As part of an extremely busy summer transfer window at the Vicente Calderon, centre-back Stefan Savic has made the switch from Fiorentina to Atletico Madrid. 

After a troubled stint at Manchester City in 2011-12, the Montenegrin forged a strong reputation for himself in Serie A across three seasons at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence and, at 24, has now made the move to one of Europe’s rapidly rising outfits amid a major summer reshuffle on the banks of the Manzanares in the Spanish capital. 

But what sort of player have Atletico landed themselves? Is he a steal?

 

Playing Style

Savic represents something of a deviation from the script in regards to the style of Atletico Madrid central defenders. 

Indeed, whereas Diego Godin, Miranda and Jose Gimenez have been defined by their force, physicality and combative traits—essentially embodying the essence of manager Diego Simeone—the Montenegro international is a centre-back of a different tune. 

Tall and rather finely built for a player at his position, Savic relies on positional awareness and reading of the play to defend, rather than athleticism. Because of that, combined with his height, he’s skillful in the air and has been among the leaders in Serie A for aerials won across the past two seasons, per WhoScored.com. 

The former Manchester City man is also composed on the ball and neat in possession—the sort of centre-back who can help to build moves as well as repel them. 

But his style will take a bit of getting used to at the Vicente Calderon. He won’t clatter into forwards like Miranda. He won’t dominate the box like Godin. He won’t dive head-first to block shots like Gimenez. 

Instead, Savic is a defender of brains rather than brawn—guile rather than grunt. And in an Atleti outfit undergoing a change in style, a shift unfolding as to how they use the ball, Savic represents a nice point of difference who can help facilitate that. He’s a complementary piece. 

 

Who’s He Replacing?

On the face of it, Savic looks to be a replacement for Miranda, the Brazilian centre-back who departed to Inter Milan this summer. In that sense (as outlined above), the former Fiorentina man is very different to his predecessor. 

The now departed 30-year-old had been a pillar of Simeone‘s defence since his arrival, his rugged, no-nonsense and aggressive approach perfectly suiting the Atleti Simeone has led until now. 

But Savic can’t really be considered a replacement for Miranda. Both in terms of experience and style, the comparison isn’t quite right. 

Instead, Savic is effectively a replacement for Toby Alderweireld, the former Atletico defender who spent last season on loan Southampton and who was eventually sold to Tottenham this summer because of his wish to remain in the Premier League. 

Indeed, the Belgian, at 26, is the man whose boots Savic is filling, given that Alderweireld was wanted back at the Vicente Calderon because of his blend of defensive strength and ease on the ball—the latter quality developed in his formative years at Ajax. 

 

What Role Will He Play?

Though Savic has arrived in the Spanish capital as one of Atletico Madrid’s major summer signings, he still seems unlikely to start the season in Simeone‘s first-choice XI. 

With Godin still considered among the finest centre-backs in Europe, and with Gimenez possibly the brightest defensive talent on the continent, the Montenegrin looks set to start the new campaign third in the pecking order. 

However, his presence will still be vitally important for Simeone. The Argentinian will want to ensure Gimenez has stiff competition for his place, the Atelti boss renowned for wanting to challenge his young stars (see Antoine Griezmann). 

As such, Simeone will essentially pit Savic in a head-to-head battle with the precocious Uruguayan, hoping that the competition between two relative equals fast-tracks the pair’s development and maintains their intensity across the campaign. 

If Gimenez slips, even just fractionally (and it’s possible given the dreaded second-season syndrome), Savic will be waiting.

 

The Outlay

So the price: What is it?

When Savic‘s signing was announced, Marca reported the fee to be €12 million plus Mario Suarez, who has gone the other way to Fiorentina. Later, Marca raised that figure, reporting it at €15 million, while Sky Sports pointed to Italian reports indicating something in the region of €9 million. 

At Transfermarkt, the deals are considered separate, and the defender’s price is presented at £17.5 million (€24.7 million), while Suarez’s is £10.5 million (€14.8 million), effectively making the sum for Savic £7 million (€9.9 million). 

If the reported prices are accurate, Atletico Madrid look to have gotten themselves something of a steal. 

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