Early in 2025, Norwich City is probably going to undergo some changes because they want to start moving up the Championship standings as soon as possible.
After a poor start to 2024–25 and a crushing defeat at the hands of Leeds United in the previous season’s play-offs, the Canaries are currently stuck in mid-table. Johannes Hoff Thorup was hired in the summer with the intention of improving the Norfolk-based team in 2024–2025, but much more effort needs to be done to make this happen.
New players will most likely arrive at Carrow Road in January, but the team may also lose some players for a variety of reasons. Two players who might be nearing the end of their tenure in yellow and green are highlighted here by Football League World.
Sainz Borja
This season, Borja Sainz has been Norwich’s most notable player. The 23-year-old Spaniard has already scored ten goals this season, and both supporters and analysts concur that this is more than just a purple patch.
Although this would have made the terraces of Carrow Road happier, a player who is in form unfortunately draws the attention of teams that have more money to spend on players. According to Radio Popular de Bilbao, Sainz’s stellar season start is drawing interest from teams across the continent, with teams like Galatasaray, Villarreal, and Atletico Madrid reportedly showing interest. The transfer market opens in less than two months.
Sainz may find it tough to resist a move away from Carrow Road due to the attraction of perhaps playing European football, and the Canaries may find it even more difficult to turn down such a sizable offer. The difficulty of finding and hiring a successor for Sainz in a shorter amount of time than during the summer, however, would encourage the Norwich management to hold off on making this sale while the season is still going on.
Forsyth, Gabe
18-year-old Gabe Forsyth, who joined the Canaries from Scottish team Hamilton Academical in 2023, made his debut in the first team lineup this season after replacing Sainz off the bench during the opening weekend loss to Oxford United.
He has made occasional appearances for Norwich since, although he has not yet established himself as a mainstay in the starting lineup. Despite this, Forsyth signed a new contract with Carrow Road earlier this year that would keep him there until 2027, demonstrating that the club’s management sees potential in him.
Thus, it would seem reasonable for the young Scot to spend the rest of the 2024–2025 season on loan in order to get consistent playing experience and first-team football. He has a future with the team for the foreseeable future thanks to his new deal, and a loan stint in the lower divisions of the EFL would only help him grow. Furthermore, if his little stint away from the Canaries goes well, he may be able to convince Thorup to offer him more regular playing time in the future.
This puts Forsyth at risk of only becoming a backup player who the Canaries frequently loan out to till the conclusion of his contract. But with youth on his side, he has the opportunity to make an impression somewhere for a short time and demonstrate that he may be a useful asset to Norwich long before his career peaks.
