Savinho's Absence Poses Challenge for Manchester City Ahead of Community Shield
Enzo Maresca’s plans for his first piece of Manchester City silverware have hit an early snag.
With the Community Shield against Arsenal looming in Cardiff, 22-year-old winger Savinho was a conspicuous absentee from City’s latest training session at the City Football Academy, missing out through illness according to The Athletic’s Sam Lee. It’s a small detail on paper, but the timing could hardly be more delicate.
Savinho absent as big guns step up
While Savinho stayed away, some familiar faces stepped back into the spotlight.
Jack Grealish trained as he chases a long-awaited return, hoping to make his first appearance for City in over a year after an extended battle with injuries. Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku were also involved, sharpening up for the season’s traditional curtain-raiser at the Principality Stadium. January signing Marc Guehi was in the thick of it too, all of them pushing for a starting place against Mikel Arteta’s side this weekend.
The session underlined City’s depth. It also highlighted a potential headache. Savinho is not just another squad player; he’s at the centre of one of the window’s most intense transfer tug-of-wars.
Spurs circle as City weigh their hand
The winger’s absence comes just as interest from north London reaches boiling point. Roberto De Zerbi is closing in on his top attacking target, with Tottenham edging towards a full agreement for the £60 million-rated Brazilian.
Spurs have not been dabbling this summer. They’ve been tearing up and rebuilding.
After back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, the club’s response has been ruthless. The first phase of their window focused on the back line: Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Jan Paul van Hecke all arrived to reshape the defence.
Then came the statement in midfield. Tottenham dropped a combined £185 million on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, a double move that underlined just how serious the hierarchy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are about dragging the club back toward the top end of the table.
Now the spotlight is on the final third.
Aggression in, big names out
To push on with a move for Savinho, Spurs are preparing to cash in on some serious assets.
Cristian Romero is close to joining Atletico Madrid, while Djed Spence is set for a switch to Inter. Those exits are expected to open up the financial room needed for Tottenham to properly test City’s resolve.
That, of course, is where this gets tricky. Selling a 22-year-old attacker of Savinho’s profile to a direct domestic rival is not the sort of decision the Etihad hierarchy take lightly, especially without a replacement lined up. City’s stance could yet define the final days of Spurs’ window.
Gakpo on the radar if City hold firm
Tottenham have at least drawn up a contingency plan.
If a deal for Savinho proves too complex or too costly, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo has been earmarked as another elite option. The Dutch international is highly admired at Hotspur Way, his versatility and profile ticking several of De Zerbi’s boxes.
But prising him out of Anfield looks even more complicated. Journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that Liverpool are reluctant to let Gakpo go unless they first secure multiple attacking reinforcements of their own. That stance pushes any potential agreement into the realms of a late-window saga rather than a straightforward swoop.
One last piece of the puzzle
The clock is ticking. Tottenham have rebuilt their defence, reshaped their midfield and cleared the decks for one more major attacking arrival.
Now it comes down to this: can De Zerbi land Savinho from City, or will Spurs be forced to pivot and try to unpick Liverpool’s grip on Gakpo in the final days of the window?
