Premier League giants Arsenal missed out on Girona star Savio and the winger’s outstanding displays in La Liga are now drawing comparisons to Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior.
Cutting in from the left hand side and making pretzels out of baffled, beleaguered full-backs, Real Madrid’s number seven is not the only bamboozling Brazilian taking Spanish football by storm. If Girona are shaping up to be the surprise packages of European football – top of the table after six wins from seven games – then 19-year-old Savio is the jewel in their Catalan crown.
No player in Spain’s top flight has more than Savio’s four assists so far, the twinkle-toed teenager showing why Arsenal were so keen to bring him to the Emirates before he opted to join forces with the City Football Group instead, joining Girona on loan from another of Man City’s sister clubs Troyes.
“Yes,” Savio tells Sport. “Arsenal wanted me.”
Arsenal missed out on La Liga wonderkid Savio
Maintain his current form and Savio – a £6 million signing from Atletico Mineiro in 2022 – may soon be at the centre of discussions at the Etihad rather than the Emirates, Manchester City potentially giving a chance to a player rapidly turning into one of the most feared forwards in Spanish football.
“The sporting management had been following ‘Savinho’ since the last Under 20 World Cup. We had excellent views (of him), despite him having just come back from a season without enchanting at PSV Eindhoven,” explains Michel, the coach who has led Girona to six wins out of seven games (Calciomercato).
“We had the feeling that he could be the right player for us. I’ll say one big thing; since Vinicius’ arrival in Spain, I haven’t seen such a great one-on-one talent like him.”
The next Vinicius Jr?
Even if Girona does not end up reaching the promised land that is Manchester City, the City Football Group could still sell Savio on for a colossal fee somewhere down the line.
Aleix Garcia, Yangel Herrera and Yann Couto – all former City starlets – are also part of this coupon-busting Girona side.
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