"Makes me sad" - Norwich City, Gabriel Sara deal with Galatasaray still hard to accept at Carrow Road | OneFootball

Gabriel Sara set Carrow Road alight during the 23/24 campaign, before moving to Turkey in the summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

With a number of key departures and the arrival of Johannes Hoff Thorup into the dugout at Carrow Road, it was a summer of transition for Norwich City, as they looked to bounce back from Championship play-off heartache.

The Canaries welcomed their new boss after the departure of David Wagner days after their season came to an end, while the likes of Jon Rowe, Adam Idah and Gabriel Sara headed out the exit door at Carrow Road.

Of the three, it is Sara who caught the eye the most in the previous campaign, with 25 goal contributions in the second tier seeing him standout as one of the stars of the EFL in just his second season in English football.

He has since moved to Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig, and Football League World’s Norwich City fan pundit Zeke Downes is still struggling to come to terms with the fact he won’t see the Brazilian in yellow and green again.

Gabriel Sara summer departure hits Norwich City hard

With plenty of ins and outs in East Anglia, Norwich City almost had to rip everything up and start again over the summer, with plenty of new arrivals needing to bed in to their new surroundings.

The departure of Sara was one that had been mooted for some time, with a number of sides across Europe said to have been tracking him as the summer began, including Premier League outfits Wolves and Crystal Palace.

With his ability to pick a pass in the final third, spray the ball left and right, and find the back of the net from all over the pitch, the playmaker was the man that made everything come together for the Norfolk outfit, and played a part in 31.6% of his side’s total goals throughout the campaign.

To have that sort of influence ripped out of the team will be hard to take, and although Borja Sainz is trying his best to fill the void with eleven goals in 14 league matches, Downes is still of the belief that Sara would make all the difference in this side.

When asked about the situation, the Canaries fan said: “One player at Norwich that we definitely miss is Gabriel Sara, especially looking at all the videos online it is quite sad, because we had him, and now we don’t.

“He is a player that is very good, and even at Galatasaray I don’t think that is his level, I think he needs to be playing at an even higher level.

“He is really loving life there; he is scoring and assisting - as expected - but we are really missing him, especially in that midfield three.

“We have not quite got that player alongside [Kenny McLean] [Marcelino] Nunez, but I think Gabriel Sara would just make the whole team tick, and we do miss him a lot, especially with goals and assists as well, it makes me sad thinking about it.”

How Gabriel Sara is performing since leaving Norwich City for Galatasaray

City fans won’t be surprised that Sara has adapted expertly well to life in Turkey, with the 25-year-old already dominating games on a regular basis since moving to Istanbul.

A goal on just his third outing against Rizespor was just a taste of things to come for his new employers, with his second strike coming against fierce rivals Fenerbahce in a 3-1 victory back in September.

It will be a tough watch for City fans, but the way the Brazilian carves through the defence before unleashing an unstoppable effort on goal perfectly exemplifies the talent he has in his boots, while his teammates have also benefited from his creative ability.

Two inch-perfect set-piece deliveries last time out helped secure a 2-1 victory over Besiktas in a top of the table clash, with his new employers still unbeaten in the league so far this season, as well as competing in European competition.

In truth, it would be hard not to miss a player of Sara’s quality; he has that unmistakable bit of magic in his boots, that can turn defenders to dust in the blink of an eye.

While they may be disappointed he has left, Norwich will also be grateful that they got to witness the Brazilian at Carrow Road, as his career continues on an upward trajectory towards the very top.