Five reasons European giants are circling Sainz
The transfer rumour mill is whirring furiously at the moment and reports on Monday indicate that Serie A champions Napoli, as well as Portuguese giants Porto, are interested in a deal for Norwich City forward Borja Sainz.
The second-highest scorer in the Championship last season with 18 goals, Sainz enjoyed an impressive campaign overall - although he did court controversy due to a spitting incident in January, which earned him a six-game ban.
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Although the Canaries ended up slumping to a 13th-placed finish in the English second tier, Sainz racked up some seriously impressive numbers last term, which may explain the current interest from heavyweight European clubs.
With that in mind, here is a countdown of Sainz's 'Top Five' strengths based on his statistics during the 2024/25 campaign...
Borja Sainz | A 2024/25 Stat Countdown
5. Creativity. In addition to his high output in terms of goals, Sainz featured in the Championship's 'Top 30' players for key passes last season. This ability to create for others saw him supply four assists during 2024/25 - his strike partnership with Josh Sargent yielding a combined 33 goals for Norwich in total last term.
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4. Sharp-shooting. As we'll see, Sainz's shooting from distance is outstanding, but his shooting accuracy in general is very good. The forward hit a solid 10 more shots on target last season than any other player in the Championship and his shot-on-target percentage of 42% is high for a player who is certainly not shy of pulling the trigger.
3. Counter...productivity. All but one of Sainz's 18 Championship goals stemmed from open-play last season to underline the threat he offers from live situations and, further, he finished off threat goals via counter-attacks last term - his ability in transition possibly a key reason why he is attracting interest from around Europe.
2. Mazy dribbling. The 24-year-old Spaniard poses a threat with the ball at his feet and his 99 successful take-ons last term put him clear of any other player in the Championship. His dribble completion ratio of 46% was very respectable too.
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1. An eye for the spectacular. The former Alaves and Giresunspor forward scored some belters last season and finished the season with four goals from outside the box, only Sheffield United's Gustavo Hamer netting more from long range. Sainz had already banged in three long rangers in the Championship in 2023/24, as well as a rocket against Liverpool in the FA Cup that season, so this ability to notch from remote positions is nothing new!
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