Tottenham Acquire Brazil Winger Savinho from Manchester City for £75m
Tottenham Hotspur have secured the signing of Brazilian winger Savinho from Manchester City in a deal worth an initial £75 million. The 22-year-old has agreed to a long-term contract with Spurs, who could pay an additional £10 million in performance-related add-ons.
The transfer has been in the works for over a year, after Tottenham's failed attempt to sign Savinho last summer. Despite interest, Savinho stayed at the Etihad Stadium but saw limited playing time under Pep Guardiola, starting just seven Premier League matches last season.
"It's taken a while but I'm very happy to be here," Savinho said. "It's a wonderful opportunity at a brilliant club with one of the best managers in the world. As soon as I spoke to the head coach, I knew I had to come. He told me he wants to help me reach the highest level, and I believe we can do that together, as a team."
Savinho's Career and Recent Performances
Savinho joined Manchester City from French side Troyes in 2024 for £30.8 million. Over his time at City, he made 84 appearances, scored seven goals, and provided 16 assists. His move to Spurs follows a summer where the club also signed Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, Sandro Tonali from Newcastle, and Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, with total spending hitting £312 million.
Additionally, Tottenham have added defenders Marcos Senesi and Andrew Robertson on free transfers, along with goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Roberto De Zerbi commented on Savinho, "Savio is a player who brings energy, imagination and quality in wide positions. He has the courage to attack defenders and the ability to change a game with his creativity."
Manchester City are also close to finalising a deal to sell Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush to Tottenham before the transfer deadline on 1 September.
Statistical Impact and Playing Style
Last season, Savinho's minutes dropped significantly after City's January signing of winger Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. He played only 821 Premier League minutes, scoring once and assisting once, appearing in about 31% of City's available minutes across all competitions. This was a notable decrease from the previous season when he featured in 54% of City's minutes.
Despite less game time, Savinho's 2024-25 statistics reveal why Tottenham valued him highly. He registered eight Premier League assists from open play during that season, ranking fifth among players in this category. On a per-90-minute basis, he was third for open-play assists at 0.41, with only Mohamed Salah creating more chances per 90 minutes (2.2).
His greatest threat came from ball carries. Among Premier League players with at least 1,000 minutes in 2024-25, only Jeremy Doku averaged more progressive carries of at least 10 metres than Savinho’s 6.8 per 90. He also led the league for carries followed by a chance created, averaging 1.3 per 90 minutes. Only Son Heung-min ended a carry with an assist more often.
Savinho completed 2.6 dribbles per 90 with a 51% success rate, often drawing defenders before setting up teammates. His breakout season was at Girona in La Liga during 2023-24, where he played 2,989 minutes, mostly on the left wing (65%), scoring nine goals and providing eight assists. He became known as one of the most dangerous one-on-one attackers in the division.
At Manchester City, his role shifted more to the right wing, where he spent 36% of his minutes, compared to 20% on the left. This versatility might prove useful for Spurs.
Recent Tottenham Transfer Activity
- Mateus Fernandes – from West Ham
- Sandro Tonali – from Newcastle
- Jan Paul van Hecke – from Brighton
- Marcos Senesi – free transfer
- Andrew Robertson – free transfer
- Martin Dubravka – goalkeeper
