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Manchester City could sell Savinho to Tottenham just 12 months after buying him from their fellow City Football Group club Troyes
In a sense, the biggest question in whether Manchester City should sell Savinho is whether he wants to go.
Pep Guardiola, quite understandably, does not want anybody in his squad who isn't committed to fighting teammates for their place so if Savinho wants an easier life then the Etihad is not for him.
That feeds into the player's character though, which was meticulously assessed before he joined the club a year ago. Savinho's desire to leave would be a poor reflection of that work, with a signing lasting just 12 months never really good for the recruitment team.
The main issue around Savinho's game is will he discover that greedy trait of wanting to get as many goals and assists as possible to become a world-class player. Raheem Sterling managed to do it under Guardiola when the manager was one of many who thought he couldn't, and Leroy Sane came on leaps and bounds in his second year at the club.
Speaking at the Club World Cup, Guardiola sounded like a man who is convinced that Savinho can do it. If you are in Savinho's camp though, maybe you point to Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Oscar Bobb as extra competition on the wings that could limit your chances of progression in a World Cup year.
There is no way of knowing at this point if Savinho can fulfil that potential, which means it will be very hard for City to claim this sale as a triumph. Selling a 21-year-old winger just a year after buying him adds to the scrutiny on a recruitment team who have found their last two years of work increasingly under the microscope.
Hugo Viana will know this, and will also be aware that if Savinho does shine elsewhere - in the Premier League, where his performances will be there for all to see every week - that will only add more pressure. The optics of selling a young winger when fans want to see the squad refreshed and older players moved on has seen some supporters frustrated at the very idea of Savinho going.
To mitigate that feeling, and for the possibility that Savinho shines at Tottenham, Viana is going to have to get an enormous fee - enough for City to be able to come away from the deal claiming some kind of success in selling a player they hoped 12 months ago would be their future. He also may have to sign a marquee replacement, with links to Real Madrid's Rodrygo exciting supporters even if there appears to be nothing in reports of a move for Xavi Simons.
Viana knew very quickly after taking the City job (if not before) that he was going to be the face of City's rebuild. Selling a young Brazilian winger to a Premier League rival would only add to the scrutiny around that.
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