Norwich City supporters must hope Borja Sainz doesn’t face Emiliano Buendia fate: View

Norwich City supporters must hope Borja Sainz doesn’t face Emiliano Buendia fate: View

But all is not lost for Johannes Hoff Thorup’s side, who had been unbeaten in seven games and are only three points

behind the play-off spots.

Borja Sainz, the Canaries’ best player, is currently leading the Championship golden boot race with 11 goals in 13

outings.

The Spaniard averages a goal per league game and has two assists, both from a 4-0 win against Hull City last month.

In a 3-2 win over Derby County in September, he scored a hat-trick at Pride Park.

Sainz has significantly improved on his stats from the previous season, however his 2023/24 output of six goals and

two assists in 33 games and 25 starts during his maiden season in the English league was not to be overlooked.

The 23-year-old’s exploits will undoubtedly be compared to those of Emiliano Buendia, who will join Aston Villa in

2021. The Argentina international led the Carrow Road side to the Championship championship in both 2018/19 and

2020/2021.

Buendia scored eight goals and assisted 12 times in the second tier in 2018/19, then in an even more remarkable

2020/21 season, he scored 15 goals and assisted 16 times.

The current form of Sainz indicates that he could be on course to emulate those sorts of figures, and in turn, that

could mean he may follow the Villa man to the Premier League, even if the Canaries do not win promotion

themselves.

Norwich supporters must hope Sainz does not suffer Buendia fate

Sainz’s current form indicates that he is highly likely to contribute well over 20 goals in the Championship this

season, so the Carrow Road faithful will not be able to begrudge the ace if he seeks a Premier League move next

summer if the Norfolk club does not win promotion.

However, Canaries fans would be devastated if the Spaniard made such a move and faced a similar lack of game time

as Buendia is presently experiencing.

Buendia was one of the first names on the Canaries team sheet throughout his stay at Carrow Road, making 39 starts

as his previous side won the Championship in 2020/21.

During the 2021/22 Premier League season, his first in Villa colours, he made 35 appearances and 22 starts, which

was a decent amount of game time, albeit fewer minutes than he was used to with his former club.

He subsequently pushed on significantly during the succeeding 2022/23 season, appearing in every single league

game for Villa, but only making the starting XI on 27 times, and was unable to be the star of the show as he had been

during his Canaries days.

Buendia suffered a knee ligament injury in August 2023, causing him to miss the entire 2023/24 season and not

return until early in the current campaign.

Despite the fact that Villa are currently experiencing a level of fixture congestion that they are not used to due to

their participation in the Champions League, the 27-year-old has only been named to Unai Emery’s starting XI in the

EFL Cup so far this season, falling behind the likes of Morgan Rogers in the pecking order.

Canaries fans must hope that if Sainz makes a Premier League move next summer, he does not face the same fate as

Buendia, as he is a brilliant teenager who deserves the regular playing time he is receiving at Carrow Road.

It would undoubtedly be extremely distressing for Norwich to lose another vital player just to watch him warming

the bench.

There is transfer interest in Sainz

According to Spanish outlet El Correo, La Liga side Athletic Bilbao are keen on Sainz’s services, which could indicate

that further interest in the Canaries ace could be on the horizon.

Although he has only completed one year of his three-year contract at Carrow Road, the Norfolk club is not looking

to sell their star player just yet.

However, given his recent quality, one may argue that Sainz deserves to play in the top division next season, even if

the Canaries do not earn promotion.

The Carrow Road faithful will hope that if and when the Spaniard leaves, he will be able to enjoy regular playing

time, unlike former Norwich talisman Buendia, who is presently experiencing a lack of game time at Villa Park.

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