Savinho's Absence Complicates Tottenham's Plans for Attack
Enzo Maresca’s plans for his first piece of Manchester City silverware have hit an untimely snag.
With the Community Shield against Arsenal looming in Cardiff, Savinho was a conspicuous absentee from City’s latest training session at the City Football Academy, sitting out due to illness according to The Athletic’s Sam Lee. The 22-year-old Brazilian has been one of the most talked-about young attackers in Europe this summer. His absence, just days before the traditional curtain-raiser at the Principality Stadium, is the last thing Maresca needed.
While Savinho stayed away, some big names were very much present.
Jack Grealish trained as he pushes for what would be his first appearance for City in over a year after a grim run of injuries. Erling Haaland was there. So were Jeremy Doku and January signing Marc Guehi, all jostling for a starting place against Mikel Arteta’s side this weekend. The competition for those attacking and defensive slots is fierce; Maresca has options. He might just be without one of his most intriguing ones.
And that’s where this story starts to twist toward north London.
Savinho’s absence comes at a time when Tottenham are closing in on making him the centrepiece of their attacking rebuild. Roberto De Zerbi is understood to be on the brink of landing his top forward target, with Spurs nearing a full agreement for the £60 million-rated winger. The timing is hard to ignore.
Tottenham have been operating like a club with no intention of lingering in mid-table any longer. After back-to-back 17th-place Premier League finishes, the message from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer has been blunt: reset, or get left behind.
They have chosen the reset.
The first half of the window was all about shoring up the back line. Martin Dubravka arrived in goal. Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Jan Paul van Hecke followed to reshape a defence that had creaked for too long. Then came the statement in midfield. Spurs dropped a combined £185 million on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, a double move that signalled a complete change of gear in the centre of the pitch.
Now the gaze has shifted to the final third, and Savinho sits at the top of that list.
To make room for another major deal, Tottenham are preparing to cash in on some of their biggest assets. Cristian Romero is close to joining Atletico Madrid, while full-back Djed Spence is set for Inter. Those exits are designed to create the financial space required to really test City’s resolve.
That, though, is where it gets complicated. City’s hierarchy are rarely in the mood to strengthen a direct domestic rival without a clear replacement lined up. Selling a 22-year-old with Savinho’s upside to a resurgent Spurs would be a significant call, especially with Maresca trying to stamp his identity on the squad ahead of a new campaign.
So Tottenham have drawn up contingency plans.
If City dig in and a deal for Savinho proves too difficult to close, Spurs are ready to pivot toward other high-end options, with Cody Gakpo among the names under consideration. The Liverpool forward is highly admired at Hotspur Way, his versatility across the front line a major attraction. But that route is far from straightforward either.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that Liverpool are reluctant to sanction Gakpo’s departure unless they first secure multiple attacking reinforcements of their own. That stance pushes any potential move into the realm of late-window brinkmanship, where timing, pressure, and opportunity collide.
The clock is ticking.
Tottenham have rebuilt their defence. They have rebuilt their midfield. One final piece is missing. Whether De Zerbi gets his preferred man in Savinho or is forced to lean on Plan B with Gakpo, Spurs look determined to walk away from this window with their forward line transformed – and the rest of the Premier League on notice.
