TPS manager: Veli-Matti Savinainen’s arrival in Turku was surprising – “He reached out himself”
TPS has made several notable profile signings for next season’s Liiga team.
Alongside Aleksi Saarela and Tarmo Reunanen, the acquisition of six-time Finnish champion Veli-Matti Savinainen, 39, was one of the biggest transfer news in Liiga this spring.
TPS boss Tomi Kallio admits he was surprised that Savinainen got stuck in the transfer market, as he mentioned in the TPS podcast.
– We had been after him a few times before, but at that time the local currency just wasn’t enough. Definitely a player that every team wants. Some might say that he is this and that age, but he has always taken very good care of his body. He is quite lightweight, even though you wouldn’t believe it from his playing style, Kallio commented.
– He reached out to me through a mutual acquaintance. We quickly discussed the matter with the coach and reacted pretty fast.
Savinainen and Oliver Lauridsen are expected to be role models for TPS’s young team.
– We have a young team like many others, which needs leaders and players who show a winning culture. That’s why the deals for “Vellu” and Oliver are extremely important for the overall picture.
– It was a really pleasant surprise that he himself felt he wanted to come here. We reached an agreement pretty quickly. He will definitely be important in front of the goal, where he is surely the best player in the Liiga, Kallio predicts.
Savinainen, who has represented Tappara for the last three seasons, has also won a World Championship gold and silver with the Lions during his career.
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