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Savinho is in line to net a new six-year contract at Manchester City after flirting with a move away to Tottenham in the summer.
Spurs registered serious interest in the Brazil international after Son Heung-min departed, James Maddison’s anterior cruciate ligament injury and missing out on Eberechi Eze.
Savinho was open to leaving the Etihad Stadium but Spurs weren’t willing to match City’s valuation, believed to be north of £70million.
City are in negotiations with the winger’s representatives over a fresh deal and hope that an agreement could be reached in the coming days.
‘Always for the people up front it is about numbers, goals and assists,’ Guardiola said after the 21-year-old scored his first goal of the campaign at Huddersfield Town in midweek.
‘Savinho created a lot last season but in the final third, the final moment he was a little bit too hectic.
‘But the moment he learns that, because he is so young, the more he improves, he'll be a top-class player because he can play on both sides, he's got the speed and the work ethic.
‘Savinho will make this step, naturally it will come and he will be a top player for Man City.’
Tottenham cruised into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over Doncaster on Wednesday.
A stunning overhead strike by Joao Palhinha put Spurs ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before Jay McGrath's own goal ended the League One side's slim hopes of an upset.
Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late on as Thomas Frank's men set up a crunch tie with Newcastle in round four.
JAMES SHARPE picks out the talking points from a routine night for Frank's team.
Star shines in surprise role
When the team-sheets were handed out, most people's first thought was that in the absence of first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, it would likely be youngster Archie Gray who would partner Kevin Danso in the back-line.
Gray was often used as a makeshift centre-back by Ange Postecoglou, sometimes even at full-back, but when the whistle blew it was clear this was not how Thomas Frank saw things.
It was fellow central midfielder Joao Palhinha who slotted into the back four instead and Gray was given the nod in the middle of the park – and he showed exactly why he's so highly-rated. He's 19 but plays with a confidence and experience far beyond his years.
He made great runs off the ball to create space for his team-mates, his passed the ball with confidence and battled physically when needed.
Frank confirmed this is where Gray is at his best in his eyes. 'I think Archie can play centre-back and right-back but I see him more as a midfielder and I liked to see him today in that position,' he said.
'We saw his running power, very willing to run in behind, very good when he has that drive with the ball. It was a fine performance.'
Night to forget for Tel
If Mathys Tel thought this would be his chance to put pressure on Richarlison and Dominic Solanke, things did not go to plan.
The Frenchman snatched at two dangerous crosses from the right so badly that he completely missed the first one from Brennan Johnson, when even the slightest contact would have given him a certain goal, and bare got a touch on the second late in the second half.
That he was able to get into those scoring positions was a positive that Frank preferred to focus on after the game.
'I don't think he has been on a bad run. He played striker against West Ham which he did quite well and worked hard to arrive in the right areas which he did tonight so in terms of a performance it was a step up. Then we can look at the end product to score the goal but the performance to arriving in the box I was very happy with. I think it was a step up.
'His ability to arrive in the box and the pace to run in behind and get in the right areas was good. His pressing abilities are very good. His link-up play is something that is a good level but can be even better.'
Williams-Barnett becomes becomes No 900
With three minutes left on the clock, 16-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett replaced Tel to make his first-team debut for the club and become the 900th player to represent Tottenham.
The teenager has been a sensation for the side's under-21s this season, scoring six goals and registering four assists in just six matches, including a hat-trick in a recent thumping of Leicester.
His arrival was greeted by a roar from the Tottenham crowd and the youngster showed no signs of nerves. He looked confident in the short period he was on the pitch, beating his marker to play a neat pass to Destiny Udogie in a move that ended in Lucas Bergvall putting the ball in the net but seeing his effort ruled out for offside.
This was clearly the first appearance of many Williams-Barnett will make in a Spurs shirt and was yet another examples of how players seem to be making their breakthrough even younger, after the likes of Max Dowman at Arsenal and Rio Ngumoha at Liverpool.
'Over the last many years, the focus on talent development in academies across the world is so big,' said Frank. 'The Talent pool is bigger, these talents coming through are. younger and younger.
'One thing is tp debut when you are 16 but the next step, and much more important, is how they take the next step forward. It is very tough to keep going and get into the first team but the first step is very important. 'It is always a pleasure to be part of a young player's debut.'
Loan star gets his moment
Williams-Barnett was not the only Tottenham teenager on display. Damola Ajayi, 19, is on loan at Doncaster and was given permission by Spurs to play against his parent club.
Ajayi has started all three of Rovers' games in the Carabao Cup, scoring in their 4-0 demolition of Championship leaders Middlesbrough in the first round, and showed flashes of what he is capable of.
Inside the first 10 minutes, he picked out team-mate Toyosi Olusanya with a cross only for the striker to head wide a great chance.
Ajayi, who scored in the Europa League victory over Elfsborg last season, is yet to start a league game for Doncaster, making seven substitute appearances but Rovers boss Grant McCann insisted he still has a big role to play.
'He's getting better all the time,' said McCann. 'He is going to play a lot of games at our club. When you move from under-21 level to first-team football it is a different kettle of fish. It's more physical, faster, so he is adjusting and we are working with him all the time. He has serious ability, he showed it in glimpses here, created a few chances in the first half. He'll soon be ready to start week in, week out.'
Tottenham have clearly got the taste for this silverware lark. In times gone by, the prospect of a gutsy League One up-and-comers like Doncaster Rover coming to town for an early-season cup clash would have given off all the vibes of a Spurs banana skin.
Not these days. Not against the Europa League winners, for heaven’s sake. And certainly not against this now steady and serious Tottenham side under Thomas Frank. He’s made no secret that there’s a hunger for more trophies and he made sure his side got the job done.
Makeshift centre-back Palhinha's overhead kick inside a quarter of an hour before an own goal by Doncaster’s Jay McGrath was enough to put the game beyond Grant McCann’s side.
They didn’t even need Lucas Bergvall’s disallowed goal in stoppage time finish to count but Brennan Johnson still made sure of it with the last kick of the game after a scintillating counter-attack.
It was three in the end but it could have been so many more. Mathys Tels twice found thin air from a few yards out after dangerous crosses, Rodrigo Bentancur put a header just wide, Achie Gray had a low shot saved, and substitute Richarlison couldn’t quite get on to the end of another good low ball across goal.
You wonder how much more of a fight Doncaster would have put up had manager Grant McCann not shuffled his pack quite so vigorously with nine changes from the weekend.
Perhaps not much, but Rovers had the edge for a brief spell in the second half once McCann brought on his big guns.
It always feels a shame when lower league sides care even less about this competition than the giants.
Still, what a story this Doncaster one continues to be under McCann, who hauled Doncaster from the lower reaches of League Two to the title and have made a decent fist of life in League One, and whose name was sung by the hardy 3,860 travelling supporters who had made the 170-mile trip in great voice.
They watched their side give it a go, too, brimming with that same Yorkshire spirit. They had chances.
Toyosi Olusanya nodded a free header wide after a cross from Spurs loanee Damola Ajayi, who had been given permission to face his parent club.
Antonin Kinsky needed to pull off a stunning diving save to tip Doncaster skipper Owen Bailey’s scissor kick around the post.
Glenn Middleton hit the side-netting with a late free-kick that half the stadium thought had gone in.
But, in the end, the gulf was just too great. No banana skins here.
The attraction for Tottenham's new regime is perfectly clear. Bringing home Harry Kane would be a glorious coup, an absolute triumph.
There might be no better way to signal this fresh dawn than to cough up the £56.7million it would take to prise Kane away from his Bavarian residency and prove their ambition to the masses.
Spurs are buying no longer in the business of selling, it would scream. They're buying. And they're buying for now. Not for later.
With Daniel Levy no longer at the helm there is one major obstacle removed to the potential for a romantic reunion, because by the time he had spent two years forcing his way out of the club Kane had little appetite to go back and work for the man who made his exit so painful.
Vivienne Lewis, daughter of patriarch billionaire Joe, and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham are the driving forces in the boardroom post Levy and Kane has no problems with either of them.
He and his family have a very healthy relationship with the Lewis family and would regularly holiday on their luxury golfing resorts in Florida and the Caribbean.
Beyond which, Spurs could do with a world-class centre forward. It is arguably the one of the positions where they do not have an obvious talent emerging.
Even at 33, Kane would be an upgrade on Richarlison, 28, who will have one year on his contract at the end of this season, and Dominic Solanke, 28, for whom injuries are stifling the start of his second season. Mathys Tel is only 20 with much scope to develop but has a long way to go.
The England captain is as close as you can get to guaranteed goals. Just as he was when he left Spurs two years ago.
Kane is proven in the Premier League and would be motivated to chase down the 44 goals required to pass Alan Shearer's record in the competition.
Big spending rivals are all stocked up on forwards. Liverpool spent more than £200m to sign Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike this summer. Manchester United invested about the same in Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha. Erling Haaland signed a new contract at Manchester City.
It is difficult to see Kane taking the move to Arsenal and ruining his status at Spurs. And Chelsea appear so firmly set on their trading pattern it is hard to see them signing any player they cannot flip for profit.
If Shearer's record really does matter to Kane, then Spurs look like his best bet.
'If he wants to join us he's more than welcome,' smiled Thomas Frank on Tuesday.
Which coach in their right mind rejects the option of guaranteed goals?
But £56.7m for a 33-year-old is difficult to justify in the modern market if Profit and Sustainability is still alive, and Spurs would have to smash a pay structure they forced back down by selling Kane, Hugo Lloris and Heung-min Son.
Kane's Bayern wage, thought to be more than £400,000 a week is approximately twice the top earner at Tottenham. And the top earner can be relied upon to inflate the earning power of his team-mates.
The pattern in modern markets has been to spend big transfer fees on younger talent on lower wages and develop them, and Spurs have been committed to this under technical director Johan Lange.
It would make more business sense to take him on a free a year later, at the age of 34. He looks like he could play for years and there would be parallels to his hero Teddy Sheringham, who left Spurs for four years at Manchester United and returned with a case full of winners' medals at the age of 35 for a two-year swansong with his boyhood club.
Even if the Lewis family decide it is worth the investment next year, however, what of Kane? Is this what he wants? Do Spurs have an enduring attraction for him?
Does the flame still flicker? It would be a surprise. Two years chasing trophies with Bayern Munich has surely fed his ambitions beyond the relatively parochial motivation of catching Shearer.
He will challenge for the Bundesliga, Champions League and world titles if he stays put until the end of his contract in 2027 and leaves on a free when the world will be his oyster, signs an extension or negotiates a move to Spain where Barcelona are searching for a successor to 37-year-old Robert Lewandowski.
Spurs, despite the Europa League success, are no closer to the biggest prizes than they were when he left.
'Myself, I'm a traveller, I like to travel, I like to explore things as well,' said Spurs boss Frank, not sounding as if he expected Kane to accept his open invitation as he pondered the hypotheticals.
Kane's horizons have surely changed, too. He may be Chingford born and raised by has always adored the United States, where friends and former teammates Son and Lloris are playing in Los Angeles.
There is a certain logic to him making that step. If the Premier League has become the hottest destination for young players striving to reach the top, then MLS has become the choice of football's world stars as they start to wind down.
Thomas Frank promised Harry Kane he will be welcome back at Tottenham if he decides to leave Bayern Munich next year.
Kane has a contractual clause enabling him to leave Bayern for £56.7million at the end of this season, according to reports in Germany.
The England captain will be 33 in July and into the final year of his four-year contract in Munich.
Spurs had a first refusal option written into the deal when they sold him and with former chairman Daniel Levy ousted from the role have removed one major potential obstacle to the prospect of bringing him back to North London.
'There's a lot of Tottenham fans including myself who would like to see Kane back,' said Frank, ahead of a Carabao Cup tie against League One Doncaster.
'He's a top player. Personally, I don't think he will do it right now, if I'm honest, he'll probably stay in Bayern and continue performing well. He was top-scorer last year and won the championship, he's doing fantastic now.
'Top player. I don't know what he's thinking. Myself, I'm a traveller, I like to travel, I like to explore things as well. He's been here for many years so why not enjoy the time at Bayern a little bit more.
'But he's welcome. If he wants to join us, he's more than welcome.'
Bayern signed Kane for £100m in 2023. He left Tottenham having scored 280 goals, more than anyone else and with 213 Premier League goals. Only Alan Shearer has more with 260. He has 98 goals in 103 games for Bayern.
When he left, Kane posted a social media message: 'It's not a goodbye because you never know how things pan out in the future, but it's a thank you and I'll see you soon.'
Kane had been frustrated by Levy's stance when Manchester City wanted him in 2021, when he thought they had a verbal agreement, and unhappy with the way the then Spurs chairman delayed his move to Bayern.
Meanwhile, Tottenham's former managing director Fabio Paratici has received an 18-month suspended prison sentence for his part in Italian football's 'Plusvalenza' scandal.
Paratici, 53, is one of seven former Juventus directors who struck plea-bargain deals with prosecutors. They were accused of inflating transfer fees with other clubs for financial advantage, but plea-bargaining carries no admission of guilt in Italian law.
He has been employed as a recruitment consultant by Spurs when he resigned from his official role after FIFA banned him for 30 months, a punishment which expired in July.
Paratici is often seen in the corporate boxes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium despite his ban. He was active in transfers during Ange Postecoglou's time in charge and still involved in the transfer window that closed earlier this month.
Levy's exit, however, and this latest development adds uncertainty to his future influence.
'Fabio is a consultant,' said Frank when asked on Tuesday. 'Of course I speak to him. I've spoken to him mainly in the transfer window while he's part of the group that works and deals with the transfers. I've got a good relationship with him.'
Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov were left torn over the referee's decision not to dismiss Micky van de Ven for a late challenge on Georges Mikautadze in Tottenham Hotspur's victory over Villareal.
Thomas Frank's first Champions League game was far from a blockbuster, but Spurs eventually ran out 1-0 winners after a hard-fought clash.
The game's only goal came early in the first half when Lucas Bergvall whipped a ball in to the box from the right which was spilled into his own net by visiting goalkeeper Luiz Junior.
Villareal huffed and puffed trying to get themselves back in the game, with former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe looking particularly dangerous, but were ultimately unable to claw one back.
The result however could have been very different had Rade Obrenovic chosen to dismiss Spurs defender Van de Ven as the match neared its close.
The VAR debate was sparked after Albert Moleiro played Villareal substitute Georges Mikatadze through on goal, with the Georgian eventually taken down by the home side's defender on the edge of the penalty box.
With the Villareal bench and players pleading for a straight red, the referee ultimately opted to hand van de Ven a yellow, a decision which divided opinion in the Amazon Sports studio post-match.
Berbatov, a former Spurs striker, argued: 'I think Spurs were lucky with this one, to escape with nothing.'
Before Rooney countered: 'I think it's a yellow card and the right decision was made. The ball is going away and the goalkeeper is in a good position. I think if the referee gives a red, it doesn't get overturned.'
Speaking to reporters post-match, Van de Ven was of the same opinion as Rooney but admitted he was worried about being dismissed at the time.
'Of course, you never know what the referee is going to do in that moment,' he said.
'I think because I go for the ball it's not a red card. I haven't seen it back properly, so I can't say what I think at the moment.'
The 23-year-old, who is so crucial to his side's defence when fit, hailed the victory as an 'important' one.
'I think it was a tough one,' he added.
'We didn't play well today but it was an important one. We had a really good start and of course you want to build on that but Villareal are a really difficult team to play against.
'Also, every time on the counter-attack they keep strikers forward, they're really dangerous. Of course you want to build on the 1-0 at the start of the game but at the end we got the three points and that's the most important.
'I think we are a difficult team to play against, for sure. Structure-wise we are standing really good and we all know what to do, so we're a difficult team to beat.'
The win's a significant one for Tottenham and Thomas Frank with difficult European fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund to come.
This weekend they travel south to face Brighton & Hove Albion in a Premier League fixture.
Spurs currently sit third in the table on nine points having lost just one of Frank's opening four league games at the helm.
Tottenham were handed a gift of an own goal to open their European campaign when Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior made a horrendous hash of an attempt to stop the hosts in their first Champions League tie.
The north London side are back at Europe's top table on the heels of ending their trophy drought with last season's Europa League triumph, with Spurs beating Manchester United in Bilbao to secure their spot in the league phase draw.
Under then-manager Ange Postecoglou, European qualification otherwise looked out of reach, as the team stumbled to a 17th-placed finish in the Premier League.
But with a chance to contest for ultimate European honours this term, Tottenham got their tournament off on the right note - with a helping hand from the opposition.
Not four minutes had passed when teen talent Lucas Bergvall stole down the right flank, sending in a good-looking cross to waiting team-mate Richarlison in the box.
But while the Brazilian stretched to poke the ball in, Luiz Junior managed to intercept it - only to spill his catch and watch helplessly as the ball drifted into the exposed net.
On commentary for Amazon Prime, Alan Shearer could scarcely believe what he had seen.
'The 'keeper comes out and makes an absolute hash of it,' the Newcastle legend said. 'What a gift for Tottenham.
'The 'keeper has a nightmare. What a gift.'
Noting the chants of 'ole' from the crowd, the Match of the Day pundit commented that the goalkeeper would 'get that all day' from the home faithful.
Luiz Junior was making his European debut for the club, with Shearer adding that he would 'never, ever forget' the mistake.
Fans on social media offered similarly savage criticisms of the shotstopper, with some comparing Luiz Junior to Manchester United loanee Andre Onana.
'He did an Onana,' one fan mocked.
Another added: 'Onana in disguise?'
United outcast Onana last week booked a loan move to Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor, but was unable to escape his woes between the sticks.
Onana was responsible for letting in another shot to lose his opening match against rivals Fenerbahce 1-0.
Thomas Frank's side clung onto their lead through the second-half to keep a clean sheet and record their first win in the Champions League since 2022.
Victory in Europe, again. Not quite amid jubilant scenes akin to Bilbao in May but the same outcome, a not-entirely convincing 1-0 win for Tottenham and a goal laced with terrific good fortune.
In the Europa League final, it was Brennan Johnson claiming the credit as the ball cannoned into Manchester United's net.
Here, there was not a Spurs player in the frame as Villarreal's Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Junior pushed the ball into his own goal in the fourth minute.
It was as freakish as it was decisive, and Thomas Frank will happily bank that and move on from his first outing in the Champions League.
His team survived scares in the second half. Chief among them a foul by Micky van de Ven on Georges Mikautadze in the closing minutes, felling Villarreal's Georgia forward just outside the penalty area.
Van de Ven, his team's best player on the night, might have been sent off by another referee but he survived with a yellow card against the Yellow Submarine, who issued a reminder to their hosts of the step up in quality.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was built for Champions League football as we have been reminded often in the days since Daniel Levy was ousted as chairman. And it was strange to see others in the seat has occupied since it opened in 2019.
Vivienne and Charles Lewis, the two children of billionaire patriarch Joe Lewis were there, along with the new non-executive chairman Peter Charrington and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham.
This is the power base for the club going forward. The Lewis family promise to take more of an interest in their football club and here was a good early lesson. It will be tense and nerve-wracking at times and Spurs have been absent for two years from this elite level.
Frank though could not have asked for a more generous introduction to the competition as his team took an early lead. Lucas Bergvall fizzed in a low cross from the Spurs right and Junior contrived somehow to push it into his own net.
Richarlison was sliding in, but it would be wrong to pretend there was any real pressure on the Brazilian goalkeeper, who dived out at the near post, pressed two hands down on top of the ball and watched in horror as it squirted from his grasp and spun over the goal line.
Frank seemed almost too embarrassed to celebrate, instinctively punching two fists into the air and then moving them gently to the back of his head to smooth his hair.
The rest of the home crowd were not so generous, with roars of collective laughter and dramatic whoops as the comical error was replayed on the big screens time and again. Then bursting into ironic applause when the ball next came Luiz's penalty area.
Frank has judged most things well since taking over from Ange Postecoglou but you can't beat a stroke of good fortune to settle the nerves on a big.
And this was a big night, because it takes the Dane into unknown territory after his move across London from Brentford, where there was no European football to interfere with his recovery routine and tactical planning.
The onset of this Champions League campaign marks the point when his time on the training pitch becomes heavily reduced and the mental and physical strain on his players increases.
As it stands at present, he has the depth to tweak his team as he likes to do with Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentancur in for Palhinha and Mathys Tel.
Xavi Simons marked his home debut with a bright start and a whistling the first shot of the game over from 25 yards.
Villarreal, currently fifth in Spain's LaLiga, the same place they finished last season, settled confidently despite the early setback.
Nicolas Pepe, the target for boos during the early phase of the game for his Arsenal past, sparkled throughout. He went close to scoring a quickfire equaliser with a low curling shot deflected wide by Van de Ven.
And Tajon Buchanan should have done better with a chance created by Pepe after a rare mistake at the back by Cristian Romero as the visitors counter attacked.
Without Palhinha shielding the back four, Spurs did not look as secure in defence as they have in the Premier League but carried a threat going forward. Djed Spence and Simons have the makings of a good understanding on the left and Bergvall sparkled.
Bentancur and Richarlison also went close before the interval. Pape Matar Sarr forced a save with what proved to be the only shot on target in the entire game, and there were two strong claims for penalties, both involving Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye.
The first was a tap on a heel to fell Richarlison and the second when Bergvall flicked the ball up against a hand. Slovenian referee Rade Obrenovic and his VAR team were unmoved.
Villarreal improved again in the second half, hustling Frank's team into a series of mistakes as they played out at the back, which invited pressure. Juan Foyth, who spent four years as a Spurs player, glanced a header wide and Pepe fizzed another effort inches wide.
Simons was fortunate to escape a second yellow card. His trip on Pepe stopped a promising counterattack sparking fury on the Villarreal bench. Marcelino was booked and Frank took the cue and replaced Simons.
He threw on Randal Kolo Muani for a debut late in the game. And with an element of luck and that wipe-out challenge by Van de Ven on Mikautadze, Tottenham preserved their clean sheet and ensured a winning start.