He may not have taken the 007 shirt number, but the mission our new signing Savinho has chosen to accept is to excite City fans in the coming weeks and years…

Savinho is a man on a mission. Aged only 20, he was one of the surprise stars of La Liga last season, scoring 11 goals assisting 10 more as he helped Girona into the Champions League for the first time.

He exceeded even his own expectations, given it was only his second season in Europe after moving from Atletico Mineiro in Brazil.

He initially joined French Ligue 2 side Troyes and was immediately loaned out to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven where he initially found it difficult to adapt to a new playing style, culture and language.

He made just eight appearances for PSV before continuing his development with a season-long loan at Girona.

His long-term goal, however, was of a life many thousands of miles away, one day playing for Manchester City where he’d seen many Brazilian stars flourish, his boyhood idol Riyad Mahrez dazzle on the wings and maybe playing for Pep Guardiola and the beautiful brand of football he demands.

Proof that dreams can come true.

Now he aims to create his own history in sky blue.

“I want to play with joy and get the City fans on their feet,” Savinho says.

Though predominantly a right winger, it is a mouthwatering prospect to think of Savinho dribbling and dazzling on the right and Jeremy Doku doing the same of the left.

With Bernardo, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Oscar Bobb all regular wide players, the Blues are spoiled for choice on the flanks in what is promising to be yet another entertaining – and hopefully successful - campaign for Guardiola’s men.

It will, of course, take time for Savinho to settle, though he has already spent time in Manchester previously and feels comfortable in the city.

Close to his family, the bright lights of Manchester are a long way from the farm he grew up on where he would regularly milk cows, attend rodeos and cheerfully take on his chores.

It was a happy childhood and one that he likes to remember and keep close to his heart.

"I like the countryside a lot and I'm very home-oriented,” he said.

“I had a good childhood. Thank God I never struggled with anything. I always had the right things too, but I was never a guy born with a golden spoon, as people usually say.

“But I always had my things, my mom always helped and worked so I could have everything I needed, my clothes and money to buy things. But my childhood there in São Mateus was in the countryside with my grandparents and my mom too, riding horses.

“I was there just before the pre-season and again after I signed for City, I went back for a vacation period to be with my grandparents who were there waiting for me. 

“When I'm off-season, I train and go home to rest, because time flies, right? So, you have to take advantage and rest to make the most of the next day again.”

Ederson, Fernandinho, Elano, Gabriel Jesus... the links between City and Brazil are strong and Savinho says he is aware of some of the players that have graced the Club over the years.

“I really like Fernandinho,” he says. “He is a sensational guy. I don't know him personally, but just from what I saw him playing. 

“I am very happy for the history he has here, for what he created here in the Club. I am happy and I hope that one day I can meet him so he can give me some tips.”

It’s hard to imagine that a young boy on a farm in the Brazilian countryside spent his days dreaming of playing for Manchester City.

Yet that’s exactly the way it was.

His hero back then was Riyad Mahrez – Savinho has taken the No.26 shirt Riyad wore for City - and he admits he has always liked being compared to the Algerian winger, though he accepts he has a long way to go before he can match Mahrez’s career exploits.

“My friends always said that I looked a bit like him (Mahrez), but Mahrez is Mahrez, Sávio is Sávio," he smiled.

“I don't want to create expectations for people, but I want to show my football. That said, I really like him and the way he plays football.

“In this case, he is an inspiration here, that's why I chose his number, and I am happy. 

“My playing style is that of a Brazilian who likes to take on opponents, to be joyful, to play joyful football, with one-on-ones, providing assists, defending and helping the team.

“But my main characteristic, which I like the most, is taking on opponents, being happy - and getting the crowd on their feet sometimes. 

“My favourite position is on the left and right wing, and I can also play in the middle.

“But I really prefer to play on the right wing – that said, whatever the boss decides, I will help the team.”

His rate of progression from PSV to Girona is like night and day and should be a source of genuine excitement to City fans.

While PSV was difficult and very much a learning curve, his second season was a revelation with Girona.

Now a full Brazil international, he wants to kick on again with City.

“I hope it will be one of the best seasons of my life,” says the 20-year-old.

“Better than at Girona. And as I said, I will work hard. I am a hardworking guy.

“Things never came easy for me. It was through hard work and dedication day by day. And that's it. 

“We will have the best coach in the world in Pep Guardiola, so he knows what to do to give us everything on the field, to make it as easy as possible to win the Premier League again.

“Since I was little, my dream was to get here to Manchester City, and as I say, I want to get the fans on their feet and play with joy."

Interview: David Clayton

One of City Magazine’s favourite vloggers – Prime Mutton (aka Jason Hackett) – has selected his all time City XI. Prime Mutton has become a cult YouTube watch for thousands of Blues with his unique mixture of food, drink and football reviews – you can catch him here.

Jason writes: Here’s my City XI, some of it is nostalgic and relates to my early experiences watching City - if I wanted to pick the strongest possible team, it would be the Treble team plus Vincent Kompany and David Silva. I’ve gone for a 4-1-4-1 formation with a false nine as Erling Haaland is such a recent addition and would slightly unbalance my City XI.

Joe Hart
Vital saves in the key 2011-12 season to land the first title for 44 years.

In defence I’ve gone for the four centre-back model used in the Treble winning season.

Josko Gvardiol 
I try not to include recent arrivals, as they won’t have had enough time to be assessed but this has been a problem position for a long time at City and gradually, he’s been moulded into a very attacking centre back-cum-left back by Pep.

Vincent Kompany
Incredible servant, no need to add more.

Ruben Dias
Back to being a rock for us last season. 

John Stones
One of the best at passing out from the back and useful as an extra midfielder in possession.

Rodri 
Best defensive midfielder anywhere ever in my opinion, also plays great forward passes and shoots well.

Kevin De Bruyne
The best passer/assister that I’ve ever seen.

Ilkay Gündoğan 
Not only great defensive worker but superb late runs into the box which often proved to be a game changer.

David Silva
A magician with the ball, incredible control in tight spaces - the ball stuck to him like glue!

Dennis Tueart
Exciting player and his overhead kick to win the 1976 League Cup was one of the first memories I have of City and has stuck to me for life.

Colin Bell
City legend - oh to have seen him link up with KDB and David Silva, would have seamlessly adapted to Guardiola’s six man midfield/false nine system.

Manager: Pep Guardiola
The greatest tactician ever, the biggest star of the current team, and unlike at some other clubs he’s absolutely in charge!

Subs: Ederson, Walker, Ake, Francis Lee, Foden, Haaland, Peter Barnes.

 

City’s first signing of the summer certainly sent out a message to our potential title rivals...

Vivianne Miedema is the Barclays Women’s Super League’s record markswoman, a two-time Golden Boot winner and the Netherlands’ leading scorer across both the men’s and women’s teams.

She’s scored more goals at a single Olympic Games than any other player – ten in 2020 - and has won league titles in Germany and England, all by her 27^th birthday.

However, during her unveiling as a City player, it wasn’t our new number six who stole the show.

Miedema’s dog, Myle, has over 40,000 Instagram followers and was involved in her announcement video, happily chasing a ball around the Joie Stadium pitch, admittedly with slightly less panache than her owner will be in the coming months.

One ball wasn’t enough though, with the cocker spaniel stealing a piece of cushioning equipment off one of the cameras during the Dutch international’s studio interview.

She might be clinical on the pitch, with a famously muted celebration when the ball hits the back of the net, but the sight of Vivianne fussing Myle and chatting with her new City colleagues showed a real warmth to her character.

Her excitement at this new challenge was clear from the get-go.

“I do think this is the place to be right now. In the end, it was an easy choice for me. I want to challenge myself every day in training, but also every single week in the games we play," she said.

“I think City is the right place to do that right now.

“The reason I chose City is because they have the same ambitions as me. They want to win the league and titles.

“That really applies to what I want as well. I think over the last couple of years the development has been really good.

“They’ve got a clear philosophy on how they want to play and I really think we can take this team to the next level. I’m really excited to see what that next level actually brings us.”

So Miedema is ready to start a new challenge in her already storied career, but her first WSL match in sky blue pits her against a familiar foe.

City travel to none other than the club where she made a name for herself on English soil, Arsenal.

Two of the pre-season title favourites will lock horns on the opening day knowing they have an opportunity to deal their rival a significant blow so early in the campaign.

Miedema’s return to her old stomping ground adds an exciting subtext to what’s already a mouthwatering prospect.

In a seven-year period full of superlatives, perhaps the Dutch international’s finest season to date in English football came in 2018/19, when she helped Arsenal claim the title.

A WSL Golden Boot and PFA Women’s Player’s Player of the Year trophy were just rewards for her incredible exploits, but our new number six insists her focus has always been on the future, and the collective.

“I had one of my best seasons so far, scored a lot of goals and ended up being voted Player of the Year.

“That said a lot about the season I had and I’m proud I could help the team that year.

“But I don’t play for the personal records, I play to win things for the team. I hope with my experience and quality that I can help the team here.

“It’s always been one of the most exciting games. It’s a top game and a top club but the way we played against each other was really nice because we wanted to play football.

“I’m really excited to be on the other end of the game this time!

“I would only make this step if I believed we could win things. Obviously, I’ve had a couple of difficult seasons but I’m ready to go and extremely excited to be here.”

The difficult seasons Miedema refers to were instigated by an anterior cruciate ligament tear in a December 2022 Champions League clash against Olympique Lyonnais.

Leaving the pitch on a stretcher, the forward was ruled out for the next ten months, making her long-awaited return to action as a substitute against Bristol City in the WSL.

But another setback would follow in March 2024, when it was announced that the Dutch international required minor knee surgery, ruling her out for a further six weeks.

In typical Miedema fashion though, she didn’t let that setback overcome her, and would round off her time at Arsenal with a clinical finish on the final day of the WSL season against Brighton.

Through her own admission, it’s not been an easy two years, but that adversity has acted as motivation for her to hit even greater heights at City.

“I’m only 27 obviously. I haven’t played as much football as I would’ve wished over the last two years, but I hope my best years are still to come and they’ll be at City," she said.

“I’m so excited to be a part of the team, for the girls to help me get back to my best, and if we do that, I think we can achieve really nice things together.

“Over the last couple of years City have always been one of the teams I’ve held a close eye to. I think the way we play will suit me and I love the development they’ve made over the past couple of years.

“I can’t wait to hopefully fit straight in, be important to the team and score goals.”

Interview: George Kelsey

Rewind to October 2010 and a City Mag feature we called ‘Home Turf’. In this instance, our former Dutch enforcer Nigel de Jong took us on a fascinating trip to Amsterdam and his younger days in the Dutch capital...

Born on the wrong side of the tracks? Not exactly.

Nigel de Jong comes from a good family but grew up in a tough neighbourhood where standing up for yourself was not merely a conscious decision; it was a necessity in order to survive the streets.

It may sound a bit dramatic, but that’s how things were for Nigel as a kid. With his father, a professional footballer, splitting from his mother when he was very young, he quickly had to get used to being the man of the house – particularly as his mother’s kidney condition meant continual use of a dialysis machine, rendering her virtually housebound.

It was a tough life and Nigel admits it made him focus on his family and responsibility. Further down the line it would inspire him to become a multi-million pound footballer, a successful businessman and at the heart of a team we all hope will one day soon will start to lift trophies.

“I was born on the west side of Amsterdam, it was not a typical part of Holland as such,” he began. “There were a lot of different cultures there, with a lot of the Surinamese people, which is where my father is from. It’s called Osdorp and yeah, it’s a tough neighbourhood, but you don’t see it when you go over there.

“I was always doing something, either playing football or basketball with my friends. I still have a couple of friends from there I see on a regular basis.

“My parents separated when I was four, so my mother, Marja, was the main figure in the house. I had a little sister, too, Asheema. My mum had a kidney disorder, so she couldn’t work and we were living off benefits. My mum had to be at home, spending a lot of time on a dialysis machine, so things could have been better for all of us, but we got on with things.”

For someone who has been mercilessly pummelled in the press of late, Nigel’s life and attitude to those he loves around him is deserving of far more respect.  In fact, if the majority of his critics were prepared to find out just a little more about the man, they would discover someone who sacrificed his younger years to care for his family and make sure they led comfortable lives in the future.

“I think all the stuff that was happening  when I was young made me more determined to do better for my mum,” he continued. “I had to become the man of the house because I was always taking care of my mother and baby sister. It made me realise at a young age that I had to toughen up, as I was taking on more responsibility than other kids of a similar age. The drive to succeed came from that.”

Football was in his blood, though, and though he saw his father occasionally, his influence was always there, in his genes and he began to develop into a talent from an early age, fuelled by his love of Amsterdam’s connoisseurs of Total Football.

“Ajax have always been my team,” he smiled. “My old man was playing for their rivals PSV, so I always watched them train as he played in the time of Romario and Ronald Koeman, so it was always nice to watch such great players train up close. I remember at a young age that I always wanted to play for Ajax. They had Patrick Kluivert, a young Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids, it was a great team. This was at the old Olympic Stadium.  I used to go the games with my mates and my uncle whenever I could.”

Nigel’s father, Jerry de Jong, was born in Suriname in 1964 and he enjoyed a 17-year playing career with several Dutch clubs, representing the Netherlands on three occasions.  He was just 19 when Nigel was born but his son remembers his playing career with clarity.

“My dad was a right-back and winger,” he said. “He was really quick and played for the Dutch national side a couple of times. He was quite a good player, to be honest. He then went to play centre midfield when he didn’t have the pace anymore.

“I saw him in the summertime, as he had his life as a footballer, and I was always at school. So that was the only quality time we could have together.

“My mother was the type of woman who if I got slapped on the street I had to go back and slap them back,” he said. “I couldn’t come back crying. I think that toughened me up. I was playing with the bigger kids as I had my gift to play football, and that toughened me up, too.

“I was always busy, either helping my family or playing sport; I did a lot of basketball and tennis. I was always doing something, but football was always my real passion. I was a right-winger at Ajax, but then the coach put me as a striker, where I scored a lot of goals believe it or not! When I was 12 or 13 I went back to midfield and have never left since. I think I put too much into the defending part these days, but maybe goals will come at some point.

“If you’re on the streets so much, people are going to recognise you, and you gain respect for being good at something. I used to just pick up a ball, run round to my mate’s house and then go around the streets getting people to come out and play football. People used to challenge us on the streets to games of five versus five, and we used to fight not to lose. They were good, happy times.”

Though his days weren’t spent wiling away around the centre of the city, he occasionally went into the heart of the Amsterdam with his friends or on an errand of some kind.

“It doesn’t matter if you go to the city centre, or the suburbs, it is quite a mixed culture; everybody speaks English, and that’s why tourists like to go to Amsterdam - for the multiculturalism,” he explained.

“I was always used to that. When I was 12 or 13 years old, when you went out in the city, you just had to get used to it there being people from lots of different countries around you.”

Nigel’s early promise eventually saw him picked up by his boyhood heroes – a dream realised at a tender age, though there was plenty of hard graft ahead for the youngster.

“I was picked up by Ajax at six,” he smiled. “There is a scouting network and you could go on a trial one a particular day and all the scouts would stand and watch.

“If you got picked, you’d then go through the various stages, and I kept getting through. In the end I was at the fourth trial stage and eventually I got a letter saying I was part of the Ajax Academy. That was a proud day. I can remember it as if it was yesterday.”

As his football career began to take off, Nigel began thinking of other ways to secure his and his family’s future – not satisfied with the prospect of a comfortable life as a professional footballer, he took the advice of a close family member and started to concoct various idea for a business. The seeds, he admits, were planted from an early age.

“I always liked to play with numbers and my granddad told me to make sure everything was always organised in my life,” he said. “It was my future so I had to make sure that I could always be independent.

“I always wanted to do something if I had the money or the time for it and I wanted to do a self-service restaurant. My career took off and then I moved to Hamburg, but the idea of business was always there.

“Then I met a guy who was in the car trade and I gave him the assignment to service an old vintage car and rebuild it. In that ten months I saw what was lacking in the market in Germany, so we sat down to see if we could provide something that wasn’t already offered in the country.

“We started from scratch with classic cars, but decided that the market wasn’t strong enough for that, so we expanded to luxury cars. We’re now worldwide.”

Not satisfied with finding ways of taking care of those he loves, Nigel has never forgotten his Amsterdam roots and the area he grew up in.

“I opened a football court in my old neighbourhood to make sure the kids still have somewhere to develop themselves,” he smiled, almost embarrassed. “That Ajax team of Kluivert, Davids and others started out on the streets. I think that the main focus is to get boys back on the streets. It’s difficult now with the PlayStations and Xbox.

“I never had that as a kid. I only had a ball, but it’s just the generation nowadays.”

CITC Opens Latest Regenerated Pitch

Manchester City’s charity opened another pitch as part of its Healthy Goals project during the summer months...

City in the Community (CITC) has regenerated multi-sports pitches at schools across Greater Manchester, thanks to support from the Club and fans.

Former Manchester City goalkeeper and later Head of CITC, Alex Williams, surprised participants at Holy Name Primary School for a blue-ribbon cutting ceremony to open their newly regenerated multi-sports pitch.

Commenting on the day, Alex, said: “I think it is an absolutely brilliant project, it uses the power of football to engage with the youngsters to stay nice and fit and healthy and what a better way to do so.”

You can view highlights from the opening day here.

Healthy Goals raised £250,000 last season and aims to uplift the physical and mental health of young people by creating new community football spaces and youth-led projects in Manchester.

Holy Name marks the fifth facility to have been transformed by City in the Community so far this year, with four facilities previously opened in May and June.

To bolster the campaign, CITC has announced the launch of a second fundraising window for 2024, enabling the expansion of its existing strategy to empower healthier lives with city youth through football.

Manchester City is once again matching all donations made before the fundraising window closes in September 2024, pound-for-pound.

The initiative forms part of City in the Community’s commitment to creating safe, inclusive spaces for people to play. In June 2023, the charity officially opened two new purpose-built recreational areas located at existing parks in Manchester – Scotland Hall Road and Ladybarn Park.

The designs include multi-functional football equipment for all the community to enjoy, such as various sized pitches and goals, football tennis zones, passing squares, benches and floodlights.

For more information, visit www.mancity.com/healthygoals.

You can also enjoy the Healthy Goals pitches online through a brand-new football feature on Manchester City’s Roblox experience ‘Blue Moon!’

The Club’s charity is opening new immersive pitches for players to explore, and all five new virtual football pitches are exact replicas of real sites the charity opened across Greater Manchester schools in May and June.

Roblox players will be able to enter a tournament and compete in moonball matches on them.

Each virtual pitch will display campaign information and branded City in the Community and Healthy Goals logos. In-game billboards will also advertise the initiative and educate players on what the campaign involves.

By playing on the new pitches, fans will also have the opportunity to acquire rewards for their avatar including the CITC hoodie as worn by Pep Guardiola, and badges that relate to each of the charity’s pillars – Healthy People, Healthy Futures, Healthy Communities.

City in the Community empowers healthier lives through football with city youth.

To find out more information, visit www.mancity.com/citc or follow @citcmancity on social media. 

The Scout’s 2024/25
Fantasy Premier League preview

The Scout’s Fantasy Premier League preview ahead of the 2024/25 season…

What does Haaland’s record price at £15m say to his importance on FPL?

Erling Haaland is now the most expensive player in the history of FPL. During stages of the 2023/24 season his ownership rose to over 90%. A figure unprecedented in the game.

FPL managers flocked to the Manchester City forward because of his consistency. During the 23/24 season Pep Guardiola’s side scored 96 goals, the most of all the teams, and created 545 chances, only one team could better that.

Haaland himself scored 27 goals and had 121 shots. This highlights the importance of owning the Norwegian who won the Golden Boot, playing for the highest scoring team in the league.

Are there any City players who could be hidden gems this year?

After an outstanding Euro 2024 campaign with Spain, Rodrigo (£6.5m) looks like he could be a hidden gem for City this season in FPL.

The midfielder is often overlooked as FPL managers flock to the likes of Haaland and Phil Foden. However, Rodri’s underlining stats from the 2023/24 campaign suggest that managers should overlook him at their peril.

Last season the midfielder scored eight goals and registered 10 assists. He also returned 19 bonus points and eight double digit hauls.

Currently the City man is owned by just seven percent of managers and so is likely to be a hidden gem again this season.

 

Which City players could be crucial differentials?

Nearly 30% of managers have brought Josko Gvardiol into their FPL teams since the game launched.

He is proving to be the standout pick of the Man City defenders. However, this means the likes of Kyle Walker (£5.5m), John Stones (£5.5m) and Nathan Ake (£5.5m) all look set to be fantastic differential picks.

Differentials are players owned by under ten percent of FPL managers and therefore have a good opportunity to get managers a green arrow if they own them.

City kept 13 clean sheets last season, second best in the league and between them, Ake, Stones and Walker registered 32 returns. Walker picked up five assists and 10 clean sheets in his 30 starts.

Ake returned two goals, three assists and six clean sheets in his 24 starts, Stones scored one goal and picked up five clean sheets in his 12 starts. With low ownership, the City defenders look set to be excellent differentials.

 

Who are must-haves this season?

After excellent campaigns during the 2023/24 season a lot of City assets have taken price rises this year. Now priced at £9.5m Foden looks to be a must have alongside Haaland.

The Englishman returned 19 goals, eight assists and 31 bonus points during the 2023/24 campaign. Foden had 48 shots on target last season and won 40 fouls, these metrics are now both worth additional points in the bonus points system.

This would have resulted in more even more bonus points in the last campaign, making Foden a must-have for the new season. Likewise, as the Golden Boot winner for 2023/24 Haaland seems a must have, even with his £15m price tag.

What advice would you have for FPL players this season in general?

When building an FPL team, managers should decide on their premium strategy. Putting the most expensive assets they want to own into the team first, and then building out around them, can help managers to build a squad that is in budget.

Most FPL managers will automatically look at the players who scored well last season. However, with price rises on the back of successful seasons managers will need to look for budget enablers across the game. Owning Cole Palmer (£10.5m) for example, might prove challenging, however teammate Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m) might offer a good alternative.

Managers should also look towards the budget assets. Owning two or three budget enabling defenders, those coming in at £4.0-£4.5m, this will allow managers to free up budget for the all-important attacking assets.

Managers should also consider one budget enabler at £6m and under in the midfield or forward line, who will mostly be a bench player. Having this cheap option in the front eight means more budget for managers starting XIs.

Words: Sam Cox