Pep Guardiola would like to keep Tottenham target Savinho for ‘many years'
Savinho made 48 appearances for City in his debut campaign after joining last summer, scoring three goals and adding 13 assists from a wide position, and although he has been criticised for a lack of end product Guardiola sounded keen to keep the 21-year-old.
'I don't know,' Guardiola said when asked if Savinho would stay. 'Tottenham in that case or any other club who wants a player should call the club.
'I am only concerned right now that Savinho will be with us for the rest of the season and hopefully many, many years because at 21 years old, with the potential he has, he plays a lot of minutes. He has to improve in the final decisions but he is an extraordinary player.
'Otherwise he would not have played more than 3,000 minutes last season.
'But in the end the desire of the players is above everything. Then they have to find an agreement with the club. If they don't make an agreement, the player will be here because the club spent money on that player.'
Guardiola said neither Savinho nor Ederson, the Brazil goalkeeper strongly linked with a move to Turkey, had told him they want to leave City.
'If they want to leave, they will come to me,' he said. 'If they want to leave, they will knock on my door.'Guardiola said Savinho will miss Saturday's Premier League opener away to Wolves with an injury sustained in last week's pre-season friendly away to Palermo, with the problem expected to keep him out for a 'few weeks'.
Rodri, whose absence for most of last season was so telling in City's midfield, is expected to travel to Wolverhampton following a setback of his own, but Guardiola said City have to careful in managing the 29-year-old's fitness.
'Rodri is so (close) to coming back but it is important his knee is perfect,' Guardiola said. 'He played Juventus (in the Club World Cup) and after six weeks he had an injury in his leg. We try to avoid that now. He needs to play minutes in training sessions.
'What we want for him is not to come back and step back. That would not be good because in this dynamic you cannot get rhythm. This competition is so demanding.'
Guardiola has been keen to get his squad numbers down and this week allowed Jack Grealish to join Everton.
'I wish him all the best at a traditional club like Everton and hopefully he can play, play, and play,' he said.
Another player who could depart is James McAtee, who is close to finalising a move to Nottingham Forest.
'I would love to have Macca but I have too many players,' Guardiola said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Alan Shearer sends Alexander Isak tongue-in-cheek message after Hugo Ekitike strike
Liverpool's new signing Hugo Ekitike grabbed a goal and an assist on his Premier League debut as Arne Slot's side opened their campaign with a 4-2 win over Bournemouth Alan Shearer has warned Alexander Isak that he wouldn't be a guaranteed starter at Liverpool after Hugo Ekitike made an impact on debut. The Reds opened their Premier League campaign with a dramatic 4-2 win over Bournemouth on Friday night, with Ekitike the star. The French striker, who arrived in a deal worth £69million plus £10m in add-ons from Eintracht Frankfurt, hit the ground running at Anfield. He opened the scoring by coolly slotting into the net before half-time and he then turned provider, teeing up Cody Gakpo to make it 2-0. Bournemouth fought back admirably with a double from Antoine Semenyo, but were undone late on. Federico Chiesa volleyed in before Mohamed Salah got in on the act by rifling into the bottom corner. While there were worrying signs for Liverpool's defence, their new-look attack was impressive, with Ekitike taking home the Man of the Match award. With Isak refusing to play for Newcastle in an effort to force through a move to Liverpool, Ekitike's performance wasn't lost on Shearer. 'Surely any forward thinking of going to Liverpool, will be having second thoughts now having to play second fiddle to the brilliant Ekitike all season?' he wrote on X alongside a few emojis. Liverpool have seen one bid of £110m plus £10m in add-ons rejected by Newcastle for Isak and are yet to return with another offer. The Swede has burnt his bridges with the Magpies and is desperate to move to Anfield, where there is a space in the side. Liverpool sold Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz this summer after the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and Arne Slot has made it clear he wants another attacker brought in. Slot told Sky Sports before the Bournemouth game: "I see Hugo mainly as a No.9 that could also play from the left or together with another No.9. We need to have one more attacker at least." Isak has not been training with Newcastle and still has two weeks left before the transfer window closes to get his move. But Eddie Howe insists there is a way back for the 25-year-old at St James' Park. 'I want him to play. I want him to train," he said on Friday. "I've had those conversations [with Isak] but the details of those will remain private. "There is no change to the situation. All my focus has been on the training, Aston Villa and the transfer front in terms of getting players in – that is all-consuming for me. Alex's situation has been unchanged for a while and that will continue to be the case." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Mark Chapman's joke about Gary Lineker, football team he supports, BBC Match of the Day pay
Mark Chapman will host the first Match of the Day show of the new Premier League season on Saturday as he, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates take over from departed stalwart Gary Lineker Mark Chapman will host the first Match of the Day show of the new Premier League season. The 51-year-old will share hosting duties with Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates this campaign after Gary Lineker's exit. The BBC flagship will have a new permanent host for the first time since 1999 this term after former England striker Lineker stepped down, ceasing all involvement with the organisation from the end of last season after sparking an antisemitism row with a social media post. Lineker's exit was announced in November last year, and it was confirmed in January that ex-MOTD 2 host Chapman, renowned presenter Logan and former Sky Sports star Cates would rotate to fill his shoes. Chapman will take the reins on Saturday, and Mirror Football takes a look at his life away from the screen, including where his footballing loyalties lie and how much he earns. Mark Chapman's Gary Lineker joke Although Saturday will be Chapman's first show as permanent host, as per PA, with colleague Logan taking on the Sunday rendition, he is no stranger to fronting MOTD. Chapman's role with MOTD 2 often saw him host the midweek editions of the show, and an appearance in January saw him crack a joke amid the announcement of Lineker's exit. The 51-year-old opened the broadcast alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer with a witty allusion to his upcoming role, declaring: "Evening, thought I'd get the practice in…" His co-stars couldn't help but chuckle at the admission, with Shearer exclaiming: "You haven't wasted any time, have you? Six months too early!" Chapman retorted: "It's going to be a long night, eh?" What football club does Mark Chapman support? Former host Lineker did not hide his love for boyhood side Leicester City, for whom he began his footballing career. He played over 200 times for the Foxes from 1978 until 1985. Chapman, who is not an ex-pro, having started life with the BBC in 1996 as a community announcer, also has an affinity for a top English side in Manchester United. Born in Rochdale, Chapman told the iPaper in 2018: "It's not my fault that I support a big team! I had to put up with a lot of poor, if at least entertaining, stuff in the 1980s. I am a genuine Manchester United fan." After the Red Devils endured a difficult 15th-placed Premier League finish last season, with some dismal results, Chapman explained on a 2025 appearance on the game show Catchphrase: "By the time we go on air, I've had enough time to stop being a sore loser. So by then I'm fairly impartial." How much does Mark Chapman earn? Lineker was renowned for being one of the BBC's highest-paid staff members during his time with the organisation. It was reported that he took home roughly £1.75million last year before stepping down. Colleague Shearer was also a top earner last year with a reported salary of £440,000, though Chapman earns considerably less than the two former England strikers. Over the course of the 2021/22 season, Chapman earned roughly £250k, and his salary was boosted the following term to around £325k. During the 2023/24 season, Chapman took home somewhere in the region of £260k for his coverage on Radio 5 Live, MOTD 2, the Challenge Cup, the Euros and Olympic Games.
Daily Mirror
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd told they made exactly the same transfer mistake as Arsenal this summer
Manchester United and Arsenal were both linked with Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins this summer, but opted to sign Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres respectively instead Manchester United have been told their decision to sign Benjamin Sesko is a "mistake" and that they should have bought Ollie Watkins instead. United have spent big on attacking reinforcements this summer, forking out almost £200million for Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. However, former Red Devils star Nicky Butt, who won six Premier League titles at Old Trafford, believes Watkins would have been a better option due to his experience. Watkins has spent five season in the Premier League with Aston Villa and hit double figures in all of them. "I know Cunha has done really well over the last couple of seasons but I would really like an experienced striker," Butt told BetMGM. "I hope I'm wrong but I really hope they aren't making the same mistakes with Sesko as they did with Rasmus [Hojlund]. "A young player coming in with no Premier League experience, it just feels like history repeating itself. Honestly, for what it would have cost, I would have gone and brought in someone like Ollie Watkins, someone to help and pull the young strikers out of a bad patch. "When young players are just coming into the club, when the onus is on them to score goals, if they're having a few bad games they have to have the safety net of being pulled out of the firing line. Ollie Watkins, or someone like that, would be who I would have been looking to bring in." Arsenal legend Tony Adams expressed a similar sentiment, claiming the Gunners should have signed Watkins instead of Viktor Gyokeres. When asked about Gyokeres during a Q & A for Indo Sport, Adams said: "I don't know yet. "He's not tried and tested. I would have liked to have seen them get Ollie Watkins to be honest with you. He's a Gooner, he might have given us a year and we might have won the title." Adams also expressed concerns about Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and club captain Martin Odegaard. When asked for his thoughts on Arteta, Adams responded: "Ahhhh… [audience laughs]… What?! Was there too much of a long pause there? "I think he's got a really big call to make this year and, for me, he hasn't done it and the call is to make Declan Rice captain. Declan is my kind of captain and it might free up [Martin] Odegaard up to play with a bit more freedom because he had a very average season last year." "But I think sometimes when you've got the main man and the captain of the club… Terry Venables did it, he took it off David Platt and he put me as captain and Glenn Hoddle took me out and put Alan Shearer, which was a silly decision! "But every now and again, as a manager, you have to put someone that reflects you, reflects the football club, someone who thinks can actually take you to the next level. I think Rice is an Arsenal leader, I think he is. "He's good in the dressing room, around the training camp. He's got standards, he's got principles and I can see the man and he's a proper player, a proper captain. I would have done it, but Arteta hasn't done it so I'm being critical of Arteta at the moment. Big managers go, 'Right actually, you're my man now!'"
