Savio: Girona’s Star Tastes The Flavours Of Manchester City

As the transfers continue to shake the world of football, one notable move is the “transfer” of Savio from Girona to Manchester City. 

The move is highly controversial due to the confusion surrounding multi-club ownership, with many believing Savio wouldn’t normally at €30 million. This didn’t stop the CFG group from completing the deal, as the Brazilian is already a Citizen. 

Now that the transfer is complete, many ask: What does he bring to the table, and what can be expected from the Brazilian? Everything is covered in today’s column.

Savio’s Background

Savio, often called Savinho, grew up in Brazil and quickly became the star of Atlético Mineiro, where Brazilian giant Atlético Mineiro noticed him. He rapidly rose through the ranks, with club officials recalling how quickly he settled into the team, eventually becoming a starter. 

Inevitably, Europe came calling for him. The City Football Group (CFG)-affiliated club Troyes (France) picked the player up in 2022, ust after he turned 18. Curiously, he barely played for them. 

In his first season, he was loaned to Jong PSV on a one-season loan, which proved successful enough for the PSV first team to pick him up for another season on loan. This marked his first significant impact in Europe, where he began to look like a hot talent. To the dismay of the Dutch club, he did not continue after two years at the club.

Until now, there wasn’t anything that set Savinho apart from other Brazilian talents. But everything changed when Savinho was loaned to another CFG side – Girona. The acquisition was recent, and life changed for Savinho. 

He became not just a star, but the star. He arrived at the best project he has ever encountered under the guidance of Spanish head coach Michel, who is well-known among Spanish fans.

Girona also strengthened their squad with other talents from different markets – notably the Ukrainian market, bringing in Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsygankov. The two are also a big part of Girona’s success, but Savio takes attacking dynamics to a whole new level. 

Breakthrough In Girona

When Savio first arrived at Girona, most saw him as a great talent but nothing extraordinary. Unfortunately for the rest of La Liga, he would tear apart every defender that dared to face him. 

Surprisingly, he became the leader at such a young age, a feat echoed by the balance head coach Michel found in his team. This success is suspected to be eased by the (indirect) funding of the CFG group, specifically in the scouting department and other departments where forming part of CFG proves advantageous.

Girona flew high, and Savinho was a big reason for it – they were league leaders for months until Real Madrid eventually caught up. For La Liga fans, watching Girona felt like listening to high-energy metal music: this is the emotion Girona transmitted.

How did Savinho do it? If there’s one thing everyone knows about the 20-year-old, it is that 1v1 should be avoided at all costs. Whenever the Brazilian found himself in a 1v1, his defender was soon left behind. However, it should be mentioned that he isn’t the creative type of winger who requires constant movement. 

On the contrary, Savio is quite a static player. He doesn’t rank in top percentiles for off-the-ball running or overall distance covered during the game. He barely runs. Instead, he relies on his exceptional dribbling skills, close control, and quick changes of direction to beat defenders and create scoring opportunities.

High Impact with Low Mileage

One of the key principles of Positional Play, which can be seen in Michel’s model for Girona, is that zones and timing matter. Savio masters this, understanding that he only needs to wait for the right moment to create his 1v1 opportunities. 

Savio is accompanied by left-back Miguel Gutierrez, an ex-Real Madrid player. Unwanted by the Castillians, Girona picked him up instead. The Spaniard is the typical full-back who also likes to attack, and his partnership with Savinho became iconic throughout the 23/24 season. 

As Savio tucks into the half-space, he waits for Miguel to work his magic. The left-back is happy to carry the ball high, eventually leaving Savio alone against his marker. 

A Dribbler And Provocator

The Brazilian is more than happy to repeat the situation a thousand times, and the result will be the same. Predicting his footwork is a nightmare for defenders, and often enough, he destabilizes the opponent. In this alone, you would have enough for a world-class winger. 

As it turns out, Savio is not only an excellent dribbler but also an excellent shooter. This combination places him among the most feared forwards in the league. In the first months, he overperformed his xG, not shooting the most, but shooting enough to come close to double digits. He finished the season with nine goals and ten assists in La Liga alone, having played thirty-seven matches.

Throughout the season, La Liga rarely found an answer to the Savio problem. Coupled with Artem Dovbyk, who started as the striker, it meant that Savio would always find a way to be alone, which teams knew they needed to avoid. 

Dovbyk became the top scorer of the league, as he often found different ways to score with his impressive power. There is no doubt that Dobvyk deserves his own article, which will be for another time. 

In any case, what made Savio more dangerous was not just his profile but the fact that Girona accommodated him so that he could focus on dribbling and enjoying the game where he excels. This will undoubtedly facilitate his move to Manchester City, where he will be guided by the legendary Pep Guardiola.

Controversy And Expectations On His Move To Manchester City

Savio’s move to the Citizens was highly anticipated, largely due to the involvement of the CFG group. It’s highly controversial, as many believe he is worth much more than the €30 million transfer fee, raising questions about the resources allocated to Troyes compared to Girona. For many, this highlights a big problem in football where UEFA has failed to intervene in time. 

This is where the exciting part comes in. One of the main criticisms of Manchester City last season is that they lacked dribblers on the wings. With Savio, the Citizens have now secured a player who is a specialist in 1v1 situations.

Jeremy Doku also fits that profile, but he appears to be less mature in terms of risk aversion. This is crucial because most high-volume dribblers eventually reduce their dribbling when they join a top side, especially Manchester City. 

This was noticed with Jack Grealish, who nowadays prefers to cut back instead of potentially jeopardizing the team’s defensive balance with unnecessary risks that come with dribbling.

At the same time, Savinho has created a legacy for himself and it would be surprising to see him switch up the playstyle that led him to European glory. He will now taste the Champions League and the Premier League. 

His adaptation should be seamless, but it should be remembered that he will be required to run more and sacrifice himself for the team