A Premier League club have completed the £85million signing of a star that no one has ever heard of before and here’s the reason why
Tottenham have completed the signing of £85million Brazil star Savio, and fans were left incredibly confused.
Spurs wrapped up the signing of the player from Manchester City, where he was signed by the name Savinho two years ago. However, the 22-year-old has arrived in north London under a different name.
As Tottenham announced the money-spinning transfer of the City flop, who scored just seven goals, fewer than the eight bookings he received, fans noticed that he was sporting the name ‘Savio’ on his new No.17 shirt.
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To make matters stranger, neither Tottenham nor the player have given a reason for the switch with no mention of the quite dramatic change in the club’s announcement.
For those, nearly everyone, who know the winger as Savinho, his full name is Savio Moreira de Oliveira, and ‘Savinho’ is the Portuguese diminutive of that which he adopted, translating to “little Savio.”
During his time at Troyes and Girona, the Brazilian wore Savio on the back of his shirt, with the decision to change his name coming when he eventually joined up with City in 2024, after Troyes, a team in the City Football Group, signed him for a club record £10.7million in 2022.
Following a breakout loan spell at fellow City Football Group side Girona, Savinho completed a £30m move to City, where he announced he would be sporting ‘Savinho’ on the back of his shirt.
Speaking to the club website when he signed he said he hoped “the Savinho name brings me some good luck”.
It clearly didn’t though as he started just over half of the 84 games he played for City. In those two years he scored just one Champions League goal, against Club Brugge, and just one Premier League goal in both of his respective campaigns, the first against hopeless Leicester City and his second in stoppage time of a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in May.
But Spurs have apparently been convinced to lump £85m on the winger, who will seemingly go back to using his real name Savio, which was given to him by his dad after former Brazil and Real Madrid winger Savio Bortolini.
Speaking on his move to north London, Savio said: “It’s taken a while, but I’m very happy to be here.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity at a brilliant club with one of the best managers in the world. As soon as I spoke to the head coach I knew I had to come.
“He told me he wants to help me reach the highest level. And I believe we can do that together, as a team.”