Tottenham Pursues Omar Marmoush and Savinho Amid Transfer Tensions

Tottenham are pushing hard on two fronts and the clock is already ticking.

With the summer window closing on 1 September, Spurs are working on an ambitious double move for Omar Marmoush and Savinho, a package that could soar to – and potentially beyond – £140 million as Roberto De Zerbi looks for marquee attacking reinforcements.

City leave Savinho out as future hangs in the balance

The tension around Savinho’s situation was laid bare on the opening weekend of the Premier League. Manchester City named their squad to face Bournemouth. His name wasn’t on it.

Enzo Maresca’s explanation was simple on the surface. The Brazilian missed training three days before the game because he was “a little bit ill”. Until then, he had featured in all of City’s pre-season fixtures, a regular presence as Maresca shaped his first squad.

Then came the bigger reveal.

City’s new head coach drew a clear line between Savinho and Marmoush when asked about the pair.

“Omar is still here, still with us, it's a different situation to Savio and we see. Savio, since day one, asked to leave, and Omar didn't ask to leave since day one, not yet,” Maresca said.

Those words cut through the noise. One player has pushed for the exit from the start. The other hasn’t.

“It’s always complicated when someone leaves, and one has to arrive. We'll see if Omar stays or what happens,” he added, underlining just how fluid the situation remains around Marmoush.

For Savinho, the stance is already entrenched.

The Italian continued: “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.”

The message from City is blunt: the winger wants out, and once that line is crossed, persuading him back rarely works.

De Zerbi keeps his cards close – but the intent is obvious

On the other side of this developing saga, De Zerbi refused to be drawn into specifics when Savinho’s name was put to him before Tottenham’s match.

“It's not right to speak about the players until they are official. Just to say, I'm very happy. We have not finished yet in the transfer market,” he said.

No names. No confirmations. But the implication was loud enough. Spurs are not done, and the Italian is clearly expecting more firepower.

That stance didn’t change after a sobering 3-0 defeat to Brentford. If anything, he widened the lens, turning the focus onto the club’s hierarchy and the scale of what Tottenham are trying to do.

Speaking about the Lewis family, De Zerbi said: “I am very happy and I think I can't speak about the other coaches [in the past]. 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.”

That is the context into which Marmoush and Savinho could walk: a club that believes it stands at a crossroads, trying to turn promise into something more permanent.

De Zerbi’s vision stretches beyond deadline day.

“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.”

Tottenham are now trying to match that ambition with hard cash and high-end talent. Whether City bend on both Marmoush and Savinho – and whether Spurs can get both deals over the line in time – will say plenty about where each club is really heading this season.