Savinho Tottenham shirt number revealed as Spurs confirm £85m Man City transfer

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of Brazilian attacker Savinho from Manchester City in a deal that could fetch up to £85m.

The former Troyes youngster joins the Lilywhites for an initial £75m and departs Man City after registering seven goals and 16 assists in 84 appearances for the Sky Blues in all tournaments.

Savinho has become Spurs' seventh senior summer signing after Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Martin Dubravka and Marcos Senesi, and his arrival takes Tottenham's spending for the current window to over £300m.

Meanwhile, Man City could end up making a total profit of just under £65m for the versatile winger, whom they brought to England for just £21.4m in the summer of 2024.

Speaking to the official Tottenham website, Savinho hailed new boss Roberto De Zerbi as one of the world's best managers and expressed his delight at joining after a drawn-out process.

Savinho's first words as Tottenham player after £85m deal confirmed

"It's taken a while but I'm very happy to be here. It's a wonderful opportunity at a brilliant club with one of the best managers in the world," Savinho told the club's media channels.

"As soon as I spoke to the Head Coach I knew I had to come. He told me he wants to help me reach the highest level, and I believe we can do that together, as a team."

De Zerbi also reacted to Savinho's arrival, outlining five qualities which make the South American a perfect fit for his side, adding: "Savio is a player who brings energy, imagination and quality in wide positions. He has the courage to attack defenders and the ability to change a game with his creativity.

"We’re very pleased to have him with us, and I’m looking forward to working with him, helping him continue to grow and seeing him bring his personality to the team."

Savinho could make his Tottenham debut in Wednesday's EFL Cup second-round match with Charlton Athletic, but a first appearance against Newcastle United in Saturday's Premier League battle is more realistic.

What shirt number will Savinho wear at Tottenham?

© Imago

Shortly after unveiling their new £85m recruit, Tottenham revealed that Savinho would sport the number 17 shirt for the 2026-27 season.

The Brazil international previously donned the '26' during his time at Man City, but that number has been unofficially retired at Tottenham ever since club legend Ledley King called it quits in 2012.

Instead, Savinho takes the shirt formerly worn by Cristian Romero, who had the '17' in his possession for four seasons before departing for Atletico Madrid earlier in the summer window.

Moussa Sissoko, Andros Townsend, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Giovanni Dos Santos have also worn the '17' for Tottenham, as did legendary goalkeeper Ray Clemence during the 1983-84 season.