Paul Merson gives his honest opinion on Teemu Pukki and Norwich City survival hopes

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The Canaries have begun Premier League brightly as Carrow Road star Teemu Pukki weighed in with four goals from their first two games.

Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki has been tipped to score 20 to 25 goals this Premier League season by Arsenal legend and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson, as quoted by the Pink Un.

The Canaries and Finland star is currently joint top of the league’s goalscoring charts, along with Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, on four goals from two games.

Pukki managed to net against one of the best defences in the world in the opening game as Norwich were beaten 4-1 at Liverpool, before going on to score a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Newcastle United at Carrow Road.

The 29-year-old has been a revelation for the Canaries since his free fransfer from Danish club Brondby IF last summer as he scored 29 goals in the Championship and 30 in all competitions, as well as picking up 10 assists (Transfermarkt).

Ahead of the start of the season, Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic tipped Pukki for success – in conversation with the Finnish Mestarit Podcast and quoted by the Pink Un – and now Merson has also weighed in regarding the prospect of a stellar season from the Norwich marksman, in turn saving the Canaries from the drop.

“I watched him play against Liverpool and I thought: He is going to score goals,” Merson said. “His movement is absolutely different class. The way they play – attack, attack, attack – he will score goals. And I will now be shocked if they do not stay up. The reason I say that is because he will score 20-25 goals and how many teams have ever gone down with a player who scored that many goals?

“They have stuck by their guns (since last season), they went to Liverpool and had a go, created chances, and they easily beat Newcastle. And fair play to them. But when you have movement like that, one, you have to have someone to find you, which they have, and two, someone to put the ball in the back of the net – which they have as well.”

Alongside being named Norwich’s Player and Players’ Player of the Season, Pukki was also crowned EFL Championship Player of the Season and handed a spot in the Team of the Year at the Football League awards, plus being voted the PFA’s Championship Player of the Year, on top of winning the Golden Boot.