Tottenham Sign Savinho From Manchester City for £75m

Tottenham have signed Brazil winger Savinho from Manchester City for an initial £75m, with a further £10m possible in add-ons. The 22-year-old has agreed a long-term contract at a club that tried and failed to sign him a year ago.

That first approach came last summer, when Savinho chose to stay at the Etihad. The season that followed did not reward the decision: seven Premier League starts, and a role that shrank further after City signed Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth in January.

"It's taken a while but I'm very happy to be here. It's a wonderful opportunity at a brilliant club with one of the best managers in the world."

• Savinho, Tottenham winger

He was explicit about who convinced him.

"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, Tottenham winger

He wants to be called Savio again

The winger has asked to be known as Savio, his first name, rather than Savinho, the name on his shirt for two years at City.

Savio is what he wore at Girona. He switched to Savinho when he moved to the Premier League, having worn it for his Brazil debut, in the hope that it would bring him luck. He has now gone back.

What De Zerbi gets

Roberto De Zerbi framed the signing around what happens when Savio takes possession in wide areas.

"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."

• Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham head coach

The numbers behind the fee

Last season is not the case for spending £75m. He played 821 Premier League minutes, scored once, assisted once, and appeared in 31% of City's available minutes across all competitions, down from 54% the year before.

The 2024-25 season is the case. In 1,773 minutes he registered eight Premier League assists, every one of them from open play, a total only five players in the division beat.

• 0.41 open-play assists per 90, third in the Premier League.
• 2.2 chances created per 90, behind only Mohamed Salah.
• 6.8 progressive carries of 10 metres or more per 90, second only to Jeremy Doku among players with 1,000+ minutes.
• 1.3 carries per 90 ending in a chance created, the highest in the league.
• Only Son Heung-min finished a carry with an assist more often.
• 2.6 completed dribbles per 90 at a 51% success rate.

The pattern is consistent: he carries the ball at defenders, pulls them towards him, and releases a team-mate late.

From Girona to a shifting role at City

That was clearest in his breakout year. Savio played 2,989 La Liga minutes for Girona in 2023-24, 65% of them on the left, scoring nine and assisting eight while establishing himself as one of the division's most dangerous one-against-one players.

City used him differently. Across his two Premier League seasons his most common position was the right wing, 36% of his minutes against 20% on the left. For a Tottenham side still assembling its front line, that flexibility is part of the appeal.

Key facts at a glance

• Initial fee £75m, potentially rising to £85m with add-ons.
• Savinho joined City from Troyes for £30.8m in 2024 and made 84 appearances, scoring seven and assisting 16.
• Spurs have already spent a combined £312m on Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke this summer.
• Marcos Senesi and Andrew Robertson arrived on free transfers, with Martin Dubravka signing as goalkeeper.
• City and Spurs remain in advanced talks over Omar Marmoush before the 1 September deadline.

Source: BBC Sport (analysis by Mohamed Moallim)