Sainz had a fantastic debut season with the Canaries, but he has spent a large portion of the current campaign at a higher level.
Despite missing the last four games due to the six-game suspension he is currently serving for spitting at Sunderland’s Chris Mepham back in December, the Spaniard is still the division’s top scorer with 15 goals and three assists from just 26 games. However, there is a case to be made that his forced absence was actually a boon.
Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao were rumored to have expressed interest in Sainz in the weeks preceding the transfer season, and they were all eager to bring the 23-year-old back to his native country.
Sainz, however, has not featured since the start of January, and missing a run of games where clubs inevitably run the rule over potential signings may have actually arrived at Norwich’s aid, even if they will have doubtless been sweating over the prospect of going six fixtures without the services of their talisman to call upon.
Norwich City verdict offered on Borja Sainz transfer retention
FLW asked our resident Canaries fan pundit, Zeke Downes, just how relieved he is that his side have managed to retain Sainz until the end of the season at least.
Zeke described the seeming blessing in disguise of the winger’s suspension, and now hopes he can pick up where he left off – with Sainz having put in a starring display in the dramatic 2-1 win over Coventry City, his most recent affair.
“I think the thing with Borja Sainz is his suspension probably helped us out in a way,” Zeke told FLW.
“He was playing a lot of games and was probably exhausted, we were relying on him for a number of months. He was having a drier spell before he got suspended, but also that period of him being out meant teams maybe weren’t as interested in him.
“We don’t know if any bids came in, but I didn’t hear anything.
“I think if he can regain his early-season form, obviously that was supernova in a way because it was pretty much a goal a game – that’s unlikely to happen again – to have him and Josh Sargent in the team when they can both offer lots of goals, it’s only going to be a really good thing.
“Hopefully he can regain his form and if he leaves at the end of the season, it will hopefully be for a decent fee.”
Borja Sainz’s Norwich City return will help play-off bid
Norwich are in good form as of late, having won their last two games against Swansea City and Watford. The visit of strugglers Derby County is next on the agenda this weekend, but after that, they will welcome Sainz’s long-awaited return at home to Preston North End on February 11.
At this moment in time, the Canaries are in eighth with a margin of just two points separating them from sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion, meaning a second successive top-six finish is very much attainable.
Sainz is a consistent match-winner for Norwich and his goals have been so crucial in Thorup’s side even being in play-off contention, and their hopes of finishing the season inside the top-six will be handed a considerable boost when he returns to action.
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