Manchester City wants to sign Girona striker Savio

Manchester City have decided to prepare in advance for the summer transfer window. According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the English club is close to acquiring Girona flanker Savio, who belongs to the French Troyes. All three clubs are owned by the City Football Group holding company. It is reported that the Brazilian will join Pep Guardiola’s team on July 1.

The career of Brazilian footballer Savio is rapidly moving upward. At the age of 18, the winger moved to Europe, becoming part of the French Troyes, which is owned by the City Football Group holding company. The transaction amount was €6.5 million. Interestingly, before the French team, according to Torcedores, he could move to Russia: CSKA offered €10 million for 80% of the rights to the football player, but was refused. Two weeks after the transfer, without having played a single match for the French club, Savio went on loan to the Dutch PSV. In the Dutch Championship, he had few chances to realize his potential: only six matches and two assists. The Brazilian even played more for the reserve squad, which plays in the second division.

The key event in the striker’s career was the World Youth Championship (under 20 years old). Despite the fact that the Brazilians were eliminated in the quarterfinals, losing to the Israeli team, Savio was able to earn four points using the goal-plus-pass system, and he became one of the best assists of the tournament: with three assists he was second only to the Korean Lee Sung-won. The striker scored his only goal in the match against the Dominican Republic team.

After returning from the Netherlands, the Brazilian talent went on a new loan – this time to the Spanish top league club Girona, which is also owned by the aforementioned holding. The team’s sports director, Quique Carcel, insisted on the transition.

Savio became not only the leader of Girona, which is sensationally fighting for the championship with Real Madrid, but also the opening of the entire Spanish championship.

The fact that since moving to the Spanish club Savio managed to increase his price six times (after returning from PSV portal Transfermarkt estimated it at €5 million, and now at €30 million), is proof of this. In the Spanish Championship, the forward managed to score five times and make seven assists. At the moment, he is the second assistant of the national championship, second only to Alex Baena (Villarreal), who has eight.

The Brazilian is also the best dribbler: he has 64 successful dribbles. According to this indicator, Savio is the third player from the five leading European championships, better only by Mathias Soule from the Italian Frosinone and Leroy Sane from the German Bayern. At the same time, Savio is in third place in terms of ball losses in the league, but this is offset by the footballer’s playing style. The Brazilian plays on the left of the attacking line, but can also play on the right. His main assets are technique and speed.

Savio is not afraid to beat his opponents; he is especially good at beating his opponents one on one. This quality is also noted by Girona head coach Michel: “We saw him at the World Youth Championships, followed him and felt that he would help us. I know these are big words, but since Vinicius appeared, this is the first time I’ve seen a player who is able to beat one on one with such efficiency,” said the coach.

Savio is precisely a flank player; the Brazilian moves to the center not so often, which raises the question of competition in the English club. On the flanks of attack, the club is already very good in terms of squad depth and competition: the team has Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku, as well as the growing Oscar Bobb. Yes, some of the players on this list can play in midfield, but this will not make it any easier for the Brazilian to get a place in the starting lineup.

For City, there is a risk of suffocating a young promising footballer on the bench, who may simply fade away due to too many players for one position. Moreover, there is no absolute guarantee that Savio’s current form is not a blip or an anomaly: this is his first good season at the top level. In Guardiola’s team, consistency is first and foremost important. And Savio’s prospects will largely depend on how he can fit into this very system, where you need to be ready to work in any position.

Ivan Kopenkin