Borja Sainz left Norwich City this summer after two seasons to join Portuguese giants FC Porto, and he has made an immediate impact since joining the 30-time Portuguese winners.
Borja Sainz spent time in both Athletic Bilbao’s and Deportivo Alaves’ junior systems before making his professional debut with the latter, though he never completely established himself in the side between 2019 and 2021, and would go on loan to Real Zaragoza for the 2021/22 season.
He once again failed to light up the world in his native Spain, and at the age of 21, he took the risk of moving abroad to join Turkish club Giresunspor in the top flight, where he scored nine goals and assisted four times in his debut and only season, attracting interest from England.
Following Sainz’s departure from Giresunspor under then-head coach David Wagner, Norwich City signed him on a three-year free transfer, and Wagner stated, “He’s a young player, but already has good minutes in the top levels.”
“You could feel his eagerness to come in and make an impression. He is eager to show himself, which is exactly the type of guy we want in our club.
Sainz struggled to break into the Canaries’ starting lineup at first, but he became a significant player in the second part of the 2023/24 season, scoring six goals and assisting twice as Norwich lost to Leeds United in the play-off semi-finals.
The following season, the Spaniard exploded into life, scoring 15 goals and assisting twice in the first 18 games of the Championship season, eventually finishing with 18 goals and four assists when his goal flurry cooled.
Despite being in the final year of his contract, interest in Sainz was great, and FC Porto chose to pay the Canaries £14.25 million for his services this summer, and while the Canaries’ wings appear to have been plucked since his departure, the Spanish attacker has continued to fly high.
How Borja Sainz is faring since leaving Norwich City for FC Porto for £14.25 million
Since joining Porto on a five-year contract this summer, Sainz has hit the ground running for the Portuguese giants, with Norwich’s Sporting Director Ben Knapper remarking of his departure, “During his time with us, his performances and effect have been excellent. He provided us with many great moments, scored some magnificent goals, and was frequently the deciding factor in many of our matches.
“This is an excellent move for all sides, with Borja moving on to the next step of his career with a premier European team in FC Porto.
Sainz stated upon his arrival at Porto, “It was a conscious decision on my part.” FC Porto believed in me, and I’m delighted to be here.
“The integration has gone smoothly, and everyone has been quite helpful. The initial days are always more complicated, and they are doing everything possible to make the new signings feel at ease.”
The Spaniard has started all but two games in Portugal’s first division this season, scoring three goals and assisting twice as the club leads the league table after 11 games, with ten victories and one draw under former Nice and Ajax manager Francesco Farioli.
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Looking at his Instagram account, Sainz appears to have settled in well with the rest of the core team, with Jan Bednarek, Rodrigo Mora, Pepe, and Samuel Aghehowa all leaving supportive comments on his posts.
Sainz, who primarily plays on the left flank, competes with Pepe, Mora, and William Gomes for a spot in the starting lineup and has thus far started more frequently than not.
Porto will have strong hopes to defeat both Benfica and Sporting CP to the league crown this season, with Sainz playing an important role in achieving that goal.
Norwich City have struggled since Borja Sainz’s departure this summer.
Returning to Norfolk, the Canaries’ season has not gone well since Sainz’s departure in July.
Norwich have the worst home record not only in the Championship, but in the entire EFL, having failed to pick up a single point in seven attempts, as well as losing the EFL Cup to Southampton at Carrow Road.
This has already resulted in the departure of Liam Manning, whom they signed from Bristol City this summer after the Englishman led the Robins to a play-off finish the previous season, but the boyhood Norwich fan’s homecoming to the club couldn’t have gone much worse.
Norwich just named Philippe Clement, a former Monaco and Rangers manager, as the club’s new head coach, with Canaries fans hopeful that the Belgian will be the appropriate guy to turn around the club’s poor results and steer them away from relegation.
The significant investment in the attack has yet to bear fruit, with neither Mathias Kvistgaarden, Matej Jurasek, Oscar Schwartau, nor Ante Crnac able to take up the mantle that Sainz had left behind, with even USMNT striker Josh Sargent experiencing a slump.
Sainz’s departure has undoubtedly had an impact on Norwich’s current situation, and if he were still at the club, you can’t help but believe that they would be better placed, and Manning may still be employed.
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