The future of Huhkaji’s all-time top scorer is open.
Norwich City, playing in the English Championship, announced on April 5 that its long-time top striker Teemu Pukki stay with the club after the season when his contract expires.
Norwich’s previous seasons in the Championship (2018–19 and 2020–21) ended in victory and direct promotion to the Premier League. This season, the team is fighting for a place in the promotion qualification at most.
Pukki has not been in the goal posts like in the previous championship seasons, which is at least partly due to Norwich’s weaker team play than before. Despite everything, Pukki has scored ten times and assisted seven goals.
Urheilu’s football expert Miika Nuutinen not surprised by the parting of the ways between Puk and Norwich.
– Now that it’s starting to look like Norwich isn’t going back to the Premier League, this is a very logical and natural moment for Puki to go get the last big contract of his career, says Nuutinen.
Elderly, but not the end of life
As a 33-year-old striker who has played an average season, Pukki is not one of the most sought-after players on the transfer market. Previously, the Kotka resident could have received offers from the very top.
– It is realistic that the sharpest peak of Puki’s career is over at this point, says Nuutinen.
Bukki, who moves well behind the defense, lives on speed. According to the news, athletes of Puki’s player profile suffer from aging more than other types of players, when the pace inevitably slows down.
On the other hand, Pukki has avoided serious injuries. The strengths of the fast and skilled player are still very visible. Pukki has also been able to develop as an athlete, which enables a long career.
Today, the Finnish striker is capable of creating chances for others, linking the game and participating in organized attacks. The anti-defense game is also much greater than in my youth.
– He has developed into an excellent presser, which makes Puki a fairly comprehensive striker at this point in his career, Nuutinen says.
– I could see that there is still joy in Puki even for teams in the big leagues. Perhaps the very top teams can be ruled out, however small or mid-sized teams in the big leagues may be very interested in a player who has proven his level in the Championship and Premier League.
Another football expert Antti Pohja agrees with Nuutinen. Puki has a strong resume, success and handsome statistics.
– You could even say that he is only 33 years old. After all, there are players at the top of the world in their forties. This is not about a player at the end of the age. You could imagine that there could be an order for a good sporting challenge and life experience in another country, says Pohja.
Family also influences the choice of club. Pukki is married and the father of two children.
A return or a new experience?
Due to his age, Puki would still have a couple of years to make an impact abroad. But where is he headed next?
One viable option for Puki could be the German Bundesliga, where the forward played for Schalke in the early 2010s.
– If you think purely based on the player profile, it would be very interesting to see Pukki in the Bundesliga. The flow of the games could create a lot of situations for Puki that he lives on, Nuutinen estimates.
In Schalke, Pukki was still raw, who could really only participate in creating and finishing goal-scoring situations. Nyky-Pukki is much more versatile.
Borussia Mönchengladbach could be an interesting club from Puk’s point of view. Championship wins with Puki and experienced 1.5 seasons in the Premier League Daniel Farke is the head coach of the team. Pukki hasn’t been in quite the same mood since Farke got fired from Norwich in October 2021.
– Farke trusted Pukki throughout his Norwich career. It has been clearly noticeable that Dean Smith’s and by David Wagner Pukki hasn’t had quite the same role under him, says Nuutinen.
Three major leagues come to Antti Pohja’s mind as potential alternatives: the North American MLS, the Swiss Super League and the Danish Super League.
MLS has become known as a league where top players move from European fields towards the end of their careers.
– The United States is on the rise, there would be some real challenges there. Surely Puki would have enough screens there. There are certainly many places where he could see himself, says Pohja.
According to Pohja, who has played in Switzerland himself, a Swiss team playing European games could be an interesting alternative and cultural experience for the running-strong Puki. For example, Young Boys from Bern played in the group stage of the Champions League last season.
A return to Denmark can also be realistic. Pukki found a new gear in his career when he played for the Danish club Bröndby IF.
To the betting league?
The buck is unlikely to move back to his home country, but in a few years it may be relevant. For example Jari Litmanen returned after international games to finish his career in FC Lahti and HJK. According to the news, Pukki could bring a boost to domestic football in the future.
– I don’t think anything, but I hope with all my heart that Pukki will be seen again in the Veikkausliiga. It’s always really great that great Finnish players end their careers in the Veikkausliiga. It increases the interest of the domestic series. And it’s a delicious idea that Pukki could still be seen in, for example, KTP’s shirt, says Nuutinen.
2008 FC KTP -> Sevilla
2010 Sevilla -> HJK
2011 HJK -> FC Schalke 04
2013 FC Schalke 04 -> Celtic
2014 Celtic -> Bröndby IF
2018 Bröndby IF -> Norwich
Club legend
Pukki has played in Norwich since the summer of 2018. He moved to England from Bröndby on a free transfer.
Over the years, Pukki became a club legend of the “Canary Birds” and became fourth in the club’s all-time goalscoring statistics. The Finn has scored for Norwich in all competitions a total of 88 times. He has taken the club to the Premier League twice and has been the club’s top scorer year after year.
The workman’s paint gun quickly became a fan favorite and the hokemaan no Pukki, no party (No Pukki, no party) came across both on social media and in fan products.
Pink Un, the football media that follows Norwich City wrote after the termination news (you will switch to another service)that Puki’s acquisition is the hardest in the history of the sport and compares Eric Cantona to joining Manchester United in the early 1990s.
According to Nuutinen, Puki’s years in England have been a great part of Finnish football history.
– From the point of view of Finnish football, it’s always great when a player becomes a club legend. 88 goals is a huge number. Talking about a legend is certainly not an exaggeration. When Norwich announced that Teemu will not continue with the club, the club’s social media was full of praise and sadness that Pukki is moving to another club.
At the latest in the summer, it will become clear where Puki’s legend will continue in the future.