Borja Sainz linked to Athletic Bilbao

[spencer 1970 214]

https://www.pinkun.com/sport/interviews/24570246.norwihc-city-borja-sainz-linked-athletic-bilbao/

This is a real worry if true as La Lehoiak are his home team, so i'd guess he supported them as a kid. He was born and raised 10 minutes away from the port of Bilbao. 

[Paul101 190]

not really if they pay top money for him

[cambridgeshire canary 7,797]

Best offer us a record transfer deal then.

[Branston Pickle 4,145]

Couldn’t really care less right now - their transfer window closed when ours did.  Offer us a big pile of cash in January and maybe we can talk then.

[overthebordercanary 160]

Barcelona will be sniffing around Nico Williams in the january transfer window, wouldn't surprise me if sainz moves then as his replacement. 

[Capt. Pants 5,006]

2 hours ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Best offer us a record transfer deal then.

No way is Sainz worth more than Emi.

Makes no difference as the transfer window is closed anyway.

[Worthy Nigelton 1,299]

1 hour ago, overthebordercanary said:

Barcelona will be sniffing around Nico Williams in the january transfer window, wouldn't surprise me if sainz moves then as his replacement. 

I like Sainz but he is an enormous step down from Williams. I think they'll look at better players than Sainz as replacements when/if Barca come calling.

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,261]

Shame there's La Liga interest in him already. He looks to me like one of those players who is great at Championship level but there would never be any PL interest because he's just not at that level and doesn't have the pace or strength to play in the league above so a good player who we wouldn't ever have to worry about moving on and could be a key player here for years but I forgot that there are other top level leagues that might interest him. 

Depends what he wants to do really. At his age he isn't going to develop that much further. To me he looks like one of those players that will always be great at Championship level but will never make the step up in this country so he can either be a star for a really good club in the English second division or be a bit part player/super sub in La Liga/Serie A/Ligue 1 etc. I just don't see him ever being a regular for any top flight team in any league due to his disciplinary issues, his weakness defending off the ball and how he drifts in and out of games and still has a really bad game in him every now and then. I think he's worth more to us than any club would be willing to pay and if he's not being promised a contract where he's a first team starter he won't earn that much more than he could be on here as a key player for us. 

Edited September 8 by Christoph Stiepermann

[Paul101 190]

I would be suprised tbh he hasnt really done it at championship level week in week out yet still very far away from a refined player

[BobLoz3 609]

I think Sainz would probs be valued at around 15 million at most 

[BobLoz3 609]

3 hours ago, BobLoz3 said:

I think Sainz would probs be valued at around 15 million at most 

Not sure why Conrad thinks this is funny. Sold Johnny Rowe for less and he's arguably a bigger prospect, comes with the "English tax" and is younger. 

[kirku 1,358]

The English tax isn't payable in France

[shefcanary 2,950]

11 hours ago, Christoph Stiepermann said:

 his weakness defending off the ball and how he drifts in and out of games and still has a really bad game in him every now and then.

I've seen signs that Thorup and Riddersholm have been working on this, in the Cov game I saw plenty of running back to give support to Chrisene.

Consistency is the key.If Riddersholm can make it second nature to him, I can see him becoming more Buendia like.

It took Emi a while to stop beating the floor in frustration and instead get up and run back to make chance saving tackles after all, so there is hope for Sainz in this regard.  

[Mello Yello 2,572]

Bilbao Baggins....

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 2,424]

Bilbao can only sign players from the Basque region of Spain, so they are constantly scouting pretty much anyone with that connection. 

Personally, I wouldn’t be that sad to lose him. While he offers an element of chaos in games given he can pull off a sudden moment of magic, this can also be is downfall as he will also try to do something difficult when there is a better, easier option. 

If JHT wants to have a possession system controlling games, having Sainz give the ball away softly on the regular probably doesn’t fit that idea. 

[Capt. Pants 5,006]

My concern with losing Sainz would be what or who we replace him with. Rowe and Sainz whilst perfectly capable of mediocrity, can also make things happen.

Early days, but I'm not really seeing that on Crnac. 

I'd rather we kept Sainz tbh. Crikey let's have a bit of flair in the team.

[wcorkcanary 4,781]

14 minutes ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

Bilbao can only sign players from the Basque region of Spain, so they are constantly scouting pretty much anyone with that connection. 

Personally, I wouldn’t be that sad to lose him. While he offers an element of chaos in games given he can pull off a sudden moment of magic, this can also be is downfall as he will also try to do something difficult when there is a better, easier option. 

If JHT wants to have a possession system controlling games, having Sainz give the ball away softly on the regular probably doesn’t fit that idea. 

Agree with much of above  Bethnalo, but surely we need a spark from somewhere? I'd prefer to see his all round game worked on and improved, unless there is an alternative who  can not only keep the ball a little better but also provide a bit of something special , some excitement, some pzaz  .  I don't see that in the squad atm without Sainz. 

[Virtual reality 860]

3 hours ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

Bilbao can only sign players from the Basque region of Spain, so they are constantly scouting pretty much anyone with that connection. 

Personally, I wouldn’t be that sad to lose him. While he offers an element of chaos in games given he can pull off a sudden moment of magic, this can also be is downfall as he will also try to do something difficult when there is a better, easier option. 

If JHT wants to have a possession system controlling games, having Sainz give the ball away softly on the regular probably doesn’t fit that idea. 

Amazing that they are in the top flight with those transfer limitations. I’d hate to think what level we would be at if we could only sign players from Norfolk.

[Jersey Canary 180]

Sainz has been found out in the EFL. As soon as he cuts in from the wing the opposition know he’s trying to bend the ball into the far corner. Defenders block this off and you lose a huge part of Sainz’s effectiveness. He needs to learn another trick to become a top top player.

Don’t get me wrong I like Sainz, I like his attitude and he defiantly has ability. Let’s hope the coaching team can develop him further. 

[Robert N. LiM 6,274]

5 hours ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

Personally, I wouldn’t be that sad to lose him. While he offers an element of chaos in games given he can pull off a sudden moment of magic, this can also be is downfall as he will also try to do something difficult when there is a better, easier option. 

If JHT wants to have a possession system controlling games, having Sainz give the ball away softly on the regular probably doesn’t fit that idea. 

Seems quite a good fit for "press high and win back quickly", though, doesn't he?

Personally I think there is more to come from him and would like to see him stay and hopefully develop here.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 2,424]

19 hours ago, Capt. Pants said:

My concern with losing Sainz would be what or who we replace him with. Rowe and Sainz whilst perfectly capable of mediocrity, can also make things happen.

Early days, but I'm not really seeing that on Crnac. 

I'd rather we kept Sainz tbh. Crikey let's have a bit of flair in the team.

Can definitely have flair players, being able to dribble past their opponent will be a key skill for attackers under Thorup. It is more about knowing when to take the risk and when to avoid it (and what is worth taking a risk on). 

Sainz has a habit of either shooting from impossible angles of positions which causing a cheap turnover in possession and allows the opposition to counter. Against Coventry Sainz tried to back heel a pass to Sargent when there were at least two defenders between them. That is just stupid and gifted Coventry the ball. 

It is something that can be coached out of a player, but Sainz has had these tendencies at every club he’s been at. 

Given he has 2 years on his deal now. Norwich need to stick or twist on Sainz. If Norwich could get a decent fee for him I’d lean towards ‘twisting’ over giving him a new contract and him looking increasing like a player who was signed for a very different coach under a very different style. 

[hogesar 10,761]

50 minutes ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

Can definitely have flair players, being able to dribble past their opponent will be a key skill for attackers under Thorup. It is more about knowing when to take the risk and when to avoid it (and what is worth taking a risk on). 

Sainz has a habit of either shooting from impossible angles of positions which causing a cheap turnover in possession and allows the opposition to counter. Against Coventry Sainz tried to back heel a pass to Sargent when there were at least two defenders between them. That is just stupid and gifted Coventry the ball. 

It is something that can be coached out of a player, but Sainz has had these tendencies at every club he’s been at. 

Given he has 2 years on his deal now. Norwich need to stick or twist on Sainz. If Norwich could get a decent fee for him I’d lean towards ‘twisting’ over giving him a new contract and him looking increasing like a player who was signed for a very different coach under a very different style. 

Yeah, but then we're basically after a winger who can contribute goals / assists, dribble past opponents and not make bad decisions.

In the Championship.

Which feels unlikely to be accomplished.