In summer 1984, in preparation for the upcoming 1984–85 league season, newly arrived head coach Josip Duvančić made seventeen-year-old Savićević a full squad member at the expense of the thirty-two-year-old club legend Ante Miročević who was essentially incentivized to retire by being given a position on the club's coaching staff. The season turned out to be a disaster as the club barely avoided relegation while Duvančić got sacked after only six months at the helm. However, for Savićević personally, the campaign marked a bit of breakthrough as he recorded 29 league appearances, scoring 6 goals.