The winger who wowed on loan at the City Football Group club in Spain last season has now been sold by the City Football Group club in France for whom he never got to play a game to the biggest City Football Group club of them all in England.
Confused? That’s multi-club ownership for you, with Manchester City the biggest beneficiaries of this very modern football transfer which will see Savinho blurring the wings of Premier League pitches next season after completing his £33.7million move.
Savinho has promised to excite the Etihad Stadium as, when asked to describe his own style after being unveiled by City, he said confidently: ‘I’m a Brazilian who likes to play on the front foot, to be happy, to play joyful football. I like playing one against one, making assists, scoring goals too, and helping the team. My main characteristic, what I like the most, is being happy and getting fans up off their seats.’
Those in Troyes did not get to experience that. They are the CFG side who signed him in 2022 when they were competing in Ligue 1. Savinho appeared zero times for them, fans of the French club never seeing so much as a drop of the shoulder from this one-v-one specialist. While £33.7m richer, they are now in the third division after back-to-back relegations.
Those in Girona did experience it while on loan with them last season, at least. They are the CFG side who turned themselves into surprise title contenders. Savinho was key to that unlikely championship charge after hitting the ground running with nine goals, 10 assists, and 104 dribbles, 18 more than his next nearest competition, Nico Williams. His pace packed a punch as the Spanish club quickly qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history and he was named in the La Liga Team of the Season.
Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Brazilian winger Savinho from Troyes
Savinho joined the City Football Group club in 2022 before impressing last season on loan at fellow CFG side Girona
Girona will miss not having Savinho’s services on those European evenings after it was decided he was ready for beaming up to the mothership, another loan being deemed unnecessary. City director Txiki Begiristain was a regular at Girona games after Christmas to make checks on his progress, it soon becoming apparent that they should whisk him to the top of the CFG pyramid.
His performances only improved as the season wore on, which led to his first call-up for the Brazilian national team as he made his international debut against England in March when his 17-year-old team-mate Endrick stole the show with the winner at Wembley.
While Savinho’s route to City will raise eyebrows among rival clubs, his own personal story is a nice one. It goes back to him growing up on a cow farm in Sao Mateus – a small municipality on the east coast of Brazil – where they produced milk and put on rodeo shows. ‘I had always lived on the farm, enjoying a very quiet life, then suddenly I moved to Atletico Mineiro,’ he explained. ‘When I was 10 years old they came looking for me and told me they wanted me. First I went on my own and then my mother came and stayed with me until I was 18.’
CFG’s scouting of young talent in South America has seen them gain advantages in the transfer market. After initially signing for Troyes, and improving his game vastly with Girona under Michel, City suddenly have one of the most promising 20-year-olds going.
With Premier League coaches now favouring man-to-man marking, having an attacker who can beat his opponent is vital. City have that in Jeremy Doku and Savinho’s one-v-one prowess is particularly impressive, the way he can slow down his opposition defender before turning on the afterburners to burst by him at speed. He can do this from the left or right flanks, but prefers the latter so that he can come inside on to his stronger foot to open up the pitch.
Though his real name is Savio Moreira de Oliveira, he will be seen wearing Savinho on his back for City, the addition of ‘inho’ roughly translating to an affectionate way of saying ‘little’. Also on his back will be the No 26, selected because of his admiration for Riyad Mahrez, another left-footer who loved moving inside from the right.
‘I don’t want to make people expect anything, just to show my football,’ Savinho said. ‘But I like him a lot, how he plays. He’s an inspiration, that why I’ve chosen his number! I’m really happy.
Upon arrival at the Etihad, Savinho will wear the number No 26 shirt formerly donned by Riyad Mahrez
‘I hope for another of the best seasons of my career, even better than the one I’ve just had at Girona. As I said I’m going to work hard, I’m a hardworking guy, things never came easy for me. Things have come through hard work and dedication on a day-to-day basis.’
It will be intriguing to see how he fits into City’s possession-based style of play, arriving after a season in which Girona were one of the most fearsome counter-attacking teams in the game. Speaking this week, Savinho said: ‘Manchester City’s style of play is one that everybody who watches football loves. It’s a happy style, it really is the beautiful game. I can’t wait to start training so that I can adapt to Manchester City’s football.’
