Borja Sainz: Spanish winger leaves Norwich for Porto in £14.25m deal

In his first season at Norwich, Sainz scored on his debut in an EFL Cup tie against Fulham and went on to add another seven goals in all competitions, including a memorable FA Cup goal against Liverpool at Anfield.

He began the 2024-25 season in blistering fashion scoring 16 goals from 20 appearances in all competitions, a run including two hat-tricks against Derby County and Plymouth Argyle.

However, his form dipped in the second half of the campaign and he only added two more to his tally, finishing second in the Championship top scorer list behind Leeds United's Joel Piroe.

This dip in form was compounded by Sainz receiving a six-match ban for spitting at Sunderland defender Chris Mepham in the game at the Stadium of Light in December 2024.

He made a full apology for the incident, saying in a statement: "Spitting at an opponent is completely out of character for me, and my reaction in that moment was unacceptable....I am deeply disappointed in myself and for letting all of you down through my conduct."

Speaking following Norwich's 3-1 pre-season win over Northampton Town on Saturday, new head coach Liam Manning told BBC Radio Norfolk that Sainz's move was a "terrific deal" for the club.

He added: "It allows us to improve the team, and that's part and parcel of football now.

"My job is to concentrate on what we've got here and how we get the group ready for next week and beyond. We're working hard behind the scenes to add.

"There are still a few faces we need to add and will add so we'll keep pushing on that and make the squad as strong as we can."

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