The signing Spurs could make to help Savinho explode

The mood in the Tottenham Hotspur camp heading into their first Premier League match of the season was one of positivity.

Surely it wasn’t going to start with a defeat? Spurs have had enough negativity in 2026 to last a life time and were finally generating some excitement around the club.

Yet, club-record signings Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali were not able to stop them from suffering a horrendous 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford on Saturday evening.

Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

While the main problem was not in attack for Spurs, it was worrying that they generated so few goalscoring opportunities. The imminent arrivals of Savinho and Omar Marmoush will surely help with that.

How Savinho could become of the Premier League’s best at Spurs

At a jaw-dropping £85m, it is evident that Tottenham have overpaid for Savinho. After all, this is someone who scored just one league goal throughout 2025/26.

There is a belief that Spurs have paid such a sum in order to lower the fee they are due to pay for Marmoush. He is set to sign for the Lilywhites on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy of £50m.

The Egyptian is a far more proven asset than Savinho but together, they could really help take Roberto De Zerbi’s side to the next level.

While the latter’s output has not been hugely impressive in the last year at City, there are some reasons why. First and foremost, he only played 36 times and 1,502 minutes across the campaign. 19 players, including back-up goalkeeper James Trafford, played more regularly.

The Brazilian only started seven times in the Premier League and on four occasions in Europe.

So, the time is right for him to move on, particularly as he has actually shown he’s a very good winger at this level. In 2024/25, he was one of City’s best players.

Comparisons were made to Riyad Mahrez for the way he dazzled on his left foot and cut inside before wreaking havoc. During that campaign, he ranked among the finest 7% of wingers and attacking midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for successful dribbles per 90 minutes with 2.81.

Furthermore, he was also one of the most creative wide players around. Savinho ranked among the best 11% of positionally similar players for expected assists per 90 minutes. He wasn’t far behind Kevin De Bruyne for his creativity. He notched 11 assists that season and produced 1.6 key passes per game in the Premier League. Only the legendary KDB managed more for City.

So, there is a player in there and in the right environment, he could become one of the best wingers in the English top-flight.

How Spurs can help Savinho explode under De Zerbi

Tottenham can have all of the creativity in the side that they like but without a prolific centre-forward they are never going to get anywhere.

Richarlison ended 2025/26 as their top scorer with 12 goals and also netted three in pre-season. Yet, when it mattered most at Brentford at the weekend, he delivered a vintage Richarlison performance for all the wrong reasons.

Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

He had just 17 touches, completed eight passes and didn’t have a single shot. He also lost the ball in the build-up to the second goal of the game.

The fact is that Savinho’s fellow countryman is not going to help him, neither is Dominic Solanke, a player who endured an injury-hit campaign under De Zerbi, Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.

So, who is the right man? Omar Marmoush could be, as could Nicolas Jackson. Football FanCast sources have revealed that Spurs have held talks with Chelsea regarding the latter.

Another options is Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. That’s according to TEAMtalk who report that a host of Premier League sides, including Spurs, Manchester United and Aston Villa, have all been approached by his agent in a bid to find him a new club.

Mateta has been keen to leave Selhurst Park behind since January when a move to AC Milan fell through. Now, he could stay within the Premier League but head elsewhere.

De Zerbi’s side represent an interesting option for the Frenchman. The 29-year-old would also be an attractive proposition for Spurs who simply have to sign a striker before the window slams shut next Monday.

In Mateta, they would find a player capable of not just taking Spurs to the next level, but also Savinho. Described as “one of the best strikers in Europe” by Wayne Rooney, a pundit who certainly knows a thing or two about finding the back of the net, Mateta has hit double figures in each of his last three seasons in England.

While his time in London started slowly, scoring just nine goals across his first two full years, the attacker is now in the prime of his career. In 2023/24, the Eagles talisman scored 19 before finding the net on 17 occasions and then 15 times in the following campaigns.

Those numbers are not jaw-dropping but he is usually always in the right place at the right time. Only five players in the league in 2025/26 had a higher xG so he is up there with some of the finest strikers in England. Per 90, only Haaland and Bournemouth’s Enes Unal bettered Mateta’s xG tally of 0.59.

Furthermore, only one player actually missed more big chances and that was Haaland. Mateta missed 20 which was dead level with Thiago and Calvert-Lewin.

That stat may not be too glamorous but it does suggest that he finds pockets of space to get a shot off on a very regular basis.

For Savinho, one of the Premier League’s most creative wingers, that should be music to his ears. If Mateta can find a way to put away more of those chances, they could be a match made in heaven.