Why Tottenham must sign £52m Man City star instead

Since Heung-min Son left Tottenham Hotspur a year ago, the Lilywhites have struggled big time. It’s not all down to Son, of course, but their lack of a genuine talisman was evident last term.

Whether it be injuries or whether it be defensive ineptitude, Spurs seemed doomed. 17th place was what they deserved for their efforts.

However, with Roberto De Zerbi at the helm, they are back with a vengence. They are finally ready to replace Son and potentially even Harry Kane too.

Indeed, after the club-record arrivals of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, attention has turned towards bolstering the forward line.

Spurs pick out £52m Savinho alternative

For Spurs, it would appear as though they have one clear directive this summer; to sign Premier League-proven players. In attack, Eli Junior Kroupi is the latest exciting name to have been touted with a move to Tottenham. That said, they face competition from some of Europe’s elite clubs to prise him away from Bournemouth.

The most concrete link has been to Manchester City winger Savinho. It was revealed earlier in the window that Tottenham have already been in talks with City regarding the Brazilian.

The Spurs recruitment team attempted to do a deal one year ago but Savinho ultimately ended up staying at the Etihad. This time, though, the likelihood of him leaving is greater after starting just seven league games all season.

The arrivals of Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo had a negative impact not only on his game time but also the game time of a certain Omar Marmoush. As it happens, the Egyptian is another player on De Zerbi’s wishlist.

That’s according to Caught Offside this weekend who report that Spurs are showing strong interest in the forward, so much so that they are planning to launch an ‘official bid’ to sign the player in the coming days.

City are demanding a £52m fee to sell Marmoush this summer with plenty of clubs expressing an interest including Juventus, Aston Villa and several Bundesliga sides.

Why Marmoush should be preferred over Savinho

Bolster the defence? Tick. Bolster the midfield? Tick. Bolster the attack? Still pending.

For Spurs, this has been an almighty start to the transfer window with Jan Paul van Hecke and Mateus Fernandes both arriving for big fees. While Tonali’s impending move is yet to be officially announced, it is widely expected he will head to north London in an earth shattering £100m transfer.

Immediately, the spine of the team looks far better but they now need to invest in a bit of star power, a forward player ready to dazzle and transform the attacking nature of De Zerbi’s team.

It’s safe to say Savinho would certainly help with that he’s arguably not the better choice out of the two City players here. While Savinho is a creative outlet, registering as many as 13 assists in 2024/25, he’s not a regular goalscorer.

Spurs already have the creative side. Xavi Simons won’t be seen until the back end of 2026/27 but James Maddison and Mohammed Kudus will both be back to add to that department.

What they need and have done since Harry Kane left was a regular goalscorer. Well, in the form of Marmoush. they would land that.

Like Savinho, the Egypt international struggled for game time in 2025/26, starting just eight Premier League matches. Very few are going to start ahead of Erling Haaland, it must be said. Pep Guardiola also played in a slightly different way to previous years when the likes of Marmoush and Julian Alvarez operated as second strikers behind the hulking Norwegian.

In the previous season, however, he was electric. Capable of playing on either flank, behind the centre-forward or as the lone frontman, this is a ruthless attacker. While Savinho has only scored seven goals in 84 games for the Citizens, Marmoush has bagged 16 in 61.

On paper that may not be the best tally but he has only ever started 36 matches under Pep’s watch.

2024/25 was particularly profitable for the 27-year-old, though. Sealing a move to City in the winter, he was in jaw-dropping form for Eintrach Frankfurt, bagging 15 goals in 17 Bundesliga appearances. He then netted seven in 16 Premier League games during the back end of the English domestic campaign.

He is far more prolific than Savinho has ever been and could be the game-changing forward signing De Zerbi needs after strengthening at the back and in midfield.