Tottenham’s pursuit of Savinho is beginning to look less like another opportunistic transfer chase and more like a direct test of how quickly Roberto De Zerbi can give this side a new attacking identity.
The Standard has reported that talks over a move from Manchester City are continuing, with a fee in the region of £60million expected if the deal advances. That price is significant, but the logic is clear: Spurs need a winger who can stretch games, attack isolation duels and carry the ball through pressure.
The wider context matters. Tottenham have already moved aggressively in other areas of the squad, and the club’s previous work on a De Zerbi rebuild shows how deliberately this summer is being framed. Savinho would not simply be another body in the front line. He would be the clearest signal yet that De Zerbi wants speed and width built into the first phase of his Spurs project.
Savinho Gives Tottenham A Profile They Lack
Savinho’s City numbers need careful reading. He has not been a dominant Premier League starter, and The Standard noted that he started only 14 matches last season, producing six goal contributions. That is not the output of a guaranteed superstar.
It is, however, the profile of a 22-year-old winger whose best football has come when he is trusted to run repeatedly at full-backs. GOAL’s latest report highlighted former Tottenham midfielder Sandro’s view that Spurs need attacking reinforcement in exactly those wide zones.
That is the tactical hook. De Zerbi teams require wide players who can hold chalk, manipulate the defensive line and explode into the box after the midfield bait has drawn pressure centrally. Tottenham have players who can combine in tight spaces, but they have too often lacked a winger who forces opponents to defend the full width of the pitch.
Savinho’s left-footed right-wing profile would give Spurs a different route into the final third. He can receive high and wide, attack the outside shoulder or come inside onto his stronger foot. That dual threat is precisely what opens the half-space for runners behind him.
The £60m Question Is About Timing, Not Just Talent
Manchester City’s position is strengthened by Savinho’s contract. City announced in October 2025 that he had extended his deal through to the summer of 2031, meaning Tottenham are not negotiating for a distressed asset.
That makes the structure of any proposal critical. Spurs cannot treat this as a speculative late-window punt. If De Zerbi wants Savinho to become part of his core attacking mechanism, he needs the Brazilian early enough for pre-season pattern work, not in the final days of August when the system is already being installed.
The risk is obvious. A £60million outlay for a player still chasing full Premier League rhythm would invite scrutiny, particularly after a season in which Tottenham’s attacking balance became such a visible flaw. Yet that is also why the move makes sense. Safe, marginal additions will not give De Zerbi the vertical menace his football demands.
De Zerbi Needs A Winger Who Changes The Pitch
Tottenham’s interest in Savinho should be judged against the team they are trying to become, not simply the one that struggled through last season. De Zerbi wants control, but his best sides have never been passive possession teams. The threat comes when controlled build-up suddenly turns into a winger attacking space at speed.
That is why Savinho sits apart from some of the safer names linked with Spurs. He carries volatility, but he also carries territory. He can make the pitch bigger, occupy defenders earlier and create the kind of one-v-one situations Tottenham failed to generate consistently enough.
For Spurs, the decision is now about conviction. If Savinho is truly the winger De Zerbi wants, this is the deal that can define the shape of the new attack. If Tottenham hesitate, they risk spending another summer admiring the right profile from a distance.
