Emi Buendia is an incredibly talented footballer. Fact. The Argentine midfielder has left Norwich City to join Aston Villa in a huge deal which could rise to £38m and his prospects are on the rise. Buendia is a great Fantasy EPL asset, and ahead of your pre-season draft, you really need to have him towards the top of your Draft Rankings! Here are four reasons why...
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Four Reasons to Draft Buendia Early
Instead of getting upset about Emi Buendia leaving Norwich to join Aston Villa, I'm going to write an article about him. He's one of the most talented footballers to ever wear a Norwich shirt, and at just 24 years-old, he's got a huge future ahead of him. I strongly believe that Buendia will be an elite level Fantasy EPL asset for Aston Villa this season!
A Good 19/20 Season
In his debut Premier League season in 19/20, Buendia was the 6th best Fantrax midfielder and 28th best overall player. This was despite missing games due to suspension and defensive immaturity, as well as playing for the side who finished bottom of the table! The Argentinean ranked 4th overall for both Key Passes and Successful Dribbles en route to his 366.5 points. Considering Buendia played under 2,500 minutes that season, those stats are even more impressive!
A Great 20/21 Season
As a Norwich City fan I loved every minute of Buendia in action last season. Championship Player of the Season with 15 goals and16 assists and a call-up to the Argentina National side at the end of the campaign. That's right... a Championship player being called up to the national squad of the 8th best team in the world. Which also included arguably the best footballer to ever grace the planet (Messi, not Nicolas Otamendi)!!! You better believe it.
Using Fantrax Default Scoring, Buendia would have scored an incredible 741.5 points last season, with a Points Per 90 figure of 20! The Argentinean was sent off twice over the course of the season, so he does still have some immaturity in his game. Elite level players can't afford to be sent off for acts of petulance or rash tackles near the half-way line. I'm sure you've all read about how amazing Buendia was last season. He's genuinely turning into one of the hottest talents in Europe, and has all the tools to perform at the highest level. Aston Villa really do have a shining star on their roster.
Better Teammates
Buendia has moved to a club with genuine Premier League level talent. Unfortunately this couldn't really be said about Norwich during the 19/20 season, but Emi still managed to score incredibly well. This season Buendia will be linking up with the likes of Grealish, Watkins and McGinn. These players should provide him with so many more points scoring opportunities. Grealish is becoming one of the best players in the league and will surely elevate Buendia's game. Pukki is a Norwich City legend who has been prolific in front of goal the last few seasons, but Watkins is a level or two above him. And McGinn is an all-round midfielder who will help Buendia both offensively and defensively.
There is also El Ghazi to potentially add into the mix. He loves to shoot... and most shots on goal require a key pass prior! Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet also contribute a fair amount for Villa, and more signings should be incoming for the rich Midlands club. All of these players should compliment each other pretty well and elevate their Fantrax scoring potential.
Fun to Watch!
Part of the reason we love playing Fantasy EPL using the sophisticated Fantrax Scoring System is so that we can watch a game and count up the points our players are scoring throughout the game. Buendia is an amazing player to watch for this. You can watch the Argentine magician rack up key passes and successful dribbles with ease. He's a joy to witness... until he gets booked for a rash challenge to wipe out some of his great work prior! Buendia is a points scoring machine, and he's so much fun to watch when you own him on Fantrax!
So... When to Draft Buendia?
Buendia is a fantastic player, and I genuinely think he has potential to break into the Top 10 best players on Fantrax. He's now older and more mature than his last season in the Premier League, and I would happily draft him anywhere between 10th and 15th. He really is that good. There will be lots of hype around Buendia after an incredible 20/21 season and a big-money move to Aston Villa. It is warranted. But I feel it isn't enough. Bump him even further up your pre-season Draft Rankings. You won't be disappointed.
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