Tottenham Hotspur may not be able to sign Savinho so Thomas Frank needs to source an alternative
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Tottenham Hotspur have made a solid start to the new 2025/26 Premier League season under the guidance of Thomas Frank. The Dane was picked as their replacement for Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked at the end of the last campaign. The London outfit finished down in 17th place in the table last term but managed to get their hands on the Europa League trophy after beating Manchester United in the final in Bilbao.
Frank has won his first two league games in charge since his switch from fellow top flight side Brentford. They beat Burnley 3-0 on the opening day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They then went and won 2-0 against the odds against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last time out so they will be in confident mood at the moment.
Tottenham Hotspur need to eye Savinho alternative
According to Fabrizio Romano on X, Manchester City have no intention of selling Savinho to Spurs. Therefore, they will need to find alternative targets. With that in mind, Lazio's Gustavo Isaksen would be a good wildcard option.
Isaksen, 24, is someone who Frank will know all about already as he also hails from Denmark. He is an international for his country and has made nine caps since his debut back in 2024. The winger has been playing his football in Italy since 2023 and is under contract until 2028 meaning they are under no pressure to sell him just yert and can wait for the right offer to come in for his signature.
Like Savinho, he is a left-footed wide man who likes to cut in from the right. He would be much cheaper than the Brazilian and is only three years older. As per a report by CalcioMercato back in March, his price tag is said to be in the region of £35million.
Isaksen started his career at Roslev IK and rose up through their academy ranks. He was snapped up by FC Midtjylland in 2012 and went on to represent them at various different youth levels before breaking into the first-team. The Hjerk-born man made 138 appearances altogether and scored 33 goals, 22 of which came in his explosive last year as he was awarded the Golden boot. He won the Danish Superliga title in 2020 and the Danish Cup in 2022.
Why Gustav Isaksen would suit Tottenham Hotspur
Isaksen would give Spurs more competition and depth going the wing. If he joined, he would give them something different to call upon. He is similar to Savinho and although he doesn't have any experience of English football, he has proved he can perform at the top level in Italy.
Since being snapped up by Lazio, he has enjoyed plenty of game time. He has played 86 matches for the Serie A club to date and has become one of their key players. He has scored nine goals, as well as chipping in with 10 assists for his teammate.
He seems like the sort of player Brentford would have gone for under Frank over the past few years. If Spurs were able to nurture him and get the best out of him, there is no reason why he wouldn't be able to adapt quickly to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They need to think outside the box a bit with their recruitment and if they could save a few quid by getting Isaksen instead of Savinho, that would be beneficial to everyone.
The attacker is still relatively young and isn't in his prime yet. He still has plenty of years ahead of him in the game and this would be the perfect time to strike and sign him. Isaksen has got two years with Lazio under his belt now and seems ready to sink his teeth into something new.