Borja Sainz lost ground at FC Porto, must step up in 2026/2027 | OneFootball

Borja Sainz arrived at the Dragão last summer with the reputation of being an explosive winger, capable of keeping opposing defenses on constant alert thanks to his pace and ability to dribble at speed. The Spaniard made a strong impression right from his first matches and was decisive in winning the national title, most notably with the goal scored at home against SC Braga, which secured three very important points in the league in a particularly demanding match for Francesco Farioli’s team.

In fact, personal issues related to his mother’s health — she would eventually pass away after a long illness — had a major emotional impact on the player, for whom the SAD led by André Villas-Boas paid a fixed fee of €13.3 million last summer, plus add-ons that could reach €2 million upon the achievement of certain targets. Norwich also retained 20% of the capital gain from any future transfer of the player, who signed until June 30, 2030 and was also given a release clause set at €100 million.

Borja Sainz’s performances eventually dropped compared to the early part of the season and, after the arrival of Oskar Pietuszewski, Farioli began to give priority to the flair and youth of the 18-year-old Polish prodigy, who joined the Dragão in the winter transfer window and made an immediate and impressive impact, pushing the Spaniard to the bench. The entire coaching staff and even president André Villas-Boas, who purposely traveled to the neighboring country to attend Borja’s mother’s funeral, always remained supportive of the footballer during a very delicate personal moment. The truth is that Sainz struggled to regain the level he had previously shown and ended up losing some ground, despite the rotation promoted by the Porto coach.

In this context, and with next season already on the horizon, Borja Sainz will have to show his very best version if he wants to be successful again under Farioli. At the same time, Athletic Bilbao already had him on their radar before he moved to FC Porto, a scenario that remains open, not least because of the possibility of Nico Williams leaving the Basque club. Even so, any departure will only be considered in the face of an offer that exceeds the investment made by Porto’s SAD.

Borja Sainz’s numbers in a Porto shirt stood at seven goals and six assists in a total of 2,537 minutes, but since the start of the calendar year, the attacker has managed only three assists. One of the issues pointed out about FC Porto’s wingers at a certain stage was precisely their lack of goals, especially in the case of Borja and Pepê, given the playing time granted by Farioli. If he wants to be a key piece in the strategy for 2026/2027, Sainz will truly have to raise his level, especially since, at this moment, Pietuszewski already has the upper hand.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.