3 potential Borja Sainz replacements if Norwich City ace leaves in the January transfer window | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at three potential replacements if Borja Sainz leaves Norwich City in January

Norwich City will surely be bracing themselves to receive plenty of January transfer interest in Borja Sainz, who has taken the Championship by storm this season.

The Spanish winger displayed signs of real promise throughout the previous campaign but has stepped up to the mantle following the departure of positional counterpart Jon Rowe during the summer, filling his void to become Norwich's left-sided talisman.

After 14 matches of the 2024/25 Championship campaign, Sainz is the division's leading scorer with 11 strikes to his name, a record which includes more than one stunner and an emphatic hattrick away at Derby County in September. For good measure, the 23-year-old has also provided two assists, emerging as the standout player in the second-tier to date.

Sainz, who was of reported interest to boyhood club Athletic Bilbao back in the summer, is sure to receive heightened admiration when the January transfer window rolls around, and Norwich would benefit from devising a contingency plan and eyeing potential targets ahead of the worst-case scenario.

With that in mind, Football League World takes a look at three players who Norwich could potentially replace Sainz with if he does end up departing in January.

Isak Steiner Jensen

Given Norwich's summer strategy of exploring lesser-known continental markets and acquiring young talent for less significant fees in comparison to the equivalent domestic valuations, it's entirely reasonable to suggest they'll continue casting their net overseas when the time comes to replace Sainz.

In particular, they would be well-served by utilising Johannes Hoff Thorup's extensive knowledge and experience of the Danish top flight and pursuing a mid-season move for Viborg prospect Isak Steiner Jensen.

The 20-year-old is emerging as a real star in Denmark, having scored five goals from 14 matches to date. His tally has come in at a return of 0.43 goals per 90 minutes, which doesn't really lay a glove on Sainz's astronomical current output but does suggest that he could retain a goal threat from the left side of Hoff Thorup's attacking trident.

Jensen scored seven goals last season and appears to have a fairly-refined end product for somebody still so young, while his numbers in front of goal are married with excellent 1v1 qualities which would ensure that Sainz' dynamic ball-carrying in transition isn't missed quite as much.

Jensen would represent an incredibly shrewd long-term acquisition, but the evidence suggests that he could also have a swift Carrow Road impact. He'd need to in order to replace Sainz, that's for sure.

The caveat is that Jensen only joined the club permanently in July, having spent the entirety of the previous season on loan from MLS outfit St Louis City. However, if he continues to perform in this vein then interest is surely inevitable, and Norwich could well be able to put forward an offer that Viborg simply couldn't refuse.

Yeremay Hernandez

Perhaps the most exciting potential capture of the lot, Deportivo La Coruna's Yeremay Hernandez would offer a sublime replacement for Sainz, should the City forward move on to pastures new.

A former member of the prestigious Real Madrid academy, Hernandez has steadily built up his stock in Spain with Deportivo and is enjoying a stunning individual campaign in LaLiga2 - so much so that it would be something of a masterstroke if Norwich could complete the deal.

Most at home as a left-sided winger while also possessing the requisite technical attributes to pull the strings in central midfield, Hernandez has already scored six goals from 12 league appearances for the second-tier strugglers along with completing a sensational 48 dribbles, meaning he'd reimburse all the dynamism and flair to Norwich's frontline - and then some.

At 21 years old, Hernandez looks a real star in the making but he likely won't come cheap, with Deportivo having tied him down to a contract running until 2030 earlier this year. However, Norwich would be able to flex some serious financial muscles if they cash in on Sainz, and Hernandez could be the very best use of their money should the scenario play out.

Malik Mothersille

Of course, domestic options are also available and Norwich may not have to look as far as Spain or Denmark to find a replacement for Sainz.

Just down the road at Peterborough United is versatile 21-year-old attacker Malik Mothersille, who is having something of a breakout season in League One this term. The former Chelsea academy star predominantly saved his best performances for the EFL Trophy last time out, but he's now making a splash in league action, scoring four goals and setting up a further three in Posh's opening 14 exchanges.

As ever, Peterborough will doubtless drive a hard bargain for Mothersille's services and Norwich, along with other Championship counterparts, may be deterred from meeting Darragh MacAnthony's demands until he replicates the five-star consistency of the likes of Kwame Poku and formerly Ephron Mason-Clarke, for example.

Once again, though, Norwich surely won't sell Sainz unless the financial gain is significant, and money shouldn't be too much of a stumbling block when they're inevitably searching for a replacement. Mothersille could be a very smart project signing but he's already developing extremely well, and Norwich would do well to get ahead of the queue if Sainz departs.