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Farke reveals how keen Pukki was to join City’s party
Teemu Pukki has been a revelation at Norwich City Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
Teemu Pukki has been a hit for Norwich City but Daniel Farke has revealed the lengths the Championship’s top scorer went to join the Canaries.
Pukki notched his 24th of a stellar debut season in the 3-1 league win at Millwall that moved Farke’s men back top of the table.
The Finnish international has been in prolific goalscoring form since arriving on a free transfer in what now looks a major coup.
Farke and sporting director Stuart Webber took a punt on the 28-year-old but only after he proved how much he wanted to move to Carrow Road.
“When I speak with a player you have to get a feeling and he was desperate to come to Norwich,” said Farke. “He already knew about our history and that we are a massive club and why it is a pleasure to wear this yellow shirt.
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“I told him how competitive the league is, how hard he had to work and what we are planning to do.
“Of course I followed Teemu’s way for a number of years. He was at a big club in Germany, Schalke 04, then he didn’t have the most successful spell at Celtic but I felt he could totally fit to our style of play and our way.
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“Our scouting was brilliant, Stuart did an unbelievably good job and then we had a series of meetings with Teemu to get a feeling for his character; to paint a picture and get a sense if we felt he could be a good fit.
“He was also able to improve and to learn and that is a compliment to his character. He is not 17 or 18 anymore but he was willing to do it.”
Farke stops short of labelling Pukki his best ever signing.
“I can’t compare. I was a striker as well and since I have been a head coach, my go to guys have score many goals,” he said. “Maybe last season we struggled in this area but in general I have had other strikers who scored goals.
“I don’t like to speak about individuals. Whenever we need Jordan Rhodes he is there, he puts lots of pressure on Teemu to be there on a good level in every training session, because he is one of the best in this league.
“Dennis Srbeny as well, the same. Who scores is not that important, just that we get goals from strikers.
“We always try to find solutions in the homegrown market, because the lads know the league and there is no problem with the language.
“But to find quality strikers in this market is unbelievably expensive.
“We are not the richest club so the financial pressure was on us in recent years and we had to be creative.”
