Ahead of his full home debut on Saturday, August 24th, 2024 against newly promoted Ipswich Town, new Manchester City winger Savinho was full of excitement.
In the pre-match press conference, he said,” I received an unbelievable reception from the fans at my unveiling. I was excited to meet our supporters and it gave me a great feeling to hear the way they received me.
“It made me even more excited to play in front of them and show them what I can do. Now is another milestone, my first matchday at our home stadium. That is something I can’t wait to experience.”
And he did show them what he could do, with two assists.
Football fans have already mocked the young Brazilian for his enthusiasm signing for the Citizens, referencing his dream to play for City after watching Shaun Wright-Phillips on the TV in his native Brazil.
This is unfair as it is untrue, as they won their first premier league title in 2012 when he was 8 and South American icon Sergio Agüero would have been getting attention in his debut season. Plus, what he actually said was it was his friends dream for him to become a Manchester City player and that he watched them on television.
Regardless, the young generation of talent coming through will genuinely see the club as a world force in their youth.
Who is Savinho?
Savio Moreira de Oliveira known as Savinho or Sávio was reigning four-time Premier League champions Manchester City’s first signing of the 2024 summer transfer window.
He was signed from French side Troyes for a reported £30 million fee and he joined on a five-year deal. Savinho joins Pep Guardiola’s side on the back of an outstanding season at one of City Football’s group-owned clubs- Girona FC in the Spanish top flight where he was on loan from his parent club Troyes.
The Brazilian forward ended the 2023/24 season with nine goals and ten assists in thirty-five starts in the league last season (thirty-seven appearances in total). His assist numbers made him the third most contributor in the league.
Savinho also completed the most dribbles in the whole league; 108 in total and 18 more than the next player. His stellar performances with the La Liga club were one of the reasons they ended up securing a first-ever European qualification as they will end up playing the 2024/25 top-tier UEFA Champions League.
His impressive season earned him his first senior call-up to the Brazil national team where he made his debut in a friendly match against England in March before he was named as part of the squad that was eliminated in the 2024 Copa America quarterfinals losing on penalties to Uruguay. Despite his side’s shock exit, he was impressive in one of his outings, scoring once in the 4-1 win over Paraguay in the group stage.
Savio began his youth career at Brazilian powerhouse, Atletico Mineiro before making the move to Europe and joining French side Troyes. Although he was their club record signing, he didn’t make a single appearance for them as he was loaned out to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands for the 2022/23 season and subsequently to Girona in the Spanish division last season where he rose to prominence.
Savinho’s technical ability is undeniable. The fleet-footed winger has an exceptional left foot and is currently one of the best one-on-one dribblers in football. He even earned a comparison to Real Madrid’s exciting superstar Vinicius Jr during his time in Spain.
The Brazil international is comfortable playing on either wing although his best performances have been on the right wing as seen during his time at Girona and with the Brazilian national team.
At just 20 years of age, Savinho is expected to light up the Premier League with his trickery and pace. Also, his vision and passing ability make him a creative force as he tends to create space and chances for his teammates. Against Ipswich Town, he also forced a penalty that saw the start of City’s comeback en route to a comfortable victory.
On Sunday, he played a delicious ball to send Haaland on his way to score the opener against Arsenal, not for the last time this season I expect. Guardiola’s men remain favourites in the ongoing 2024/25 season and as expected, the demand for Manchester City tickets will be on the high and fans are advised to get them quickly enough.
His versatility will be essential for Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola as he is comfortable playing as a right winger, left winger, or an attacking midfielder and his pressing abilities will make him a very useful tool for his manager.
Savio’s move to Manchester City makes real sense for all parties involved. It is a brilliant move for his development, as he gets to play under one of the greatest managers in football history in Pep Guardiola.
He also comes in as a dedicated winger which City has been lacking since the exit of Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez in the 2023 summer transfer window. Since the Algerian left, midfielders and full-backs have been deployed in the role. However, Savio’s arrival brings another dimension to their style of play as they now have a true winger with the pace and trickery to beat defenders.
5 games in and Manchester City top the league and are top scorers with 13 goals, 10 of which have been scored by Erling Haaland. City’s game-plan will be simple, keep supplying the red-hot form of the Norwegian striker for more silverware.
The Sávio effect
Savinho made his debut for Manchester City in the FA community shield as they defeated Manchester United 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. He came on as a 65th-minute substitute in the game and had a very impressive cameo.
In the 89th minute of the match, he combined with City academy product Oscar Bobb, who crossed for Bernardo Silva to score City’s equalizer after they had fallen to a brilliant goal by Manchester United’s young forward Alejandro Garnacho.
His impressive debut brought praise from his manager. Speaking at his post-match conference, Guardiola praised the exciting talent saying he had a good impact on the game and has the incredible quality to play on the left wing with the ability to attack and deliver crosses which will help centre forward Erling Haaland score more goals.
Savinho then made his premier league debut in Manchester City’s Super Sunday 2-0 victory over fellow Big Six side Chelsea. Savio started the match on the left wing but exploded mostly on the right after switching wings with Belgian international Jeremy Doku. He had an exceptional first half, giving Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella a torrid time at left back before being forced off due to injury.
In his 45 minutes on the pitch, he won the most duels(5), completed the most dribbles(3), and created the most chances(3).
A major highlight of his brilliant work rate was stopping Chelsea’s captain Enzo Fernandez with a brilliant tackle. The Brazilian’s blistering performance against Chelsea will put the rest of the Premier League on alert.
With his pace, skill and creativity, he could become a valuable asset for his team providing natural width and threat to opposition teams. Savinho has got the talent and confidence, and if he can live up to the hype, he promises to be a clever addition to Manchester City’s squad.
