Spurs have been linked with a surprise transfer raid on one of their Premier League rivals
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Tottenham Hotspur’s summer started with such promise. For once, they were getting business done early, with a move for West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and a permanent deal for Mathys Tel wrapped up quickly – but everything has rather slowed down after missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White, and James Maddison’s injury is forcing them to find answers to questions they weren’t being asked a few weeks ago.
With Maddison set to miss the vast majority of the season thanks to an ACL injury and Dejan Kulusevski still recovering from knee surgery, Spurs have no remaining options in the number ten role, and no natural midfield conductor in the squad, but reports suggest that they may be working towards a creative solution – signing Manchester City’s Savinho.
Journalist Matteo Moretto first reported that Spurs were interested in signing the Brazilian winger, who only moved to the Etihad from City Group side Girona last summer. Corroboration has since followed from Fabrizio Romano and The Athletic’s David Ornstein, but why are Spurs looking at a winger to solve a problem that exists in a different position? And will this deal really get over the line before deadline day?
Why Spurs want Savinho, why Man City might sell – and how much he could cost
Savinho signed for Manchester City for £30.8m on a five-year contract just last summer, but the 21-year-old has been a frustratingly inconsistent performer for Pep Guardiola, managing just two goals in 45 appearances despite a strong scoring record in Spain.
A key member of the Girona side that unexpectedly qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League, Savinho scored nine goals in his first and last season in La Liga from an xG of just 6.1, but struggled in front of goal for City, recording a solitary league strike despite earning 5.0xG’s worth of chances.
Savinho was rather more efficient at creating chances for others and registered eight assists for Guardiola in the Premier League, but his output was still something of a disappointment given the fee and the relatively prominent role he was given.
Spurs don’t seem to be put off by his drop in output. Although he needs to sharpen up in the final third, the Brazilian was among the best dribblers in the division and his 6.61 successful ‘progressive carries’ (dribbles either into the box or at least 10 yards downfield) was among the highest marks in the league.
Very few Premier League players beat more defenders one-on-one or were able to find space in and around the penalty area as often, and only four players in the top flight (Kevin De Bruyne, Bukayo Saka, Bruno Fernandes and Cole Palmer) generated more shooting chances for their team-mates per 90 minutes.
In short, while he was wasteful in front of goal and lacked consistency, he was still dangerous and a genuine creative force in his first season in the Premier League. Spurs, then, seem ready to back both his quality with the ball and his potential for further development, even if City are perhaps prepared to move on from a player who should have taken his chances more efficiently.
Furthermore, Guardiola and City have a long-standing philosophy of allowing players to leave if they decide to make a move. It isn’t yet clear whether Savinho is interested in a switch to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but it’s likely that Spurs have already sounded him out through his representatives if they are indeed now in negotiations as reported.
City would also be able to bank a quick profit. The Athletic report that the fee would be in the region of €50m (£43.3m), nearly half as much again as City paid ESTAC Troyes, another City Group side who owned the player while loaning him to Girona last season. In the age of profit and sustainability regulations, such quick profits often represent sensible business unless the player being sold is regarded as essential.
The Manchester Evening News, meanwhile, suggest that City do not want Savinho to leave and suggest that a fee would need to be even higher – over £50m – for them to accept an offer. Guardiola has often praised Savinho over the past year, singling out how well he has adapted to English football, and given how much game time he was given the club are unlikely to want to sell unless Savinho makes it plain that he wishes to leave. In short, a deal remains very much in the balance, and Spurs’ spending power and the player’s own attitude will determine the outcome.
Why are Spurs signing a winger to replace James Maddison?
A more interesting question than whether the move happens might be why Spurs are looking at a winger when their position of need is an attacking central midfielder.
It’s possible that Spurs are targeting Savinho separately to another player who can operate at number ten. They have been linked with Como wonderkid Nico Paz, with reports from Italy suggesting that a first bid has been made and rejected already. A few other names have cropped up too, such as Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss and Jack Grealish, although he seems set to move on loan to Everton with Spurs never firming up alleged interest in the England international.
Spurs do have plenty of options out wide despite the sale of Son Heung-Min to LAFC, with Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert on the books alongside Tel and Kudus, but of those only Kudus is naturally left-footed like Savinho. If Thomas Frank wants to play with inside forwards rather than more traditional wingers, then Savinho could offer some balance.
The Athletic’s Jay Harris suggests, however, that Spurs could sign Savinho in order to offer enough options out wide that Kudus can play as a number ten. Although seen primarily as a winger thanks to the way he was used at West Ham, Kudus is a versatile player and has played nearly 100 matches as an attacking central midfielder over the course of his club career.
Should that plan be tried and fall flat, then Kulusevski would be another option when he returns from injury – the Swede has impressed in occasional appearances in a more central role. Spurs would not be tied to Kudus in a central role for the entirety of Maddison’s absence should he struggle there to star with.
While Spurs’ interest in Savinho has come out of left-field, it makes plenty of sense when looked at through the lens of a team who need balance out wide and who are already set up to play a direct style of football which prioritises finding players who can both get the ball downfield quickly and effectively and find space to latch on to quick balls over the top.
In the context of Spurs’ expected style of play under their new manager, Savinho should fit in nicely, he has immense potential and while he has struggled to score, he’s proven in the past that he can be a major contributor in the final third – and bringing him in as an alternative to Maddison isn’t quite such a strange idea as it may sound at first.
The deal isn’t done and there appear to be several obstacles to surmount, but neither is this looking like an unrealistic bid to make. Much will now depend on Savinho’s own opinion of the move, and whether Spurs really are also in the market for Paz or another attacking player.