Norwich City’s Modern-Day Adel Taarabt Under Daniel Farke

When Emi Buendia was signed by Norwich City in 2018, Canaries fans cannot have been prepared for what was to follow during his spell at Carrow Road.

The Argentine joined the East Anglian club from Getafe for a reported fee of £1.5m. Although the attacking-midfielder had a promising record in Spanish football’s second tier, he kicked on at Norwich and added goals to his game.

In Buendia, the Canaries unearthed a gem and the influence he had over his side must be compared to Adel Taarabt, who dazzled for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship.

Buendia owned the Championship with Norwich

At Norwich, Buendia was a goal and assist machine. His numbers alone have your jaw dropping, but the Argentine was much more than that.

During his time at Carrow Road, the midfielder notched an inspiring 24 goals and 41 assists in 121 appearances. Evidently, the 27-year-old had more of an impact in the Championship, with 23 goals and 28 assists in 77 appearances.

Although Buendia suffered relegation from the Premier League with Norwich, he guided the club to two Championship promotions from a possible two with Daniel Farke at the helm, as the Canaries finished Champions on both occasions.

Ultimately, Buendia was too good for English football’s second tier, and despite a second promotion with Norwich, the Argentine was snapped up by Premier League outfit, Aston Villa, for a club record fee of £33m.

Since joining Villa, Buendia has contributed nine goals and nine assists in 78 appearances for the club. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old suffered a cruciate ligament tear which kept him out for 392 days, but on his return to action earlier this week, he contributed two goals in their EFL Trophy victory over Fleetwood Town.

Buendia drew comparisons to QPR’s Taarabt

Obviously, Taarabt and Buendia were different players with differing skill sets, but comparisons can be drawn between the two.

Taarabt was the definition of a flair player: his ability to take on players and turn a match on its head cannot be underestimated. Although he was sometimes branded as lazy, the Moroccan international was a match winner and a threat against any side in the Championship.

As for Buendia, he was much more of a technician during his stint at Carrow Road. His passing ability and movement off the ball allowed him to get into dangerous areas, hence his impressive output in the Championship.

While neither player replicated their influential numbers from the Championship to the Premier League, they must go down as Championship icons and certainly two of the best talents to set foot in the division.

Parallels can be drawn between the players in terms of their influence over their respective teams. Both players were head and shoulders above the rest of the crop in the Championship and drove their teams to promotion.

If an all-time Championship side was assembled, then Buendia and Taarabt would be shoe-ins.

During Buendia’s stint at Norwich, the attacking-midfielder lit up the division and contributed a hefty number of goals and assists to achieve two promotions to the Premier League.

In similar fashion, Taarabt took over the Championship while at QPR and was unplayable at times, proving himself to be a certified baller.

Both players were crowned Championship Player of the Year, and have left a legacy at their respective clubs.