A week ago, Norwich City revealed that their Finnish forward Teemu Pukki is leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. Pukki joined Norwich City in 2018 as a free agent, and after spending five years at the club, it’s easy to say that Norwich bagged a bargain.
During Pukki’s five-year spell at the Canaries, he made over 200 appearances and is now the fourth-highest goal scorer in the club’s history. Counting all campaigns, Pukki has scored almost 90 goals wearing the Canaries kit. That means that Pukki has recorded 0.43 goals per game.
After five successful seasons, where the club managed to get promoted to the Premier League twice, Pukki has now confirmed he will depart the club. Now it’s time for Pukki to think about his next destination, but where will he go? Let’s find out who the potential suitors are
Options from the Premier League
There has been speculation about Pukki’s next destination, and the most likely option seems to be some of the lower-table Premier League teams. For example, Everton, Bournemouth, Wolverhampton, and West Ham have all had issues scoring goals this season. The negative thing for Pukki with these clubs is that he would most likely be their second-choice forward. That is understandable since he is already a 33-year-old forward way past his prime.
Pukki might find his new club from one of the EFL Championship clubs that will get promoted to the Premier League next season. Teams like Burnley, Sheffield United, Luton Town, and other potentially promoted clubs might need a proven goalscorer. The good thing for Pukki with these clubs is that he could get more first-team action than with the clubs mentioned above.
The last option for Pukki is to join a top-tier Premier League club that needs a backup striker. One of the examples could be Manchester United, which requires more options in its forward section. Weghorst is only on loan and likely leaves the club after the season. Martial has been injured a lot and is not available in most games. They need to sign a top-tier striker, but they might also need a backup, which is a role Pukki could suit perfectly. It is unlikely that Pukki will join a top-tier Premier League team, but never say never.
Of course, there are lots of possibilities for Pukki in the Premier League. He has played there for two seasons and is more than familiar with English football and culture. Pukki could be a potential low-risk, high-reward option that doesn’t require a high salary or transfer fee but could still score goals now and then.
Other potential suitors
Even though, according to most sources, the most likely destination for Pukki is the Premier League, there also are some other potential suitors after him. Many teams from Italy, Germany,
Greece, Turkey, Scotland, and Finland, compete for his signature. But where does he most likely go, and what would his role be in different leagues? Let’s take a look at some of the teams that are interested in signing him.
In Bundesliga, SC Freiburg has been interested in signing Pukki. They were seriously after Pukki last summer and two years ago, but since they are now in the 5th position of the Bundesliga, they are likely to look at some better options. Another attractive option from Germany is Pukki’s previous club Schalke, which has shown interest in bringing him back as a free agent. Schalke might get relegated to Bundesliga 2 at the end of the season, which is why we think Pukki will not be interested in signing for the club.
There have been rumours that another of Pukki’s former clubs, Celtic, is after his signature. He didn’t enjoy his most successful stint in the Scottish Premier League, but might now have a chance to prove doubters wrong and return to the club. Also, some sources have been linking Pukki with a move to Aberdeen, but many doubt he would join his former rival.
Turkish giants, Galatasaray, Fenerbache, and Besiktas, have all been asking about Pukki’s availability during past seasons. These are not the likeliest options for Pukki, but joining them would allow him to try his luck in some European campaigns. From Greece, PAOK has been the most likely team for Pukki. He would be the team’s first-choice striker, and if everything goes well, he could have a chance to play European football.
What do betting experts think about Pukki’s situation?
Since Pukki is from Finland, we asked what Finnish betting experts from Vedonlyontisivustoni.com think about his current situation and potential new club. The first thing they pointed out was that they couldn’t see Pukki coming back to Finland. According to them, the other unlikely option is for Pukki to retire. That is understandable since Pukki said on Norwich City’s official website that he still has a couple of years in him.
According to the Finnish betting experts, the most likely option for Pukki is to try his wings in some entirely new league where he has never played before. There have been rumors about Pukki joining a Greek or Turkish team, and the betting experts could see those two as likely options for him.
If Pukki joins a Turkish club like Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, or Besiktas, he could play European football and get regular game time. In these clubs, Pukki would be a backup for their first-choice forwards. If Pukki decides to join a club from Greece, he would be their first-choice forward. Greece is a surprisingly likely option because it is known as a league where older Finnish players go before retirement.
The Finnish betting experts wouldn’t be surprised if Pukki decides to join an Italian club. It was not long ago when lower-table Italian teams bid on Pukki in the hope of them getting him into
their clubs. Pukki could also have a chance to join some Serie B clubs. For example, Venezuela has been interested in pairing him up with his fellow international forward, Joel Pohjanpalo.
Even though the betting experts think Pukki joining an entirely new league is the most likely option, they wouldn’t run down the chance of him joining a Premier League club. It is more probable that Pukki joins a new league because if he decides to join a Premier League club, he wouldn’t most likely get as much first-team action as in some other team.