How Norwich City supporters first reacted to signing Borja Sainz - He could now make them millions | OneFootball

Norwich City supporters let their feelings known when Borja Sainz joined the club in the summer of 2023

Borja Sainz has proven a key part of the Norwich City squad in his second season at the club.

The Spaniard arrived as a free transfer after departing Turkish side Giresunspor, signing a three-year deal with the Norfolk outfit.

However, speculation now surrounds his future at Carrow Road as he enters the final year of that deal this summer.

The forward is one of the the top scorers in the Championship this year, but Norwich have missed out on the chance to gain promotion, with Leeds United News claiming the Whites are eyeing a potential move this summer.

Here we take a look back at the initial reaction to his arrival, and reflect on the impact he’s made at the club in his two years with Norwich so far…

Borja Sainz signing reaction

Norwich confirmed the arrival of Sainz on 30 June 2023, with the player arriving on a three-year deal.

Many Canaries supporters were excited by his signature, and expressed that with their reaction on social media.

One fan, Matt, claimed, via Twitter: “Got a good feeling about this.”

Another, Will, said: “Oh yes - excited for this one.”

While Kyle Addle compared the Spaniard to previous Canaries playmaker Emi Buendia, who helped the club to promotion under Daniel Farke on two occasions.

“Second coming of Buendia,” he responded to the official news of Sainz’s arrival.

James Flett also shared his positive feeling about the signing, claiming “I’m really happy with our business so far this summer.”

While some others took the opportunity to joke about his similar name to F1 driver Carlos Sainz, who was competing in Austria that afternoon.

Borja Sainz’s impact at Norwich

Sainz had a strong debut campaign at Carrow Road, even if it took several weeks into the season before he broke into the team.

The 24-year-old was absent for the first three months of his time with the Canaries due to an ankle ligament injury.

His debut came at the end of September 2023, coming off the bench in a 2-1 loss to Fulham in the EFL Cup.

It wasn’t until his ninth appearance in the Championship that he secured his first goal for the club, also bagging an assist on the day as well, in a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Sainz contributed six goals and two assists in the league for the entire campaign, including scoring in wins over Huddersfield Town, Coventry City and Rotherham United.

He played an important role in David Wagner’s side as they finished sixth in the league.

However, a play-off semi-final defeat to Leeds United led to them spending another year in the Championship after a 4-0 aggregate loss.

Sainz’s second season with the Norfolk outfit saw him go from strength to strength.

The departures of Gabriel Sara and Jonathan Rowe meant there was a greater need for the team for someone like Sainz to step up, and that’s exactly what he did.

With Johannes Hoff Thorup in charge, he became one of the most consistent goal scorers in the division.

While a six-game suspension midway through the campaign derailed his fine form, he still proved a talismanic figure, reaching the 17-goal mark before Thorup was dismissed with two games remaining.