Journalist Stuart Hodge has claimed that Norwich City made the right decision in selling Emiliano Buendia this summer, as their over-reliance on him last season had become "unhealthy".
How did Buendia perform at Norwich in 2020/21?
The 24-year-old winger had a sensational campaign in the Championship last term, as he registered 15 goals and 17 assists in 39 league appearances to help Norwich to the title.
His performances saw him named the Championship player of the season back in April, and it was not long before some of England's top-flight clubs showed interest in securing his signature.
In the end, it was Aston Villa who signed Buendia, landing the playmaker for £33m in June.
What did Hodge say about Buendia?
Hodge believes that Norwich looked to Buendia too much at times last season, and feels that by moving him on they can now develop as a team rather than being so reliant on one individual.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “To be honest, I think Norwich’s reliance on Emi Buendia had gotten to the point that was probably quite unhealthy for the rest of the team. So, I’m actually quite happy that the club have moved on if they’ve seen it fit to do that, because I think it is the logical thing to do. To progress the football club, is to make it less reliant on an individual like that.
“Not that that’s a slight on his character, nothing to do with that. I just think it’s better as a team game than you’re relying on an individual, and I think that’s a good thing for Norwich City.”
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Did Buendia paper over the cracks at Norwich?
Since offloading Buendia to Villa, Norwich have made a horrendous start to their current campaign, losing all six of their Premier League matches to date. They have looked out of ideas in attack, scoring just twice, while they have also been poor defensively, shipping 16 goals.
Without Buendia, the Canaries seem to be a little lost, and it is not easy to see how they are going to break teams down moving forwards. The opening weeks of the season have suggested that Hodge is right - Norwich did depend on Buendia too often when he was at the club - and he may have papered over the cracks that have been there for all to see since he left.
Whether they can start to build as a group of players in his absence remains to be seen, but they are certainly up against it based on their displays in their top-flight games so far this year.