NEW BLUE: Stefan Savic
New Manchester City starlet Stefan Savic doesn’t have to look too far to see his inspiration – he cites United skipper Nemanja Vidic as one of his idols!
Of course, that will all change now the 20-year-old Montenegrin defender has joined City on a four-year deal, for a fee which could eventually be worth £9m.
But 6ft 1ins Savic, who has been described as the new Alessandro Nesta, has also been likened to the Reds’ no-nonsense skipper.
City tied up the deal for Savic after ironing out a possible problem with his work permit – he did not meet the stipulation of playing in 75 per cent of Montenegro’s competitive internationals in the last two years.
But the Blues have pointed out that since his first cap, in a friendly against Northern Ireland in August 2010, he has become a regular for his country.
He was one of the stars of the Montenegro defence which held England to a goalless draw at Wembley in the Euro 2012 qualifier, even though he was playing out of position at right back.
News that Savic has signed for City may be yet another blow for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who was still toying with the idea of making a move for the player, who has
Champions League experience with his former club Partizan Belgrade.
Wenger took Savic on a 10-day trial in January 2010 and had said the youngster should sign a pre-contract agreement before heading back to Belgrade.
But Savic was not a full international at that point and the unlikelihood of getting a work permit, plus some doubts among Arsenal’s coaching staff and the £2.2m asking price, meant it did not happen.
Wenger is understood to have lined up Savic as a possible if his moves for Bolton stopper Gary Cahill fall through – but City stepped in with a £6m deal which could become £9m with increments.
Savic says he has played football as long as he can remember, although he was only picked up by a professional club – Borca – as a 16-year-old, after impressing for his home-town team Mojkovac.
“I began to play football when I was six, and a football was a toy from which I was never apart,” said Savic. “The football pitch was next door to my house so I used to spend a few hours every day on it.”
Growing up, he supported Inter Milan, but it was rivals AC Milan’s Nesta, and Vidic, on whom he tried to style his game.
“Nesta was a master, but Vidic is a pleasure to watch, the fearless heart of Manchester United,” he said.
Savic soon made inroads at Borca, being picked for Montenegro at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels while helping his new club reach the top division in Serbia for the first time in their history. He was then instrumental in keeping them there.
Prowess
Wenger heard of his prowess and went to watch him play while on a trip to see Serbia play France, leading to his trial in London.
But by then his name was becoming well-known and Chelsea, Birmingham and Spurs were also sniffing – along with Ajax, Inter, AC Milan, Roma, Bayern Munich and Sporting Lisbon.
After his Arsenal disappointment, Savic decided he would improve his game by joining top Serbian outfit Partizan, which he did in August 2010.
He helped them to a fourth consecutive Serbian title last season, after which City began tracking him.
Savic suffered a terrible tragedy in April when his father Dragan, who was Mayor of his home-town of Mojkovac, was found shot dead in his apartment in the town, in an apparent suicide.
The young player dedicated his medals from Partizan’s league and cup double to his father’s memory.
And he leaves Partizan with best wishes of head coach Aleksandar Stanojevic.
“He has the character of a winner, is a great athlete and has all the elements a defender needs, in abundance,” said Stanojevic, the first coach to take a Serbian team into the Champions League group stages last season.
“He has great timing, a great leap, his positioning is excellent, he understands the game and is quick – far above the average European player. He also works hard, is persistent, and listens to advice. And you know that he will never repeat the same mistake again. He is a gem.”
Stanojevic also believes he will take the step up to the Premier League in his stride, saying: “He was well-trained when he came to Partizan from Borca, but our club has special requirements.
“One of our coaches made a video of his performances for Borca and we told him what he needed to work on before he made his debut. He did it all and then went on to make his debut in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk, when he played flawlessly.”
Savic has played at right back for both club and country, but Stanojevic says his best position is not in doubt.
“He is a central defensive player, and that is inviolable,” he said.
Of course, that will all change now the 20-year-old Montenegrin defender has joined City on a four-year deal, for a fee which could eventually be worth £9m.
But 6ft 1ins Savic, who has been described as the new Alessandro Nesta, has also been likened to the Reds’ no-nonsense skipper.
City tied up the deal for Savic after ironing out a possible problem with his work permit – he did not meet the stipulation of playing in 75 per cent of Montenegro’s competitive internationals in the last two years.
But the Blues have pointed out that since his first cap, in a friendly against Northern Ireland in August 2010, he has become a regular for his country.
He was one of the stars of the Montenegro defence which held England to a goalless draw at Wembley in the Euro 2012 qualifier, even though he was playing out of position at right back.
News that Savic has signed for City may be yet another blow for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who was still toying with the idea of making a move for the player, who has
Champions League experience with his former club Partizan Belgrade.
Wenger took Savic on a 10-day trial in January 2010 and had said the youngster should sign a pre-contract agreement before heading back to Belgrade.
But Savic was not a full international at that point and the unlikelihood of getting a work permit, plus some doubts among Arsenal’s coaching staff and the £2.2m asking price, meant it did not happen.
Wenger is understood to have lined up Savic as a possible if his moves for Bolton stopper Gary Cahill fall through – but City stepped in with a £6m deal which could become £9m with increments.
Savic says he has played football as long as he can remember, although he was only picked up by a professional club – Borca – as a 16-year-old, after impressing for his home-town team Mojkovac.
“I began to play football when I was six, and a football was a toy from which I was never apart,” said Savic. “The football pitch was next door to my house so I used to spend a few hours every day on it.”
Growing up, he supported Inter Milan, but it was rivals AC Milan’s Nesta, and Vidic, on whom he tried to style his game.
“Nesta was a master, but Vidic is a pleasure to watch, the fearless heart of Manchester United,” he said.
Savic soon made inroads at Borca, being picked for Montenegro at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels while helping his new club reach the top division in Serbia for the first time in their history. He was then instrumental in keeping them there.
Prowess
Wenger heard of his prowess and went to watch him play while on a trip to see Serbia play France, leading to his trial in London.
But by then his name was becoming well-known and Chelsea, Birmingham and Spurs were also sniffing – along with Ajax, Inter, AC Milan, Roma, Bayern Munich and Sporting Lisbon.
After his Arsenal disappointment, Savic decided he would improve his game by joining top Serbian outfit Partizan, which he did in August 2010.
He helped them to a fourth consecutive Serbian title last season, after which City began tracking him.
Savic suffered a terrible tragedy in April when his father Dragan, who was Mayor of his home-town of Mojkovac, was found shot dead in his apartment in the town, in an apparent suicide.
The young player dedicated his medals from Partizan’s league and cup double to his father’s memory.
And he leaves Partizan with best wishes of head coach Aleksandar Stanojevic.
“He has the character of a winner, is a great athlete and has all the elements a defender needs, in abundance,” said Stanojevic, the first coach to take a Serbian team into the Champions League group stages last season.
“He has great timing, a great leap, his positioning is excellent, he understands the game and is quick – far above the average European player. He also works hard, is persistent, and listens to advice. And you know that he will never repeat the same mistake again. He is a gem.”
Stanojevic also believes he will take the step up to the Premier League in his stride, saying: “He was well-trained when he came to Partizan from Borca, but our club has special requirements.
“One of our coaches made a video of his performances for Borca and we told him what he needed to work on before he made his debut. He did it all and then went on to make his debut in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk, when he played flawlessly.”
Savic has played at right back for both club and country, but Stanojevic says his best position is not in doubt.
“He is a central defensive player, and that is inviolable,” he said.
