Borja Sainz, a Spanish attacker, joined Norwich City on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, and after two seasons at Carrow Road, he was sold for a large profit.

Norwich, who finished 13th in their first season back in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League, were hoping to learn from their mistakes and move up the league.

Norwich were forced to work under similar restraints during the tenure of former Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner, who helped bring the Terriers to the top tier on a tight budget.

Ashley Barnes, Danny Batth, Jack Stacey, and Adam Forshaw arrived on free transfers to add a wealth of experience to the Canaries’ ranks, but the highlight addition was arguably Borja Sainz from Turkish side Giresunspor, also on free transfer.

Sainz struggled to make an impact in his native Spain with either Deportivo Alaves or Real Zaragoza, but in his single season in the Turkish top tier, the forward scored nine goals and assisted four in 32 league games, despite arriving in Norfolk as a relatively unknown quantity.

Borja Sainz joined Norwich City on a free transfer, having a minor reputation.

Upon his arrival, the Spaniard struggled to break into the Norwich team, but he emerged as an integral figure in the second half of the 2023/24 season, scoring six goals and assisting twice in 33 league appearances as the Canaries were eliminated in the play-off semi-finals by Leeds United.

Sainz’s career would take off in his second season with Norwich. In the first 18 games of the season, the Spanish attacker scored 14 goals and assisted on two others, cementing his place as one of the league’s top players.

This includes hat-tricks in a 3-2 away win over Derby County and a 6-1 home triumph over Plymouth Argyle, as well as an amazing brace in a 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough.

However, after the first 18 games, in which he clearly led the way as the Championship’s top scorer, Sainz’s form plummeted, with only three goals and two assists for the balance of the season, while Norwich also fell out of the play-off picture.

Though his early-season form had not gone unnoticed, speculation about a move across the continent began to circulate as the summer window opened.

Indeed, Portuguese giants FC Porto made a £14.25 million deal for the Spaniard, which Norwich accepted, becoming the club’s eighth most expensive sale in history, trailing only Nathan Redmond to Southampton and Andrew Omobamidele to Nottingham Forest.

Sainz, 24, signed a five-year contract with the Portuguese giants, succeeding Jonathan Rowe and Marcelino Nunez at Carrow Road.

Norwich discovered a hit in the deal to bring Sainz to Norfolk, despite only signing him on a free transfer two years ago.

Norwich City hit the jackpot with the Borja Sainz trade and made a significant profit

Norwich’s pure profit of £14.25 million from the Sainz trade was, by all accounts, superb.

Though the money was reinvested in the playing squad, many Canaries fans will believe it was not wisely spent, since Mathias Kvistgaarden, Mirko Topic, and Papa Diallo have all struggled for various reasons.

Sainz has been a regular in the Portuguese top division during his first season, and he hopes to assist his new team win their 31st title.

By nearly every criterion, Norwich’s agreement to sign and sell Sainz was a success, and they will undoubtedly seek to reproduce it in the future.