Norwich City are already forgetting about Borja Sainz - He may not be missed in 25/26 | OneFootball

The Canaries have already signed Papa Diallo to fill the void, and Abdallah Sima may serve to create even more excitement on the left at Carrow Road

Seeing Borja Sainz depart Norwich City was something that Canaries fans were almost resigned to at the end of last season, but the replacements they're looking to bring in will most definitely soften the blow.

Papa Diallo, one of the driving forces behind FC Metz's promotion out of the French second division last season, looks ready to hit the ground running in the Championship, and now the Canaries are looking at signing someone who has scored consistently in European competitions in the last couple of seasons.

Abdallah Sima is yet to make his Brighton and Hove Albion bow since arriving at The Amex Stadium from Slavia Prague in 2021, and Norwich may be looking to bring him to Carrow Road before that can happen, according to Sam Seaman.

Sima has excelled on loan at Rangers and Brest in the last two seasons, and at the French side, scored three times in the Champions League as they made the knockout phase.

Sainz was, to many, the best player in the league last season, but did see his output drop off significantly after November ended. Diallo has all the tools to be an apt replacement, but if Norwich can get Sima over the line, then it may not be long before the Spaniard is forgotten completely.

Norwich City's diverse winger targets make them a dangerous prospect this season

Sima still looks like a prospective arrival "likely late in the window," whilst Diallo was confirmed as Norwich's ninth signing of the summer last week. Both bring completely different styles to their position, which would make Liam Manning's side unpredictable and versatile next season.

Diallo likes to get the ball down on the floor and run at defenders, causing issues and creating chances up the pitch. He ranked inside the top 3% of players in his position for touches in the opposition box with 108, creating 30 chances and completing 32 dribbles last season in Ligue 2.

Meanwhile, Sima, at six feet one, is an incredibly physical wide man. He can play up top at times, but when out wide, he provides an aerial threat against full-backs. His dribble stats aren't conventional, but he won his duels in the air at a rate of 48.2%, which placed him inside the top 20% of players in his position in the French top flight.

Both Diallo and Sima, however, like to get in goalscoring positions. Both scored seven league goals last season and recorded over 30 shots from out wide. This directness will make Norwich a threat, no matter who Liam Manning chooses to play on the left, but the difference in playing style will allow the new Canaries boss to pick and choose the direction of play at different times throughout the campaign.

Borja Sainz's purple patch ending means that Norwich City were always going to benefit from a sale

Sainz, at times last season, was unplayable. Unfortunately for Norwich, though, those times all came in the first few months of the campaign.

The 24-year-old netted 15 goals in the opening 18 games of the season, which included two hat tricks against Derby County and Plymouth Argyle. The rest of his goals were then spread across 23 appearances, and Sainz scored just three in that time.

The Spaniard was always going to garner interest this summer after the hot start he made to the Championship in 2024/25, and to secure £14.25 million for a player who, outside that purple patch, scored nine in 56 Championship games throughout the two seasons he spent at Carrow Road, is a great sale.

From that point, it was all about how they invested the money. Diallo seems like a smart coup, and the arrival of Sima will serve to bolster the squad with Champions League-level experience.

Diallo and Sima likely won't come in and immediately score in the high teens for Norwich like Sainz did last season, (although both have the potential to in the future), but if Diallo, especially, as he's the one actually at the club at the moment, can show promise and add a few goals on top of that, it won't be long until Sainz is a name no longer mentioned at Carrow Road.