Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur may have won the Europa League last season, but having finished in 17th to Arsenal's 2nd, Spurs still have a lot to prove in order to call North London "white". And now that they've lost out on two relatively simple transfer targets in midfielders Christian Norgaard and Eberechi Eze directly to last -minute Arsenal transfer swoops, "embarrassing" doesn't even begin to describe the situation for Tottenham.

Spurs have only signed one top player to join their attack this summer in Mohammed Kudus, and he's already paid immediate dividends by being the team's best player through the first two games of the season against Burnley and PSG. But Spurs still need more help after finishing a mere 17th in the league last season, and their attacking problems were put on full display in front of the whole world in Udine against Paris.

Clearly, Tottenham need playmaking help and still need to be after a top No. 10 after losing out on Eze to Arsenal, but their next important move on the transfer market needs to be securing the other big star in the Premier League whom they've been going after alongside Eze, Manchester City winger Savinho.

The Brazilian international is available for transfer, and regardless of what anyone tells you, it is entirely possible for Spurs to sign Savinho if they submit the right transfer offer. That's the key right there. Tottenham actually have to try and get Savinho by submitting a competitive offer that fits what you'd expect for one of the best wingers in the world.

Tottenham need real stars

Tottenham can and should sign underrated players to fortify their squad, including in the attacking midfielder after the Eze decision. That's obvious. But they also need to start making splashes and prove they can compete with the Champions League contenders - one of which Spurs need to try to become soon.

Spurs missed out on Eze because they were too cheap to pony up for his release clause and then too cheap to slightly outbid Arsenal. They show no urgency on the transfer market, and now they need this Eze snub to at least kick them in the pants enough to drive a real deal for Savinho.

If Tottenham don't do that, they deserve even more of a pounding from their fanbase, which has been let down far too often by a machine of incompetence at the top that seems more bent on saving a few extra pennies in their brimming coffers than rather stacking real chips in a trophy cabinet that has more cobwebs and tumbleweed than silverware.

Tottenham Hotspur were seemingly a slam dunk to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, but they completely flubbed their most important August transfer with less than two weeks left in the window. Instead of signing the English attacking midfielder to a 68 million pound deal per his release clause, Spurs waited to get him for a few million cheaper than that.

Instead, they ended up with nothing, as Eze joined North London rivals Arsenal, who stayed quietly lying in wait for Spurs to botch this one. And as with one of Thomas Frank's star pupils at Brentford, Christian Norgaard, Arsenal submitted a more competitive offer, watched Spurs do nothing to stop them, and signed a player whom the Tottenham manager was hoping to have at his disposal.

Tottenham have been doing this time and time again in their history, but this summer transfer window has been particularly disappointing with how badly they botched deals for Bryan Mbeumo, Morgan Gibbs-White, James McAtee, Rayan Cherki, Norgaard, and Eze. All six were achievable upgrades for Tottenham, but Spurs simply didn't show the urgency their rival clubs did,

Now, Tottenham seem to be on the verge of disappointing their fanbase again for a player who has now trumped Eze as the most important signing of the summer to make in Manchester City winger Savinho, who is even more of a "must" in the aftermath of the lost Eze battle.

Tottenham are being cheap again

But per a report from Gary Jacobs of The Times, the issue with Savinho and the reason why Tottenham haven't come remotely close to signing him this summer is simply because Spurs don't want to match Man City's asking price of 67 million pounds.

Manchester City are, contrary to what some Spurs informants want you to think, willing to sell Savinho. That much is clear. But they want 67 million pounds for him. They believe the 21-year-old, who was once a La Liga Player of the Season candidate, is worth a fair sum of money as an ascending and explosive player who is legitimately one of the world's best in that position.

Tottenham are ridiculously cheap and only like signing players at some arbitrary price they define as fair, not caring that consistently missing out on top targets who are valued by elite clubs is what is holding them back from being a Premier League title contender themselves.

If Tottenham screw up the Savinho deal by being too cheap, which seems likely based on this latest report, then they will hear endless fury throughout the 2025/26 season from the Tottenham supporters. Thomas Frank deserves better than this.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters spent the entire weekend getting their hopes up that one of the best attacking players would soon be joining their squad to fill a gaping hole left by star man James Maddison, who just suffered a devastating ACL tear that left Spurs even thinner in an important area of need.

Eberechi Eze, worse yet, didn't just curve Tottenham at the last sefcond, but he also curved Spurs for their biggest rivals, Arsenal FC. With Eze bound to the other big club in North London, Tottenham have been left in a lurch, and Spurs supporters are tired of hearing members of the media give Daniel Levy excuses for him.

The details are plain and simple, and the real story of what happened can easily be interpreted by anyone with common sense. According to the most reliable transfer reporter in the world, Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal submitted a total package transfer offer of 60 million pounds to Crystal Palace for Eberechi Eze. Although that financial deal is similar to what Tottenham submitted, the difference, per Fab, is that the Gunners put in easier add-ons and faster payment deals to beat Spurs to the punch.

Arsenal are simply more competent than Tottenham

Basically, all Arsenal did is what any reasonable, competent top club would do. They sweetened the deal and made things more convenient for the selling club, enticing Palace to pick them over Spurs. Eze is from London and has no dog in the fight of which team he'll play for. He loves both. Maybe he prefers Arsenal over some childhood affinity, but he was just as ready to sign for Spurs; it's just that they didn't sign his release clause, waited to sign him, and then didn't give his parent club the best offer. It's really that simple.

Tottenham could have offered a little more money than Arsenal. They could have activated Eze's release clause last week knowing that Arsenal were still lurking in the mix despite not seeming like outright favorites. They could have offered more add-ons, easier add-on activations, or done any of the things that Arsenal did to make the deal more enticing.

Instead, they didn't do any of those easy things. Instead, they let Arsenal have the opportunity to come in and make the move when they could have - and should have - closed this deal before the Gunners could have made their move. Tottenham only have themselves to blame, and Fab's information on the final deal that took Eze to Arsenal should only make Spurs fans that much angirer at Daniel Levy and the club's brass for screwing this all up.

"Every time I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel, it turns out to be an oncoming train."

It may look like a Kai Havertz injury has dashed the dreams of many Tottenham supporters, who craved Eberechi Eze in Lilywhite. But no, this debacle cannot merely be attributed to Arsenal acting ruthlessly in the face of a potentially significant setback.

The Tottenham hierarchy only have themselves to blame. This is a humiliation too far for Daniel Levy.

Daniel Levy's dallying allows Arsenal to swoop for Eze

Look, I'm very much aware that a whole lot more goes into transfer dealings than what the average Joe is exposed to. The vast majority of us see these sagas play out via the tiresome medium of social media, and, in truth, we probably have little grasp of the complexity.

However, in one fell swoop, Arsenal have made a mockery of the Spurs chairman. The club's desperate need for a No. 10 has been made clear for weeks. I was pretty sympathetic over the Morgan Gibbs-White situation, but the absence of urgency in the aftermath was nothing short of infuriating.

It was a similar story after James Maddison succumbed to an ACL tear. Two weeks have passed since we learned the diagnosis, and yet Thomas Frank still doesn't have a recognised (fit) central playmaker.

Eze was "the one". The maverick befitting of the mould. The Glenn Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles, David Ginola, Dimitar Berbatov type. A player capable of capturing the imagination through sheer technical mastery, and someone who could've emerged as the next poster boy in the wake of Son Heung-min's departure.

We were so close, with talks advancing to a level that surely no negotiation has ever reached. Levy and Steve Parish must've eventually discussed neuroscience. The meaning of life, perhaps?

And I'm not saying there weren't other factors at play as to why a deal wasn't wrapped up until it was too late, when Eze learned of Arsenal's re-emergence. This was a one-horse race, yet Spurs have somehow failed to land their man. Haggling over details has cost Frank a masterful creator, and the star we've long desired.

Simply put, this is not how a club of the aspirations Levy so proudly proclaims operates. The chairman has done plenty good for Tottenham Hotspur, I do believe that, and I also think some of the slander towards him is misguided. However, the fury here is absolutely justified. We've been shown up by our bitterest rivals, and they certainly won't let us forget it. There may be more nuance to it, but this will always be remembered as a Levy failing.

The major question is... what now for Frank's Spurs? We still need two through the door. The proposed deal for Savinho is refusing to get off the ground, and Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche is reportedly regarded as an alternative for the Brazilian. A move for the Frenchman certainly makes more sense now.

There's been interest in Nico Paz, and a move for the Spaniard will help ease the pain, as would a surprise swoop for the surely Chelsea bound Xavi Simons.

However, after this mess, the trust in the hierarchy is at its lowest for some time. How can you trust them to avoid panic and get it right now?

There's still time to complete a rescue act, but the clock is ticking.

Just when it seemed like Tottenham Hotspur were all but guaranteed to close the signing of London star Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, North London rivals Arsenal have stole in and signed the attacking midfielder, even though Eze had been expressing a desire to move to Tottenham.

There were even indications that Spurs had agreed to a deal with Palace verbally after already agreeing to terms with Eze himself. That's all thrown out the window now, as Arsenal are the ones who will bring Eze in, circling back to the Premier League playmaker just when everyone thought they had pulled out of the deal in order to give Ethan Nwaneri more minutes as the No. 10 backup to captain Martin Odegaard.

Instead, Arsenal now boast the best two-headed playmaking group in the Premier League, while Spurs are left holding the bag. Arsenal move so well in silence on the transfer market and are especially good at makings Spurs look terrible, as they did the same thing with former Brentford captain Christian Norgaard, swopping in and signing the defensive midfielder just before Tottenham could secure a seemingly slam-dunk transfer.

The more news that comes out about just how badly Tottenham botched this Eze deal, the worse it makes the club look. And what's most baffling about it all is that, behind the scenes, it seems like Tottenham are totally cool with what just happened.

Tottenham are full of themselves

According to a report from the Telegraph's Matt Law, Tottenham, whlie being disappointed, feel as though they did everything they could to sign Eze. Yet per Law's version of events, the way things shook out is that Tottenham agreed to terms with Palace, they couldn't finalize the move because Eze wanted to play, and Arsenal matched the deal and signed him instead becaue Eze chose them over Spurs.

Law's version of events sounds a lot like Tottenham's version of events. It sounds like Tottenham wants us to think they tried all that they could for Eze, but Eze, like Morgan Gibbs-White, chose against them in the end and wanted to play for someone else.

Well, it's hard to believe that Tottenham had agreed to a deal with Palace that fell through because it wasn't finalized over an event everyone knew - that Eze was going to play in the Conference League qualifiers.

It seems more likely that Arsenal simply gave Crystal Palace a better deal, Palace gave Tottenham the chance to match, Daniel Levy being the incredibly cheap chairman that is didn't make a minmally more competitive offer, and thus Eze is off to the rivals. Levy gets to play the hero and point to Eze as the villain, yet Eze had already OK'd a move to Tottenham, knowing full well that Arsenal were still a possibility despite not being favorites.

All of this reeks of what the kids these days call "copium", and Levy has been huffing a lot of that lately while doing absolutely nothing to materially help Tottenham Hotspur. Yet he did everything he could to sign Eze. Nonsense. Anyone who believes what Spurs are selling simply has to explain this away: If Spurs really wanted Eze, why didn't they just pay the release clause last week? Exactly. You can't tell me watching Eze go to Arsenal is worth saving eight million pounds, unless eight million pounds means more to you than, you know, not being a complete laughinstock to your biggest rival year after year.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that a certain Manchester City board member is blocking Savinho's departure for fear the 21-year-old will leave the Etihad and develop into a world-class star like Cole Palmer. The likelihood of Spurs signing their preferred left winger is now hanging by a thread, but it isn’t entirely unexpected. The deal always hinged on the Cityzens’ ability to prize Rodrygo away from Real Madrid, and the Brazilian has never expressed his desire to leave the Spanish giants.Â

If the Savinho deal doesn’t come to fruition, Tottenham will need to quickly pivot toward other left wing targets. They also hope to sign a left-sided center back to provide cover for Micky van de Ven. In order to offset some of the cost of those acquisitions and streamline the squad, Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici will have to find new homes for three Spurs players. Time is running out, and at this stage of the transfer window none of the deals will be easy.Â

ArrivalsÂ

Left Winger

Antoine Semenyo would be the perfect Savinho alternative for Thomas Frank. He can play across the front line, and he would transform Spurs’s attack into one of the most dangerous in the Premier League if he were to line up opposite fellow Ghanaian international Mohammed Kudus. The 25-year-old is in the prime of his career, and he has proven that he can create goals and is willing to track back and contribute defensively. Unfortunately, it looks like Semenyo has decided to stay at Bournemouth after renewing his contract with the Cherries through 2030.Â

The dream scenario would be for Spurs to target Rafael Leão. But that might be a bridge too far. The Portuguese international loves AC Milan and Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed the winger won’t be leaving San Siro despite interest from some of the world’s biggest clubs. Nevertheless, Spurs can offer Champions League football and should do everything in their power to convince the 25-year-old to come to Hotspur Way.

Maghnes Akliouche is a more plausible target for Spurs. The AS Monaco starlet can play on the wing or as a number ten. Although he is still raw and could potentially force Mohammed Kudus to play on the left, his talent is stratospheric, and the Côte d’Azur giants could be willing to sell him for less than £50 million. Even if Spurs were able to strike a deal, some might question the logic of signing another winger in his early twenties who could impede Mikey Moore’s progress.

Left Center BackÂ

Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik Ten Haag has made it clear he wants to keep the Piero Hincapié at all costs after his squad was ravaged by the departures of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool, Odilon Kossounou to Atalanta, Grant Xhaka to Sunderland, and Jonathan Tah to Bayern Munich. But if Spurs are serious, Ten Haag may not be able to keep the Ecuadorian international in Rhineland. Daniel Levy could attempt to trigger the left-sided center back’s £52 million release clause and solve one of Spurs’ most glaring weaknesses.

Castello Lukeba would also be a statement signing. The RB Leipzig center back suffered a thigh injury last season, but he has returned to the starting lineup and provided an assist during the DFB-Pokal matchup against SV Sandhausen. The left-footed French international would be an ideal back-up to Micky van de Ven, and Spurs might be able to convince Leipzig to let him go for a bit less than Hincapié. The question is whether he would be willing to accept a reserve role at Tottenham.

Spurs could also make a shocking move for Real Madrid outcast David Alaba. Rumors that the Austrian captain was on his way to Saudi Arabia were summarily shot down by his agent Pini Zahavi, but he may be swayed by a chance to play in the Premier League and team up with fellow Austrian center back Kevin Danso. The biggest stumbling block would presumably be his wage demands, which are currently twice as high as Spurs’ top earner Cristian Romero. If Real were willing to subsidize a portion of Alaba’s salary, he would give Spurs the perfect blend of quality, versatility and Champions League pedigree.

Departures

Manor Solomon

Manor Solomon’s career has been defined by transience since leaving Shakhtar Donetsk for England in 2022. The Israeli international has bounced from Fulham to Tottenham to Leeds, proving himself capable of creating goals at every stop, despite suffering a rash of injuries. There is simply no place for the 24-year-old in Thomas Frank’s squad. A dream move would see him back at Leeds, where he excelled under Daniel Farke last season. But Spurs would almost certainly have to lower their asking price from £20 to £15 to get the deal done.Â

Bryan Gil

If reports are to believed, Bryan Gil has a few suitors across Europe. The talented Spanish winger has received interest from Celta Vigo and Bologna, but Fenerbahçe may be leading the race. His style of play is better suited to La Liga, Serie A, or the Turkish Süper Lig than the Premier League. So if Spurs were able to sell the 24-year-old for around €15 million, it could be good business for all parties. Unfortunately, Gil’s injury history might dissuade clubs from purchasing the player outright. Another loan could therefore be in the cards, which would decrease his value next summer, seeing as he has only two years left on his contract.

Yves Bissouma

Tottenham Hotspur came into the summer transfer window with holes in their midfield, but after acquiring Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich, Spurs think that with a new No. 6 who brings steely defending - and a Premier League pedigree - plus a breakout season from Pape Sarr, the 6's and 8's should be adequately covered.

But now that James Maddison has torn his ACL and Dejan Kulusevski is still about a month away from returning from a late 2024/25 season injury, it's the 10's that Tottenham are worried about. Tottenham have clearly found the ideal solution at this position in Eberechi Eze, who is coming off an FA Cup victory and a strong season as the undisputed star of Crystal Palace after his partner in crime, Michael Olise, left go ball out with Harry Kane in Bavaria.

Eze is the obvious frontrunner for Tottenham and an increasingly likely signing for Daniel Levy and Co., but, interestingly enough, Tottenham have put out feelers for other playmakers, too. These have generally been alternatives to Eze, but this latest name may be someone Spurs could sign as a gamble to be a backup in conjunction with a more slam-dunk star like Eze.

According to a report from Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Tottenham have joined London rivals West Ham as two teams to show an interest in Roma attacking midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini. Although Pellegrini is an icon of the club, his play has been on a decline recently, and he was one of Europe's most disappointing players in the 2024/25 season, barely putting up any numbers with just two goals and one assist after grabbing eight goals and three assists in the 2023/24 campaign.

Tottenham could sign one of the best 10's from the past

About five years ago, Pellegrini was one of the best No. 10's in European football for his goal-scoring ability, intelligence off the ball, distance shooting, creative passing, unselfish defensive work, positional sense, versatility, and turns in tight spaces.

Even though Pellegrini is still in the prime of his career at 29 years old, he's been struggling for Roma, and there's a sense that a change in scenery may be best for him. Now more than ever, Roma are shopping around Pellegrini, and the player could be open to leaving the club he loves.

Pellegrini makes about 6.5 million euros in wages, so while Corriere notes that this has made him onerous for mid-level Serie A sides like Fiorentina, it's in the lower-to-mid income bracket for even a team like West Ham or one as stingy as Tottenham with their wage budget.

Given Pellegrini is on an expiring contract, he's valued at ust nine million euros by Transfermarkt, and if the stubborn Gian Piero Gasperini really doesn't like him and doesn't want to see what he's got, the club leader could leave for even less than that.

Resurrecting Pellegrini's career isn't a priority for Tottenham, but it's actually not that silly for Spurs to show interest in him. Pellegrini works hard, has a lot of technical ability, and is better than most other midfielders in Serie A athletically. He could actually work out as a backup option, but, at the end of the day, it's probably better for Spurs to focus their time and attention on giving players like Wilson Odobert minutes if there's room for them behind Eze.

I wouldn't hate Pellegrini under Thomas Frank since he was great before Roma fell apart and moved in a less creative direction to grind out results, but you can't sign anyone, even if you can argue that it's tempting to try and get a big name back on track.

Tottenham closes in on the signing of Eberechi Eze to replace starting No. 10 James Maddison, who went down with a torn ACL during pre-season. The move was confirmed yesterday by Fabrizio Romano and would be Spurs’ second major offensive addition for the 2025/26 season.Â

Eze has already expressed his desire to play for Tottenham earlier in the season. With a reported price tag of 55 million pounds plus another 5 million in bonuses, Crystal Palace seems willing to let the striker go, especially now that Arsenal looks to be out of the race for the Premier League star.Â

As Savinho talks seemed to have faded out, Eze would be the answer for Thomas Frank’s attack. The Danish manager still has to fill the Heung-min Son left hole on the squad, and so the move deserves a look at its top 5 winners and losers.Â

The winners and losers of Tottenham signing Eberechi Eze this summer

WINNER: Tottenham

Of course, signing a young star should always seem like a win. But with a reduced price tag and 14 goals in the last season, including the strike on the FA Cup final that led to the Eagles’ victory over Manchester City, the deal looks even better.Â

With James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski sidelined for the foreseeable future, Eze would be expected to start as soon as possible, alongside fellow newcomer Mohammed Kudus.Â

LOSER: Thomas Frank

Even though Eze’s signing is an overall win, the move also means that Spurs are most likely to stop pursuing Savinho from Manchester City. The Brazilian striker is on top of Thomas Frank’s wish list, and would be another Premier League starter-level player to join Tottenham’s attack.

WINNER: Eberechi Eze

Before the start of the 2025/26 Premier League, Eze had expressed a desire to join Tottenham. Furthermore, Thomas Frank is seen as a very flexible manager who could develop the striker both as a center attacking midfielder and on the left wing, giving more options to the starting line-up.Â

LOSER: James Maddison

Not only did the Spurs No. 10 suffer a brutal injury when playing Newcastle United during pre-season, and it’s not expected to return before the end of the 2025/26 season, but now he has a new teammate to take his starting spot.

Of course, Thomas Frank could try to play both when Maddison comes back, and also having a star player to help pace his return is a luxury not many teams have. However, James Maddison’s starting role is very much in danger until further notice.Â

WINNER: Crystal Palace

The Eagles were probably expecting to let Exe go for the 68 million pounds fee that was active until the start of the season. Even though it has been reported that the 27-year-old will join Tottenham for 55 million pounds with 5 million pounds in bonuses, the sale is still a step up from the 17 million pounds they reportedly signed Eze for back in 2020. Crystal Palace fans will have a bittersweet goodbye to a team star, but they will never forget the five years of football Eze gave them.Â

LOSER: Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur supporters are excited for the impending acquisition of Crystal Palace star man Eberechi Eze, who would be far more than just a replacement for the injured James Maddison. Eze, fresh off an FA Cup win, can be an even better player for Tottenham than Maddison with additional dynamism, defensive effort, and even goal-scoring upside.

Spurs obviously need another attacking game-changer in the playmaker role, but even though they've landed one of the most underrated signings of the summer in former West Ham and Ajax standout Mohammed Kudus, there's still a need for one more wide forward to complete the puzzle, particularly after club legend Son Heung-min made his exit to MLS.

So in addition to Eze, Tottenham have been in hot pursuit of Manchester City star Savinho, clearly placing a premium on proven Premier League talents. But looking beyond England, there is one goal-scoring winger who was on Spurs radar before in the transfer window and is still fair game for anyone to sign.

According to a report from TBR Football's Graeme Bailey and Jamie Brown, Tottenham Hotspur have joined rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as two other Champions League contenders in Manchester CIty and Aston Villa with interest in acquiring Atalanta star Ademola Lookman.

Tottenham could really use a goal-scoring LW

After weeks of terse negotiations, the Nigerian international seemed like a good bet to join Serie A and Champions League title contenders Inter Milan, but a transfer collapsed with Inter stingy over the last few millions to make a deal work. Now, Lookman and his reps are back to talking to other clubs in an effort to ignite a transfer, as Lookman has already made it publicly clear that he has no intention of remaining in Bergamo for another season.

Lookman staying with Atalanta is within the realm of possibilities if he can't strike a deal now that the Nerazzurri are out of the race, but he has enough big teams in England interested that things could change, especially if Atalanta are forced to lower their demands a little bit after the Italian giants left the battle.

Tottenham, in particular, would do well to watch Lookman, who could be cheaper than any of the other new additions to the squad this summer, including the impending ones. Lookman has been one of the best players in Serie A over the last two seasons as a goal-scoring left winger or all-around center forward, scoring 15 goals with 5 assists for La Dea last season.

Although Spurs have been mostly looking at left-footed right wingers this summer, a right-footed left winger who can score goals should actually be their biggest priority after already acquiring Kudus for the right side, seeing as how club legend Son Heung-min has left a big hole on the left side of the formation.

Tottenham Hotspur managed to sign one difference-maker to their attack earlier in the transfer window, as former rival forward Mohammed Kudus has already proven to be arguably THE key man in the post-Son Heung-min era with two Man of the Match caliber displays against the mighty PSG and the not-so-mighty Burnley.

Aside from Kudus, the only other move Tottenham made to their attack this summer was bringing in Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich on a permanent basis after the backup left winger helped them win the Europa League last season.

Tottenham obviously need more than that, as their blown lead against PSG highlighted, and in addition to going hard after a new No. 10 in light of James Maddison's torn ACL, Spurs have also been pushing for one more high impact winger to join forces with Kudus.

The focus has been on Savinho of Manchester CIty, but Tottenham have suddenly found it difficult to bring the Brazilian international in. Eberechi Eze's signing has been easier, since Crystal Palace are close to signing his replacement, Bilal El Khannouss of Leicester CIty.

Tottenham need their transfer partner to find a replacement

However, Manchester CIty's dream replacement appears to be off the table. Even though Rodrygo Goes started the first Real Madrid game of the 2025/26 La Liga season off the bench against Osasuna - and never even came on as a substitute - the slipping forward has still maintained his loyalty to the Royal Whites of Spain.

According to a repot from Sky Sports Switzerland's Sacha Tavolieri, Rodrygo has never formally asked Real Madrid for a transfer, and because he's not leaving the Spanish capital, Pep Guardiola doesn't have a shot at bringing him in to replace Savinho. Therefore, Savinho is expected to stay with Manchester City.

There are differing reports on why Savinho to Tottenham has been so slow to happen, but the most logical explanation right now is that Manchester City don't have a replacement. Just as the Eze to Tottenham move can be facilitated easily now that Palace are on track to sign El Khannouss, the opposite is true for Savinho, hence why those talks have slowed.

Tottenham were actually linked with Rodrygo earlier in the window, but given his expected cost of at least 100 million euros as a proven two-time winner of the Champions League - and crucial in both Real Madrid triumphs - Spurs were never expected to be major players for him.

But now, Rodrygo is complicating a different Brazilian winger transfer Tottenham want in order to make a big splash this window. That said, Rodrygo isn't the only fish in the sea, and Manchester City could find another target they want, even if it isn't Guardiola's dream get. Savinho isn't impossible, from that standpoint, but Rodrygo still wanting to give it a go in Madrid is probably the biggest reason why there's new pessimism around a Savinho deal for Spurs.