Manchester City attacker Savinho has outlined his long-term ambitions at the Etihad Stadium after extending his contract at the club till 2031.The 21-year-old amassed over 3,000 first-team minutes in ...
Manchester City attacker Savinho has outlined his long-term ambitions at the Etihad Stadium after extending his contract at the club till 2031.
The 21-year-old amassed over 3,000 first-team minutes in his debut season in England after joining Manchester City from CFG-owned ESTAC Troyes last summer, though there is a wider acceptance that the Brazilian needs time to improve and mature into a complete forward.
City struggled with their most challenging season on the pitch under Pep Guardiola last term, finishing third in the Premier League with 71 points, crashing out of the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage and losing the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.
The standard of wide attackers at Manchester City has dropped over the years, with Jack Grealish, Savinho and Jeremy Doku barely competing with the regular attacking output provided by the likes of Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez during their time at the Etihad Stadium.
Nevertheless, Savinho attracted strong interest from Tottenham in the recent transfer window after Son Heung-Min’s departure, with chairman Daniel Levy eyeing Savinho as a potent addition to Spurs’ frontline.
However, Manchester City set a hefty asking price – believed to be over £70 million – for their young Brazilian and despite in-person negotiations held at the Etihad Stadium between officials representing both clubs, a transfer did not materialise.
Manchester City chief executive officer Ferran Soriano is understood to have personally blocked the transfer, with officials at the Etihad Stadium holding a belief that Savinho has a very high ceiling and that £70 million would not justify the exit of another young talent on the club’s hands to a domestic rival.
After signing an extension till 2031, Savinho has committed his long-term future to the Etihad Stadium as he looks to kick on from a mixed-bag debut season and help Manchester City return to challenging for major trophies in the years to come.
“From the moment I arrived, I have loved my time at Manchester City. Everyone at the club – and our fantastic fans – have made me feel so welcome and at home in Manchester,” the attacker said, as quoted by Manchester City’s official channels.
“I want to thank everyone for their help so far and I promise I will give everything to try and help this amazing club achieve more success. I want to thank God for this new opportunity to sign another contract with Manchester City.
“I’m really happy and my family is also very happy. I feel fulfilled! My dream, since I was little, was always to play for Manchester City, and I managed to achieve that. Now extending my contract makes it even more special. I feel really proud and hope to continue and be very happy here.”
Savinho’s head was turned by interest from north London in the final weeks of the recent transfer window, with the wide attacker believed to be unsure of his long-term prospects under Guardiola amidst a period of change on and off the pitch at the Etihad Stadium.
However, the Brazilian is backing himself to keep improving and establish himself as a first-team regular in the seasons to come. “I think I’ve improved a lot. In this first season, working with staff and Pep, I’m really happy to have developed under him,” Savinho added.
“I think I’ve improved a lot tactically. Technically too – I understand the game better, learnt to read it better, to know what it asks in certain moments. I’m still very young and have a lot to improve.
“(Fans) can expect lots of joy on the pitch, goals, assists. I’ll give my best to help Manchester City win trophies, which is most important. I hope to put my name in the club’s history by winning trophies. I hope to do that together with my teammates and finish the season with lots of silverware.”
Savinho has been handed a significant improvement on his wages after signing a new deal, which is also likely to have witnessed the inclusion of a release clause to protect the forward and give him a viable route to potentially seek an exit in the future.
Category: General Sports
