played a key role in the best season in Norwich’s history, with so many goals and assists. But also, his workload and pressing was outstanding last season.”
Aston Villa to revel in Farke praise for Buendia after Norwich transfer
Aston Villa will revel in Farke’s praise for Buendia after his summer transfer from Norwich ahead of the new season. Smith will expect the Argentine to deliver as big of an impact in Birmingham as he offered at Carrow Road, and make the Premier League his playground.
The Villans spent a lot on Buendia despite him having mixed success in the top-flight in 2019/20. After providing six assists before the turn of the year, he would only offered one more. And that came on New Year’s Day, before embarking on a second lengthy drought.
Buendia also scored his only goal of the Premier League season in his third from last outing of the season. Before ending his campaign with a suspension, which Smith will be determined he does not repeat after taking the Championship by storm last season.
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