Why Norwich City failed in £9.4m bid to replace Emi Buendia - Daniel Farke will cringe | OneFootball

Signing for the club in 2021, Milot Rashica failed to hit the ground running at Norwich City.

When Norwich City sanctioned the £33 million sale of talisman Emi Buendia to Aston Villa in the summer of 2021, the Canaries required a new creative force to fill the void left by the departing Argentine.

The man deemed capable of doing so was Milot Rashica, who arrived for £9.4 million from Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen. The Kosovo international was hailed as a player who could do "something outstanding in the offence" by then-manager Daniel Farke.

Rashica had impressed at the Weserstadion, offering pace and versatility across the front line. With Norwich promoted to the Premier League for the second time in three calendar years, they aimed to put in a much better fight for safety.

However, this would never come to fruition as the void vacated by Buendia glared all season long. The Argentine is perhaps yet to hit the heights that he did at Carrow Road, with both injuries and fierce competition for places in an upwardly-mobile team in Aston Villa stunting his progression, but that's not to say his absence wasn't sorely felt.

Buendia, of course, enjoyed three stunning campaigns with Norwich and his final one was his finest as he provided 15 goals and 16 assists to help the Canaries to the Championship title. Rashica, meanwhile, would fall some way short of replicating those performances.

Daniel Farke had misplaced faith in Milot Rashica — he couldn't fit into Emi Buendia's Norwich City boots

At the time of Rashica's arrival, Daniel Farke was glowing in his assessment of the Kosovan, saying that: "He's a player who can do something outstanding in the offence."

Soccer Football - Euro 2024 Qualifier - Group I - Romania v Kosovo - National Arena, Bucharest, Romania - September 12, 2023 Kosovo's Milot Rashica reacts Inquam Photos via REUTERS/George Calin ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ROMANIA. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

"He has delivered many end products, and although he is young, he has played many games at the top level. He can play a number of positions, as a winger, striker or number ten. He's a pretty versatile player, and we're happy to be able to bring a quality player in."

However, Farke may cringe reading the quotes back. Norwich limped towards relegation, while Rashica scored just twice and provided three assists. While he outscored Buendia in the Premier League at Carrow Road, the Argentine's seven league assists were a crucial reason as to why the Canaries had even a slim chance of staying up in the 2019/20 term.

Despite making 40 appearances, Rashica rarely looked like the attacking spark envisioned by Farke. Rashica appeared hesitant and lacked the composure and elegance required to survive in the Premier League.

Farke was dismissed in November 2021, and Norwich would go on to be relegated back to the Championship once again, where they have since been unable to sustain a serious promotion challenge.

Milot Rashica's move outlined issues regarding Norwich City recruitment

Norwich's approach to recruitment ahead of their most recent adventures in the top flight has regularly been criticised.

The Canaries have attempted to uncover value in all parts of the world — particularly Europe's mid-tier markets. And while this has worked in the cases of Buendia, Teemu Pukki and so forth, Norwich have never quite achieved safety.

When Emi Buendia arrived at the club in 2019, he continuously grew with the club, becoming more and more vital to Farke's side before he himself had outgrown it. The difference between the Argentine and Rashica's move, though, is that Buendia was allowed time in the Championship that the Kosovan winger simply couldn't have, with Norwich fighting for survival.

Rashica's confidence was understandably ruined by the end of the campaign, and Daniel Farke was proven wrong.

Rashica would join Galatasaray on loan in the summer of 2022, before moving to Turkey permanently a year later, joining Istanbul rivals Besiktas, where he scored three goals and provided five assists in the most recent 2024/25 campaign.

Had Rashica been given the time to develop with Norwich, the outcome could have been vastly different. However, in the Premier League, time is a luxury that sides simply don't have access to. Both Norwich and the winger were victims of this as they were sent back down to the second tier.