There haven’t been many negative days for Tottenham Hotspur this summer but Saturday was certainly one of them.
The Lilywhites have now lost their opening two Premier League games without scoring a goal. Brentford a week ago was a shambolic state of affairs and they didn’t look too much better against Newcastle this weekend.
What made matters worse was that their number one target between now and the deadline on Tuesday, Cody Gakpo, has chosen he wants to join Manchester City instead. Who can blame him?
For Spurs, it’s a tricky situation. The only reason City want the Dutchman is because they have lost Omar Marmoush and Savio.
What Savio can offer to Spurs
It would be safe to say that when it was announced that Tottenham had paid £85m to sign Savinho from City, eyebrows were raised. Questions were also raised.
Spurs have never paid as much money as that to sign a forward player before. This was no Gareth Bale, no Harry Kane. The Brazilian only scored one goal in the Premier League last term.
Yet, truthfully, his debut for the club was a little Bale-like.
Sure, the Brazilian was playing against second-tier Charlton Athletic but his vibrant 19-minute cameo was simply electric. Mikey Moore had scored and assisted from the same flank in the first half and it did not take long for Savio to match that performance.
His first goal for Spurs was a beauty. His direct run towards the penalty box was so aggressive that Charlton could not contain him. The finish wasn’t bad either, hammering the ball home at the near post, wrongfooting Tiernan Brooks.
The goal summed up Savio. He is one of the best carriers of a ball in Europe. He registered eight last Wednesday, five of which were progressive.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
That’s what the 22-year-old will give you. While he struggled for form at City last term, he still ranked among the finest 1% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries per 90 minutes, making 7.45.
|
Savio vs Charlton |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
19 |
|
Touches |
11 |
|
Accurate passes |
3/5 (75) |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Shots |
2 |
|
Key passes |
2 |
|
Carries |
6 |
|
Progressive carries |
4 |
|
Duels won |
1/2 |
For Spurs to have such a direct player in their squad will be a huge boon to Roberto De Zerbi. It was a pity he missed the clash with Newcastle through injury.
How Spurs can sign an instant upgrade on Savio
As captivating as the young wide man was on his Spurs debut, there are still concerns regarding the fee spent on a player who has typically struggled for goals in his career.
De Zerbi even challenged the former City man to improve that very part of his game when the deal was confirmed.
Last term, Savinho scored four goals in all competitions. After moving to City, he only ever bagged seven goals in 84 appearances. He was more about creating, supplying as many as 13 assists back in 2024/25.
So, really, it should not be tricky to find an upgrade in the remaining days of the window. Spurs want another forward and while it may not be Gakpo, they could be on the verge of signing another forward based in Merseyside; Iliman Ndiaye.
Indeed, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Spurs have agreed a deal in principle to sign Ndiaye from Everton with Richarlison moving the opposite way.
The deal is not a straight up swap, with sources confirming to the Athletic that both moves are separate. The conclusion of the moves are subject to personal terms being finalised and a medical being successfully completed.
Previous reports have outlined that it could take an £80m fee to convince Everton to sell their star forward before the deadline on Tuesday.
Like Savio, Ndiaye has not been a rampant scorer of goals of late. The 26-year-old only scored six times last term. Yet, there is a history there of finding the net more regularly than Spurs’ shiny new signing.
In 2024/25, the Senegal sensational netted 11 times for the Toffees. Way back in 2022/23, when he was playing for Sheffield United in the Championship, he scored 15.
So, despite never being too prolific, he is more of a goal threat than Savinho. That’s not the only area he trumps him in.
|
Savio vs Ndiaye: 2025/26 Premier League stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Savio |
Ndiaye |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.11 |
0.13 |
|
Shots |
2.19 |
1.39 |
|
Open play big chances created |
0.00 |
0.23 |
|
Successful dribbles |
1.86 |
2.36 |
|
Expected threat in build-up |
0.35 |
0.41 |
|
Progressive carries |
7.45 |
2.97 |
|
Progressive passes |
2.30 |
1.45 |
|
Ball recoveries |
5.35 |
6.61 |
|
Aerial duels won |
0.00 |
0.36 |
While the new Spurs winger may well be one of the best carriers on the continent, Ndiaye is one of the best dribblers of a football around, so much so that only six players in Europe’s top five leagues completed more dribbles than his tally of 70 last season. Those players were Lamine Yamal, Yan Diomande, Vinicius Junior, Kenan Yildiz, Jeremy Doku and Kylian Mbappe. He’s in some mighty fine company.
In general, Ndiaye is a much bigger threat in the build-up phases of play and, aged 26, is approaching the peak of his career now.
Savio, on the other hand, is still very raw. He’s not as proven in the Premier League and despite his goal the other night, there is a feeling that we may have to get used to some inconsistent performances in the months to come.
Ndiaye is more of a Sandro Tonali or Omar Marmoush-like signing, a player ready to come in and make an immediate impact.
