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BRAZILIAN WINGERS UNDER THE HAMMER

We see Manchester City have managed to flip Savinho for quite the profit. Football Daily had previously assumed this sort of wheeler-dealing was restricted to the Dion-Dublin-adjacent property market, or the Harry-Redknapp-infused used car scene, but it seems we were mistaken. We have no idea how City ended up trousering a £44.2m markup on a player who cost £30.8m two seasons ago, and has achieved the square root of eff all since, but they’ve done it. Consider standing stock still and allowing a ball to clank off you and into the net in an FA Cup tie at Newcastle analogous to installing a new bathroom suite and giving the front room a lick of paint, or taking a microfibre cloth and some polish to the crevices of that grimy dashboard. Result! Goal! Ker-ching! That’s 75 million-nil!

Spurs were the mark, and they could end up paying £85m if all the silverware-related add-ons kick in. So £75m it is, then. But that’s still a fair old whack for an attacking player who scored two goals for City in 53 league appearances. The 22-year-old Brazilian plays on the right flank, so will almost certainly take the place of Mikey Moore, who thought his day at Brentford last weekend had gone badly enough, only for his manager Roberto De Zerbi to go out of his way to namecheck him – and him alone, twice – in his post-match deconstruction of a 3-0 fiasco for which pretty much everyone wearing Tottenham’s traditional blue, gold and dayglo pink was culpable.

Upon signing, Savinho announced that he wishes to be known forthwith as Sávio, reverting to the monicker from his time at Girona, where he scored 11 goals and set up 10 others during a loan stint that was a damn sight more successful than his spell at the Etihad. It’s also his actual name, so there is that. Sávio is far from the first of his countrymen to toy with this most personal of brands – Brazil’s greatest-ever player was actually called Manuel Francisco dos Santos, and Pelé was the result of a name change too – and we’re pretty sure he won’t be the last. Spurs meanwhile will simply be hoping they’re getting the Girona version of their new purchase, because otherwise City will have, in more ways than one, properly flipped them off. Omar Marmoush – 16 goals in 62 appearances, brand-new kitchen worktops, shiny hubcaps – next!

RECOMMENDED FOLLOWING

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football. Recent events have made silence impossible. Enough is enough” – a group of influential current and former footballers, including Mikaël Silvestre, Lucy Bronze, Emmanual Petit and David James, have piled more pressure on Gianni Infantino by calling for change at the top of Fifa. However the Cameroon Football Federation’s head-honcho and one-time unimpressed interviewee, Samuel Eto’o, dismissed criticism of Infantino’s leadership. “I don’t think that [he] has done anything wrong,” he honked. “I think the timing of all [the criticism] is because there’s an election coming out.”

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

Re: the ‘hand of God’ ball’s sale (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). I understand Peter Shilton did, in fact, intend to bid but couldn’t get his hand up high enough” – John Myles.

As much as people dislike Chelsea (the football club that is, not the posh area of London, which is quite nice if a bit dull), Xabi Alonso’s wild experiment to attempt to score so many goals that it even offsets Robert Sánchez’s constant Keystone Cops-style performances in goal is going to be wonderfully exciting” – Noble Francis.

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day goes to … John Myles. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.

RECOMMENDED LOOKING

It’s our man David Squires on … boos, barcodes and buzzcuts as the Premier League returns.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

The latest Football Weekly podcast has landed, on Chelsea’s winning start, that Dom Ballard goal, and more. And you can watch it here, too, if you like.

RECOMMENDED BUYING

Football Weekly Live events are coming. If you want to see Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and other top, top pod squad members in the flesh, you can do so in Dublin on 1 September or that there London on 9 September.  

NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

Leeds and Rangers co-chief suit Jed York has been sentenced to two days in jail and fined a total of £873 after being arrested for two criminal charges in Ohio. York, also the owner of NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, pleaded no contest to a charge of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools and was sentenced to a day in jail for each count, which was served concurrently.

Four WSL academy sides will play in tier three of the pyramid from the 2027-28 season after the controversial proposal was approved by the FA’s board.

Sir Kenny Dalglish and Karen Carney have won the PFA’s 2026 merit awards, which honour individuals who have made a lasting contribution to football.

Ethiopia has submitted a bid to host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2028, which would be its first in more than half a century.

Morgan Rogers has backed himself to be even more fast and furious at Stamford Bridge after marking his Chelsea league debut with a goal in the 3-2 win at Fulham. “I think there are more gears to go,” he shivered. “And I’ve got to try and find them as quickly as possible because games are coming thick and fast.”

Bournemouth have signed Michele Di Gregorio on loan from Juventus for the season with an option to buy the goalkeeper and his seemingly massive hands for £10.8m.

And Sarnese have progressed from the Coppa Italia Serie D preliminary round after edging out Ebolitana Calcio 20-19 in an epic penalty shootout.

STILL WANT MORE?

“Suddenly dad isn’t home. The chair by the door is empty. Let’s all just rip it up a bit, shall we?” Yep, it’s Barney Ronay on the post-Pep Premier League era’s opening blast of hyper-managed shock and awe.

Liverpool are still haunted by last summer’s messy shopping spree, reckons Jonathan Wilson.

Next in our WSL season previews: Brighton.

While Cavan and Quinn Sullivan star in MLS with the Philadelphia Union, another set of Sullivan brothers are making football waves in Bangladesh. Sanjay Sujanthakumar has the story.

Here’s the latest Rumour Mill, with hot air suggesting Cody Gakpo is attracting admiring glances from Spurs and Manchester City scouts.

And keep up with the latest transfer window moves via our men’s and women’s interactives on the world’s biggest leagues.

MEMORY LANE

26 January 1967: Norman Hunter, famed for his aggression and endless levels of energy, throws himself into action to head the ball during a Leeds United training session on a particularly grim-looking winter’s day. We’re surprised he could leap that high with those baggy bottoms weighing him down.

UNNATURAL SURF’S UP!