It’s a very old-fashioned route to the top, but also very modern. Just a few years before joining the Premier League champions, Savinho would wake up at 5am to milk his grandparents’ cows on the family farm in Brazil. City of Manchester It wasn’t on his mind then, he admitted. “I was very happy to be on the farm,” he said, sounding like a throwback to the days when football players were miners and laborers, trained in trades or prepared to take over family businesses.
At the age of 20, he scored in the Copa América as a Brazilian striker with Champions League winners Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, played a key role in helping Girona complete a top three finish in LaLiga with Real Madrid and Barcelona and was purchased to supply Galactic City. “I am really looking forward to providing assistance to [Erling] Haaland and other players like [Kevin] De Bruyne,” he said.
But City’s key summer signing arrived at the Etihad Stadium following a transfer with a difference; or perhaps a sign of things to come.
Savinho was recruited from Troyes for an initial fee of 25 million euros, plus a potential 15 million euros in add-ons; however, he never appeared for Troyes. As he was on the rise, the team fell, being relegated twice in his time on his books, although reinstated into Ligue 2 because of Bordeaux’s financial collapse.
Instead, it turned out he arrived in France with another move already arranged.
“There was already a loan contract when I signed and this was explained to me very clearly and I liked the offer, it was appealing to me, so it worked well”, said Savinho. His first loan was at PSV Eindhoven. “Adapting to the first season in Europe is quite difficult,” he added. “I learned a lot on the field tactically. I also learned a lot technically. There was also the culture, when I moved to the Netherlands there was the climate, the cold, the language. The experience in Holland made me a better player when I went to Girona.”
His second loan came from another family business, which does not involve milking cows. Like Troyes, Girona is part of the City Football Group. “At Girona I gained the trust of my teammates,” he said. He scored 11 goals and scored another 10 in the surprise Girona. “From then on I caught the attention of Manchester City and negotiations began with City,” he said. “This went on for a few months and was mutual. I was very interested in playing for Manchester City and they were very interested in signing me.”
However, if his pace and skill caught the eye, it’s safe to say that Savinho was already on City’s radar before that. In fact, he said last season that he signed for Troyes, despite interest from Arsenal, to try and play for City; CFG has a 47 percent stake in Girona and its president is Pere Guardiola.
Savinho could be a poster boy for the merits of multi-club ownership; City managed to introduce a teenage talent from South America into European football, testing him out at other clubs before determining he was right for them, while Girona got a player they probably wouldn’t have been able to afford and who took them to the next level. season of its history. . Troyes, who bought him from Atlético Mineiro for an initial €6.5 million, pocketed a profit. “It was very good,” said Savinho, about his time at the French club.
They were all winners: at least in some respects. Troyes have not been the determining factor, falling twice, winning just 13 of 76 league games, while Savinho did not even make his debut for them; nor, perhaps, any other club that hoped to buy the winger, but saw his progression to Manchester facilitated.
It is important to note, however, that his transfer to City was checked and judged by UEFA to be fair market value; There was nothing inappropriate about the price. European football’s governing body has ruled that players cannot be transferred between sister clubs in the same continental competition unless there is a pre-existing agreement, as happened with Savinho.
However, settling in Manchester could be easier because he spent 15 days there while at Girona. All of this could reward CFG for its observation, for its global network that can create pathways for players. Perhaps it is no wonder that others seek to emulate them: Chelsea, disguised as BlueCo, have bought Strasbourg, while Fenway Sports Group is looking to acquire another club and is considering Bordeaux. Meanwhile, Girona’s success has provided City with a player and should make them money.
A day before Savinho was unveiled at the Etihad Stadium, his Girona teammate Yan Couto joined Borussia Dortmund on loan but with a €30m permanent transfer likely to be triggered. The full-back is owned by City but has never played for them. Savinho, in turn, was owned by Troyes and never played for them. A crowd pleaser on the pitch could be a symptom of football in the 2020s and a trailblazer for a multi-club future.
