BREAKING NEWS:Borja Sainz confirmed his decision not to play again for N…
When Borja Sainz first started being linked with a move to Norwich City towards the end of the 2022-23 season, it’s fair to say the vast majority of Canaries supporters will have been unfamiliar with the young Spaniard.
But he’s taken the opportunity that presented itself in Norfolk with both hands, showing frequent flashes of quality last term before elevating his game and becoming one of the Championship’s standout players in 2024-25, if not the standout player.
Norwich have cultivated a strong reputation in recent years for polishing rough diamonds and selling on for profit. It was a cornerstone of Stuart Webber’s time as sporting director, earning him significant praise at times. And with the club’s financial situation rather more testing than it was while yo-yoing to and from the Premier League, player trading remains an important aspect of their strategy.
Considering his impact at Norwich, it seems likely Sainz will – sooner or later – fetch City and incumbent sporting director Ben Knapper a hefty cheque. But before that happens, it could be that he inspires something even more valuable: a return to the Premier League.
Sainz joined Norwich on a free transfer from Turkish club Giresunspor following their relegation from the Süper Lig in 2023. While hardly a household name on English shores, when Norwich supporters saw the links and started doing some digging, they liked what they saw.
A confident left-winger who was capable of beating his man, offering creativity and scoring (spectacular) goals, Sainz was a player the fans quickly took to. Upon the completion of the deal, the level of anticipation around it was such that Norwich’s own official communication accepted it was “a surprise to absolutely nobody”.
The deal was a coup for Norwich. Sainz had been linked as a potential target for some of the bigger clubs in Turkey, while a return to Spain certainly wasn’t out of the question after a positive – on an individual level, anyway – season.
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