Savinho to Tottenham January transfer prediction made as Man City told they need “inherent usefulness” of Brazilian winger

The return of Savinho to Manchester City training is a “big boost” for Pep Guardiola’s side after a spell on the sidelines with an ‘injury’, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

Savinho has missed each of Man City’s opening three Premier League matches of the new season since sustaining an unspecified injury during a pre-season friendly win over Palermo, according to manager Pep Guardiola.

The 21-year-old, who was pictured in training towards the end of last week, was in the headlines for much of August because of speculation linking him with a summer transfer to Tottenham Hotspur that ultimately failed to materialise.

McInerney has questioned whether Savinho was really injured during a period of uncertainty when he “made it very obvious that he wanted to leave”, but he is pleased that the Brazilian has stayed put and he hopes to see the winger improve his clinical touch in the final third this season.

“I wanted Savinho to stay and I think Savinho is a cracking footballer,” McInerney told Sports Mole. “The only thing he missed last season was goals and he massively underperformed in front of goal. So bad in front of goal that it felt like an anomaly if that makes sense. I just don't see how he could be that bad in front of goal again.

“He was one of the least clinical players in European football (scoring one Premier League goal in 29 games last season) when previously he'd been a pretty average finisher, at Girona in particular (netting nine goals in 37 La Liga matches). Everything prior to that suggested that he was a pretty competent finisher.

Man City will need Savinho’s “inherent usefulness and quality” this season

“To me, when you look at that and it's such an outlier given how bad he was in front of goal last season, I can only presume that was just linked to confidence and the timing of him joining Man City - if he joined three years earlier I think he probably would have bagged 10 goals last season.

“I feel that Savinho does have that quality. It's just last season was a weird time for the club. It went utterly crazy in the middle of that campaign, around winter where City just lost their heads. I think Savinho had started really well, was a real bright spark for City and was inviting really lofty comparisons, and then he just lost his head as the team did and after that he struggled in front of goal.”

McInerney has backed Savinho to become an important player for Man City and the winger could be available to return ahead of a challenging run of fixtures against Manchester United, Napoli and Arsenal.

“I think Savinho has inherent usefulness and quality that City probably need this season,” said McInerney. “His athleticism, his skill, his versatility, I think he'll be a really, really useful player this year.

“I expect if he plays a lot, he'll score more goals than he did last season - it's not hard admittedly - but I also think he'll prove what a lot of people already know. He's a really great creator and he's a really smart footballer who will hopefully be better in a team maybe not [experiencing] quite as mad of a winter spell where City were losing every single week.

“I think it's a big boost to have him back. He wasn't injured in my personal opinion, it was very much just a transfer rumour thing where you keep the player out the limelight, but I don't think he's going to be unprofessional. I think he'll be fine. I think he’ll worked really hard and he's an asset.

“Oscar Bobb has been lent on that (right) side, but Oscar Bobb - despite being 22, which is not that young - is still very inexperienced at the highest level, as a starter. This is the first time he's ever done that professionally.

“I feel like Savinho being there gives us options because he's a different type of weapon on the right hand side and also can play on the left. He also gives us something that we know, whereas Bobb is still very much an unknown.”

Could Spurs reignite Savinho interest in January transfer window?

Even though the summer transfer window has closed, Savinho continues to be linked with an exit from the Etihad Stadium, as Tottenham are said to still hold an interest in the winger.

According to Fichajes, Spurs are ‘willing to give everything’ to try and prise Savinho away from Man City and are lining up a January offer in excess of £80m.

Sharing his thoughts on whether Man City would be prepared to part ways with Savinho in the winter window, McInerney said: “He's not going to randomly leave in a World Cup year to join Spurs mid-season if he nails down a starting spot (at Man City) and he's in really good form.

“The flip side of that is if Oscar Bobb nails down that starting spot (on the right flank) and [Savinho] doesn't get any joy playing on the left because [Omar] Marmoush or [Jeremy] Doku or whoever starts a lot, and then [Phil] Foden starts to get minutes ahead of Savinho.

January exit for Savinho “unlikely” but ‘not impossible’ amid Spurs interest

“If Savinho is not playing an awful lot, at that point the same argument (from the summer) comes in that he’ll want to get into [Brazil’s] World Cup squad and Tottenham might offer him more of a chance to do that because they might play him more.

“I still think at that point, in mid-season, City will probably just say no. There's a January tax and they'll be looking at making over £80m, otherwise come back in the summer and we can talk.

“I think the likelihood of him going in January is small, because I think City would have to still find a replacement and I just don't see City being fine with that personally.

“Stranger things have happened and it's definitely possible. To counter myself, Hugo Viana (Man City’s director of football) was very happy to be very active last January. A whole bunch of signings: Marmoush, Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez - so maybe we could sign a big player in January (to replace Savinho).

“I still would argue that it's unlikely, because I think it has to be really bad for Savinho to want to move, and even then City would have to find a replacement which feels unlikely to me.”