Suffice to say, Manchester City F.C. has fallen short of the club’s lofty expectations so far this season. After winning the past four Premier League titles, City now sits fourth in the table, 17 points behind league-leaders Liverpool. 

A squad once renowned for its depth and quality has started to show its seams. Once Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri’s season ended with an ACL tear, the train fell off the tracks and the club has only recently discovered better form on the back of a January transfer window spending spree.

That splurge on new players — €75 million on Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt, €60 million on Porto’s Nico González and €40 million on Uzbek center back Abdukodir Khusanov — looked a bit desperate on City’s part. Yet, it will probably work. Why? Because they’re good players. Perhaps City overpaid for one or two of them, but money doesn’t matter to a club owned by billionaire Emirati royals. City needed fresh blood, and it arrived. 

And with many of these recent signings, City has leaned into the era of striker Erling Haaland. By that I mean: Gone is the intricate passing era of David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Agüero. The process of moving away from that started a couple seasons ago, but now it well and truly feels gone. City has embraced pace, power and one-on-one ability. 

The pace and one-on-one attributes are particularly noticeable on the wings, where City first signed a dribbling machine in Jérémy Doku two summers ago and doubled down on that ethos this past July by adding Sávio, or “Savinho,” to the mix, the subject of today’s column.

The 20-year-old Brazilian found himself in Manchester by way of City’s Spanish affiliate club Girona, where he tore up La Liga to the tune of nine goals and 10 assists. The City hierarchy then decided Savinho’s profile was needed in Manchester, and from there the fruits of a multi-club model were enjoyed.

Needless to say — otherwise we wouldn’t be here — Savinho’s move already seems to be paying dividends. The Brazilian has nine assists and two goals in all competitions so far this season, having started 15 of City’s 25 Premier League games. 

In terms of raw goal output, Savinho’s production might seem a little underwhelming compared to City’s prior all-star ilk, but as I remind readers every column, he’s not the finished product. Under manager Pep Guardiola’s tutelage, he will improve and most likely become one of the league’s deadliest wingers. But City didn’t just sign Savinho because of his high potential, they signed him to play a specific role that he showed up ready-made to perform.

Show Savinho a defender, and he will dribble past them. Leave them in the dust. Embarrass them. 

That means he can progress the ball upfield regularly and reliably, one of the most valuable qualities in any midfielder or winger, especially when you have a box-hunting striker like Haaland, whose link-up play remains a work in progress — although, it’s unclear if Guardiola or Haaland truly care to change that. 

The Norwegian striker takes just 22.4 touches per match in the Premier League. Literally, he touches the ball just 22 or 23 times per 90 minutes played on average. Even for an out-and-out striker, that’s on the low side; Newcastle’s Alexander Isak takes about 35.1 per 90, for example. So, in order for City to make Haaland’s limited touches count — that is, to turn them into goals — the team needs players who can get Haaland the ball as frequently and efficiently as possible.

Despite his youth, Savinho excels in this area. The statistics site FBref has a progressive carries stat that measures the number of times a player dribbles the ball forward 10 yards or more in his team’s attacking half. Savinho ranks in the 97th (!) percentile in this category, doing so about 6.45 times per 90 minutes. And in terms of successful take-ons, when a player dribbles past an opponent, Savinho is in the 94th percentile, getting past defenders in one-on-one situations 3.16 times per match. 

So even if his personal expected goals tally — the quality of shots Savinho himself takes — lags behind what we expect from an elite forward for the time being, he has played and will continue to play a key role in City’s transformation around Haaland’s style at striker. 

And while I often take a highly statistical approach in these columns, I’d be remiss not to mention that Savinho is simply fun to watch. He typically plays as an inverted right winger, meaning he operates on the right side despite being left-footed, and moves like a coiled spring, ready to explode when the ball is at his feet. 

He baits defenders with small, teasing touches, staring them down, daring them to make a move before… oops! He’s already gone. Pace, composure, trickery — he’s got all the hallmarks of a joyous, creative winger. Which is truly a shame for the rest of the league. As if City fans needed any more joy in their lives! But if you do begrudgingly end up watching a City game, keep your eyes locked on the Brazilian No. 26. You won’t regret it.

Jack Hallinan is a senior writing about the top wunderkinds in men’s and women’s soccer in his column, “Rising Ballers,” which runs every other Thursday.