“Probably helped us out” – Norwich City relief expressed at Borja Sainz transfer retention
This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features unique perspectives from our FLW Fan Pundits on the most recent breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more… Norwich City supporters may have been concerned about Borja Sainz’s immediate future as the mid-season transfer window approached, but the Spanish winger has remained at Carrow Road, providing a big boost to Johannes Hoff Thorup’s team.
Sainz had a strong first season with the Canaries, but has been elevated to a new level for much of the current season. The Spaniard is still the division’s leading goalscorer, with 15 goals and three assists from just 26 games, despite missing the last four due to a six-game suspension for spitting at Sunderland’s Chris Mepham in December, but there is a case to be made that his forced absence was a blessing in disguise.
| Borja Sainz’s 2024/25 Championship stats for Norwich City via FotMob, as of February 4 | |
| Appearances | 26 |
| Goals | 15 |
| xG | 10.2 |
| Shots | 79 |
| Assists | 3 |
| xA | 3.13 |
| Chances created | 27 |
| Successful dribbles | 59 |
| Dribble success rate | 46.5% |
| Touches in opposition box | 131 |
In the weeks running up to the transfer season, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao were all thought to be interested in bringing the 23-year-old back to his home country. Sainz, on the other hand, has not played since the beginning of January, and missing a run of games in which clubs inevitably run the rule over potential signings may have come to Norwich’s rescue, even if they will have been sweating over the prospect of going six games without their talisman to call on.
Norwich City verdict offered on Borja Sainz transfer retention
FLW asked our resident Canaries fan commentator, Zeke Downes, how glad he is that his team has managed to keep Sainz until the end of the season at least.
Zeke hailed the winger’s ban as a blessing in disguise, and now thinks he can start up where he left off, with Sainz impressing in his most recent match, a thrilling 2-1 victory over Coventry City. “I think the thing with Borja Sainz is his suspension probably helped us out in a way,” Zeke told the Tampa Bay Times. “He was undoubtedly fatigued from playing so many games; we had been counting on him for several months. He was having a dry phase before being suspended, but his absence may have caused teams to be less interested in him. “We’re not sure if any bids came in, but I didn’t hear anything.
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