Emiliano Buendia's price tag makes him too risky a signing for Arsenal

Norwich City's Emiliano Buendia has been linked with a move to Arsenal repeatedly in the last 12 months. But while statistically he's enjoyed a highly successful campaign, there's no guarantee he'll be able to translate that form from the Championship to the Premier League.

The Argentine played a huge role in the Canaries' promotion, scoring an impressive 15 goals and providing his teammates with no fewer than 17 assists. So it's no wonder that Norwich are said to have slapped a £40m price tag on the 24-year-old.

Creativity has been a huge problem for Arsenal this season. Defensively they've improved under Mikel Arteta but their inability to break down stubborn defences has seen them stutter.

Martin Odegaard is currently on loan at the club from Real Madrid and with the Norwegian potentially returning to La Liga at the end of the season, a player of Buendia's profile could be one of the Gunners' priorities this summer.

For the most part, the Argentine has played from the right side but he is capable of playing in a more central role and if he were to be signed, that's where he'd best fit into this Arsenal side.

The step up from the Championship to the Premier League, however, is a significant one and the reality is he's unlikely to hit the aforementioned heights when playing in the top-flight. Taking that into account that this is a time where Arsenal are experiencing financial difficulties, £40m feels like too big of a risk to take.

His only previous experience in the big time came in the 2019/20 campaign in which Daniel Farke's side were relegated in last place. Individually, he showed signs of his quality without totally convincing - producing seven assists but only scoring once in an away defeat at Watford.

Buendia recently earned his first call up to the Argentina squad after his performances caught the eye of Lionel Scaloni and so it's clear his stock is rising. Whether it has risen to the value of £40m is the debate and the question that Edu and Arteta will be pondering over.

In the modern era it's not uncommon to overpay for a player - after all, you've got to persuade the seller to sell and in Norwich's case, having just earned promotion, they're not exactly desperate for the money.

Their stance is clear with Farke having previously spoken of the club's openness to doing a deal for the attacker if the price is right. Every transfer has an element of risk about it but to break the bank for a player yet to prove himself in a top league feels careless, particularly when you consider what's likely to be available to Arteta in terms of transfer funds this summer.