Minnesota United FC signed former Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki to a designated player contract through June 2025 with a club option through December 2025, the team announced Tuesday.
Pukki, 33, played for Norwich City in the Premier League and EFL Championship from 2018-23, posting 88 goals and 29 assists and 210 games across England’s top two flights.
“I feel as though we have gotten that goal scorer we have been craving ever since Christian Ramirez left. He’s a gold standard, proven goal scorer,” Minnesota United head coach Adrian Heath said in a release. “If you look at his record he’s scored at a high level at every team he’s played for. His goalscoring record in the Premier League, the Championship and the Finnish national team speaks for itself.
“He’s a great professional, what you see is what you get, always a smile on his face, gets his work done and is a great teammate. The fact is, he scores goals and I know that if we continue to create the opportunities we have this season he will no doubt be successful in this league. We are delighted to get him here and get him integrated with the group.”
Before joining the Canaries, Pukki played for Denmark’s Brondby, Scotland’s Celtic, Germany’s Schalke 04, Finland’s HJK and KTP, and Spain’s Sevilla and Sevilla Atletico.
“With Teemu, what we’re doing is we’re adding an incredible guy and an incredible pro, which is something that’s important to us,” Minnesota technical director Mark Watson said in a release. “On the field, it’s pretty simple: He’s an elite goal scorer. I think he’s got a lot more to his game than that. He’s a really good soccer player and he can hold the ball, bring others into play.
“It’s a real credit to the club and our growth in terms of how we go about our business, but also being a club that can attract these types of players. Teemu Pukki was a free agent — he could have gone anywhere — and he had a lot of offers from big clubs in top leagues around the world, and he chose Minnesota.”
Pukki will be eligible to be added to the roster when the MLS Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 5.
–Field Level Media