Where Norwich City ends up at the end of the 2024–25 Championship season will undoubtedly depend greatly on how they choose to handle the next January transfer window.
Under Johannes Hoff Thorup, the Canaries had a mixed summer window. While he made some interesting continental acquisitions, he was unable to stop Gabriel Sara, a talismanic Brazilian midfielder, from leaving, and later, Jon Rowe and Abu Kamara both left Carrow Road in a more controversial way.
Norwich is currently trapped in a bit of a rut, albeit one brought on by their terrible injury luck. Due to a groin injury, Josh Sargent is expected to be sidelined until the new year. Other players who have recently missed time include Ashley Barnes, Marcelino Nunez, and Angus Gunn.
Under Thorup, Norwich enjoyed a strong start to the season, winning convincingly against Watford, Derby County, and especially Hull City. That being said, they have lost three of their previous seven games and are currently in 13th place, seven points behind sixth-place West Bromwich Albion after 16 games.
The Canaries, who fired David Wagner following their crushing defeat by Leeds United in the second leg of the play-offs last season, will undoubtedly aim for a top six finish. In light of this, Norwich’s winter window, which opens in a little more than a month, will be crucial for both acquisition and retention. We’ve chosen to examine two transfer issues that might arise.
Given that Borja Sainz has been the best player in the Championship this season, it should come as no surprise that Norwich will be concerned about his immediate future.
After playing well for the Yellows the last time out, the Spanish winger has improved under Thorup, who seems to have freed Sainz. He has 11 goals in 16 games as of this writing, with two assists for good measure, making him the league’s top goalscorer.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Sainz is already attracting a lot of attention before January. Galatasaray is reportedly keen in stealing a second star from Norfolk by pursuing Sainz, who is also thought to have fans in his own country.
Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club, and Villarreal are all interested in acquiring Sainz, according to Radio Popular de Bilbao. The 23-year-old is reportedly interested in moving to the Spanish capital, which isn’t shocking either. However, since he is from the Basque Country, a relocation to Bilbao isn’t completely out of the question.
Although Sainz has plenty of suitors, Norwich has previously stated that they have no plans to let him depart. “We don’t need to sell Borja in January,” Canaries owner Mark Attanasio stated in a recent interview with The Pink Un. To be honest, we never need to sell them.
