Key events
Remember, Girona is one of 13 football clubs in the “City Football Group”, so this deal is largely internal. You can find out more about the group here…
… and Sid Lowe wrote about Girona back in November.
Manchester City agrees a deal to sign Sávio from Girona
Latest news: a city-based transfer update for you. Sávio has been nothing short of sensational this season for Girona, who are second in La Liga. Nobody in Spain has more league assists and he is also at the top of the dribbling charts, ahead of Isco, Rodrygo, Vini Jr. etc.
🚨🔵🇧🇷 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City agree to a deal to sign Sávio from parent club Girona in the summer.
Documents to be signed in the next few days.
Despite offers from German and English clubs, Sávio will join #MCFC.
He is now 100% focused on Girona to finish the season in the best possible way. pic.twitter.com/oCDNy5d6Eo
– Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 5, 2024
That is interesting. Not just because Sky deputy pundit Michail Antonio is wearing a beret, but also because Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven is considered the fastest footballer in the Premier League this season. Anyone who saw some of his comeback efforts in the 2-2 draw with Everton at the weekend will not be surprised by this statistic, as he edged out Luton’s Chiedozie Ogbene (who also tore up Newcastle’s Dan Burn on the right wing on Saturday). However, there are a few surprising names. Antonio is 41st, although the Jamaica international has not been fully fit this season.
I’m not sure if that’s a positive sign or a reminder of Haaland’s dominance since he arrived in the Premier League just 18 months ago:
Brentford are the only one of the 21 Premier League teams that Haaland has played against but not scored.
The teams
De Bruyne and Haaland start for City, marking Guardiola’s strongest lineup since their last appearance in City’s starting XI at Burnley on August 11, 2023 (a 3-0 win at Burnley in which Haaland scored two goals). . It was also the game in which De Bruyne sustained an injury that kept him out until January.
Brentford: Flekken, Collins, Pinnock, Mee, Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon, Toney, Maupay.
Subs: Jorgensen, Ajer, Strakosha, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Yarmolyuk, Brierley, Fredrick.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Foden, Alvarez, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Haaland.
Subs: Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, Doku, Ortega, Akanji, Matheus Luiz, Bobb, Lewis.
Referee: Jarred Gillett (Australia)
preamble
With the January transfer window closing, the Champions League knockout games in February and a title race heating up, we feel we are almost at the Business End™ of the season.
Liverpool’s defeat to Arsenal on Sunday feels like a turning point, a result that has implications for all three title challengers. Some football nerds/stats gurus estimate that the Gunners’ 3-1 win at the Emirates actually did more for City’s chances of winning the Premier League trophy than for Arsenal.
Of course, all of these permutations and predictions only mean anything if City do what is expected of them. Of course that means continuing to win loads of football games, starting with tonight at Brentford.
Pep Guardiola’s side are already on a pretty good track, having won 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions. Plus, a few extremely happy guys have returned from injury. So you could expect them to do well with the return of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland in the starting XI against a Brentford side who have lost eight of their last 12 games (and won just two).
But this is a football game, not an AI algorithm. Almost anything could happen. And most of us are here to find out if something unexpected happens.
Begin: 20:00 GMT.
