Barnsley parted ways with £900,000 to bring Andersen to Oakwell four years ago. It didn’t take long for him to become an influential and popular figure with the Tykes either, helping them stay up in his first campaign before a remarkable run to the play-offs under Valerien Ismael in the 2020/21 season.
Unfortunately, they weren’t able to keep up that level and were relegated the following year. Andersen – despite being a centre-back proven at Championship level – stayed put to try and help Barnsley back to the second-tier but after play-off disappointment, he was sold this summer.
Luton Town snapped him up, taking him all the way up to the Premier League after their shock promotion.
The chances are that Andersen and Luton Town are in for a tough season in the Premier League, so the defender will probably be a busy man at the back with the Hatters likely to be underdogs in just about every game.
However, the jump up the leagues was a thoroughly deserved one and those who cheered him on at Barnsley will be keen to see him succeed in his new chapter.
He was a hit in Denmark and had been prolific before but few could anticipate just how important the Finn would be at Carrow Road. Pukki managed 88 goals and 29 assists in 210 games for the club across all competitions, including 65 in 125 in the Championship and 22 in 73 in the Premier League.
Pukki fired the Canaries to two Championship titles, earning a PFA Team of the Year spot in both seasons. He was the league’s Player of the Season in the 2018/19 campaign and won the club’s Player of the Season title twice.
His contract was up at the end of last season and instead of extending his stay into a sixth year, he elected to move on, signing for MLS side Minnesota United.
But how has Pukki fared over in the U.S. since?
Pukki at Minnesota United
The 33-year-old hasn’t quite been able to emulate the prolific scoring he had at Norwich City just yet. Across all competitions, 12 games have yielded three goals and an assist, although he has bagged in his last two appearances in a strong run of form for the side.
Minnesota are six unbeaten and occupy 7th in the Western Conference. They are managed by Adrian Heath, who worked as an assistant manager to Peter Reid during his spells in charge of Sunderland, Leeds United and Coventry City, serving as caretaker manager at the latter twice too.
