Savinho's Illness Disrupts Manchester City Ahead of Community Shield
Enzo Maresca’s plans for his first piece of Manchester City silverware have hit an untimely snag.
Savinho, the 22-year-old winger who has lit up pre-season, missed City’s latest training session ahead of the Community Shield showdown with Arsenal at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. As reported by The Athletic’s Sam Lee, the Brazilian sat out due to illness, raising doubts over his involvement in Sunday’s curtain-raiser.
For a manager still stitching together his ideas in competitive conditions, it is a disruption he could have done without.
While Savinho stayed away, the City Football Academy still crackled with star power. Jack Grealish was back in the thick of it, pushing to make what would be his first appearance for the club in over a year after a long battle with injury. His return alone changes the feel of City’s attacking options.
Erling Haaland trained, Jeremy Doku trained, January signing Marc Guehi trained. All three are driving hard for starting spots against Arsenal, each offering a different flavour to Maresca’s evolving frontline. The competition is fierce. The selection calls will be brutal.
And yet, the timing of Savinho’s absence carries a twist that stretches far beyond Cardiff.
North London has been circling. Roberto De Zerbi is closing in on his primary attacking target, with Tottenham believed to be nearing a full agreement for the £60 million-rated wide man. City might be nursing an ill winger; Spurs are trying to prise away a major one.
Tottenham’s intent this summer has been impossible to ignore. After back-to-back 17th-place Premier League finishes, the club has ripped up the script and gone for shock therapy. They are not tweaking. They are rebuilding.
The early weeks of the window were all about shoring up the back line. Martin Dubravka arrived to add experience in goal. Andy Robertson came in with proven Premier League pedigree. Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke followed to bulk out the defensive core. A fragile unit suddenly looks rugged.
Then came the jolt in midfield. Spurs dropped a combined £185 million on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, a statement that they intend to control games rather than simply survive them. It is the kind of double signing that signals a club trying to drag itself out of the bottom reaches by sheer force of will.
Now the gaze has shifted to the final third, and Savinho sits at the top of that list.
To make it happen, Tottenham are ready to sacrifice big names. Cristian Romero is close to sealing a move to Atletico Madrid, a significant departure from the heart of their defence. Djed Spence is set for a fresh start at Inter. Those exits are not just tactical calls; they are financial levers, designed to create the room needed to launch a serious bid at City.
Whether City will play ball is another question entirely. Selling a highly rated 22-year-old to a domestic rival, with no replacement lined up, is a scenario the Etihad hierarchy will scrutinise from every angle. Tottenham can test their resolve. City can just as easily slam the door.
Spurs, though, have prepared for that scenario as well.
If Savinho proves too hard to prise away, Tottenham have lined up alternative elite targets. High among them is Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, a player widely admired at Hotspur Way for his versatility and intelligence across the front line. On paper, he fits. In practice, it is a far more tangled deal.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has outlined Liverpool’s stance: they are reluctant to lose Gakpo unless they can bring in multiple replacements first. That stance, combined with the lateness of the window, makes any move complicated and potentially expensive.
So Tottenham stand at the sharp end of their summer. The defence has been rebuilt. The midfield has been powered up. One last piece is missing.
With the transfer deadline looming, De Zerbi and Spurs have one box left to tick in their attacking overhaul. Will it be Savinho, prised away from a City side who might need him on Sunday? Or will they be forced to pivot again, gambling on a more complex pursuit like Gakpo as the clock runs down on a window that could define their season?
