Tottenham Pursues Double Signing of Savinho and Marmoush from Manchester City
Tottenham are pushing hard to hand Roberto De Zerbi two major attacking signings before the window slams shut – and they are looking straight at Manchester City.
Spurs want both Omar Marmoush and Savinho in a double deal that could climb to, or even beyond, £140 million. The clock is ticking towards the 1 September deadline, but the London club are trying to move in the coming days.
Savinho left out as exit talk grows
The situation around Savinho is already tense. City did not include him in the squad for their Premier League opener against Bournemouth, a notable omission given his pre-season.
Enzo Maresca revealed the Brazilian missed training three days before the game because he was “a little bit ill”. Until that point, Savinho had featured in all of City’s warm-up matches. Then he vanished from the matchday picture just as transfer noise grew louder.
Maresca did not hide the reality of the winger’s stance.
“Savio, since day one, asked to leave,” City’s new head coach said. “It’s quite clear that when players want to leave for any reason, it is complicated to convince them to stay and to change. It happened with Rodri, the same is happening with Savinho.
“Since day one, he has been clear that he wants to leave. Now we are waiting. It’s complicated when players are clear they want a new challenge, or they want to go to Spain or play more minutes, it becomes complicated to convince them to stay.”
Savinho’s desire is on the table. Tottenham are trying to turn that into a deal.
Marmoush still involved – for now
Marmoush’s case is different. While Savinho sits out, the forward remains in Maresca’s plans, at least publicly.
The Egyptian was named among the substitutes for City’s opener after coming off the bench in the Community Shield against Arsenal last weekend. He is, as Maresca stressed, still in the building.
“Omar is still here, still with us, it’s a different situation to Savio and we see,” the Italian said. “Savio, since day one, asked to leave, and Omar didn’t ask to leave since day one, not yet.
“It’s always complicated when someone leaves, and one has to arrive. We’ll see if Omar stays or what happens.”
City are juggling outgoing demands with the need to keep their squad balanced. Tottenham are trying to exploit that delicate moment.
De Zerbi keeps his cards close
On the other side of the deal, De Zerbi is not giving anything away. Asked directly about Savinho in his pre-match press conference, the Spurs head coach refused to be drawn.
“It’s not right to speak about the players until they are official,” he said. “Just to say, I’m very happy. We have not finished yet in the transfer market.”
His mood, even after a bruising 3-0 defeat to Brentford, remained upbeat when he spoke about the club’s backing and the Lewis family ownership.
“I am very happy and I think I can’t speak about the other coaches [in the past],” De Zerbi said. “I just can say, in my experience, they kept their word, they kept what they said before I came in March, the end of March, in the middle of March, and then very happy.
“But what we are doing is not for the coach. It’s for the club, for the fans, for the history of the club, for the pride of the club, and for the level of the club. I think this moment is crucial for this club, because after two seasons like we had, we have to change the mood, completely change it, give it a boost.
“Then, I think when we have finished in this transfer market, for a long time we don’t need many things and we can work all together in the right condition, in the right direction, to build step by step something special, or to go to compete for the top of the table.”
That is the context into which Marmoush and Savinho could walk: a manager demanding a reset, a squad being reshaped aggressively, and a club that believes this window can define its next few years.
Now the question is simple. Will City’s resolve, and the players’ own ambitions, allow Tottenham to land the double signing that could turbocharge De Zerbi’s project?
