Tottenham's Bomba Signing: Who Will Join De Zerbi?

Tottenham’s ‘bomba’ signing tease has lit up north London. Roberto De Zerbi knows exactly what he’s doing.

One word in a press conference, and Spurs supporters have spent the week scouring every whisper and rumour, trying to unmask the mystery forward the head coach insists is close to joining. Six signings, a club-record £237million already spent, and still De Zerbi claims Tottenham are only “60 per cent” through their transfer business.

He wants more firepower. And he wants it now.

The Italian’s plans up front took a hit when Eli Junior Kroupi suffered a serious foot injury, surgery ruling the Bournemouth striker out for up to four months and effectively ending Spurs’ pursuit. One door slammed shut, so the recruitment team kicked open others. Five names now sit in the frame as Tottenham chase the attacking punch De Zerbi believes can drag them from survival scraps into the European conversation.

Deniz Undav – the late bloomer with numbers to back the hype

If De Zerbi wants goals, Deniz Undav offers them in bulk.

The German left Brighton for Stuttgart and promptly tore through the Bundesliga, scoring 19 league goals last season at a rate of 0.76 per 90 minutes. Among strikers in Europe’s top five leagues, that return put him seventh for goals and sixth for goals per 90. Those are elite numbers, not the profile of a journeyman who simply found a hot streak.

Undav always hinted at this level. Brighton fans remember the audacious lob at Arsenal in 2023, a flash of the technique that has since flourished back in Germany. His World Cup only strengthened the case: three goals and two assists in just 69 group-stage minutes as Germany’s super-sub, a ruthless finisher dropped into high-pressure moments and thriving.

De Zerbi wants his centre-forward to be more than a poacher. Undav fits. He drops off the front, links play, and lets the wingers tear in behind to finish moves. At 30, he sits outside the typical “project” age bracket, yet De Zerbi has never hidden his preference for proven quality over theoretical upside. If Spurs want guaranteed movement, intelligence and a penalty-box menace, Undav ticks those boxes.

Brian Brobbey – the battering ram who already bruised Spurs

Tottenham do not need to imagine how Brian Brobbey might look in a De Zerbi system. They have already felt the impact.

The Sunderland and Netherlands striker scored in a 1-1 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January, bullying defenders, pinning centre-backs, and repeatedly dragging Spurs into uncomfortable territory. Earlier in the season, in De Zerbi’s first game in charge of Tottenham – a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light – Brobbey dominated again, turning a tight contest into a physical examination.

His World Cup only underlined his rise. Leading the line for a Netherlands side that topped their group, Brobbey scored three times and gave them a focal point that looked capable of carrying them deep into the tournament before a penalty shootout defeat to Morocco cut them off in the last 16.

What stands out is his relentlessness. He presses, he chases, he crashes into duels and then goes again. For a coach determined to impose an aggressive pressing style, Brobbey’s mix of hold-up play and penalty-box instinct fits neatly. He is not a mystery to Spurs. He is a problem they have already failed to solve.

Omar Marmoush – the City misfit who still carries a threat

Omar Marmoush is different. Unlike some of the more speculative options, Spurs’ interest in the Manchester City forward is already understood to be real.

The Egyptian arrived at City from Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2025 and burst into the Premier League with the energy and unpredictability that had made him such an intriguing signing. Then the goals dried up. Three league strikes in his first full season at the Etihad left him on the fringes, and he is now regarded as surplus to requirements.

Yet the profile remains attractive. Marmoush can drop deep, combine, then suddenly spin in behind. He is comfortable drifting wide or attacking the central channels, exactly the kind of flexible forward De Zerbi likes to mould. The task would be clear: rebuild his confidence in front of goal.

Despite the underwhelming campaign, Marmoush has already shown he can score consistently at this level. At 27, he is entering what should be his prime, the age bracket De Zerbi wants to lean on as he chases instant success after two seasons spent firefighting against relegation. For a coach who backs himself as a developer of attacking players, Marmoush represents both a project and a ready-made squad option.

Savinho – raw pace, rawer end product

Savinho is the name Tottenham fans already know. He is not believed to be the “bomba” signing in question, more the potential partner in a double deal that would reshape Spurs’ front line.

The Brazilian winger brings exactly what De Zerbi demands out wide: pace, direct running, and a willingness to attack defenders repeatedly. He gets into dangerous positions. He scares full-backs. He stretches games. What he does not yet do is finish moves often enough. One league goal last season tells its own story.

Still, the raw materials are hard to ignore. Savinho is 22, hungry, and said to be keen on a move to north London. De Zerbi would need to sharpen his decision-making and composure in the final third, but that kind of challenge is the sort of coaching project he relishes. Turn the chaos into cutting edge and Spurs suddenly have a winger built perfectly for their head coach’s blueprint.

If Tottenham somehow pulled off a double swoop for Savinho and Marmoush, the tone around the club would change instantly. A squad that has flirted with the top six would be expected to live there.

Bradley Barcola – the dream that would shake the league

Ask De Zerbi what he means by a “bomba” signing and he offers a simple definition: a player with top-level ability. Bradley Barcola fits that description as comfortably as anyone on this list.

The Paris Saint-Germain winger wants more minutes and looks set to become collateral damage in a squad overloaded with attacking talent. That does not diminish his quality. A two-time Champions League winner and a key target for Liverpool this summer, Barcola operates in the tier of players Spurs usually watch from afar.

There is no suggestion Tottenham are in position to do this deal. It would be remarkable, the kind of transfer that would rip up assumptions about their ceiling. If they somehow landed him, the rest of the Premier League would be forced to reassess Spurs overnight.

Barcola is everything De Zerbi talks about when he describes elite ability: direct, incisive, decisive on the biggest stage. For now, he sits in the realm of fantasy, the name that belongs more to supporters’ message boards than to any live negotiation. Yet his profile underlines the level of ambition De Zerbi is hinting at when he talks about a “bomba”.

Tottenham have already spent big and moved fast this summer. The manager insists the job is barely past halfway. Somewhere in that final 40 per cent lies the mystery forward who will carry his attack.

When the name finally drops, north London will discover whether De Zerbi’s “bomba” is a clever piece of theatre – or the moment Spurs truly crash the party at the top.