Chris Sutton thinks Arsenal will have to spend more than expected to get Emi Buendia

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Chris Sutton has told BBC Radio 5 Live that he thinks Arsenal will have to spend a lot more than the reported £15million price tag if they want to lure Norwich City playmaker Emi Buendia to North London in January.

Buendia, 24, has remained with Norwich City despite suffering relegation with the Canaries last season. He laid on seven assists in a Norwich side that struggled in the Premier League, and has already matched that total this term.

Indeed, the South American set-piece specialist has scored six and created seven in 18 Championship appearances this season. Football London say Arsenal are interested, while rumours suggest a fee of £15million would be enough.

However, Sutton thinks Arsenal would have to spend a lot more to land the playmaker – even suggesting that the Gunners would have to double the price to £30million if they wanted Buendia over the course of the next few weeks.

“£15million, are you joking? He’s worth double that, come on. That’s an insult. Why would you sell Buendia for £15m in January when he is so important in getting Norwich promotion? That’s not worth £15m,” Sutton said.

TBR’s view – Is Buendia good enough for Arsenal?

Without a doubt, Buendia is of Premier League standard and in a good side, he is more than capable of scoring goals and creating assists on a regular basis. But would he be able to fill the shoes of Mesut Ozil?

Probably not. Certainly, he is not worth an enormous £30million. While Norwich will not want to sell as they continue their bid to return to the Premier League at the first attempt, a fee of £20million would surely be enough.