Tottenham Hotspur have finalised the £75m signing of Brazil winger Sávio from Manchester City. The 22-year-old, previously known as Savinho, has expressed his desire to be called Sávio and will wear the No 17 shirt for Spurs, taking over from former captain Cristian Romero who moved to Atlético Madrid. The fee for Sávio could potentially increase to £85m with add-ons, marking a record sale for Manchester City.
Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed the deal's completion during a press conference on Tuesday, following the club's 3-0 defeat at Brentford in their Premier League opener on Saturday. De Zerbi stated that talks for Sávio began three days after the end of last season and believes the winger is one of the best globally at beating a marker one-on-one, though he noted Sávio needs to improve his goal-scoring.
De Zerbi addressed the disappointing performance against Brentford, calling it 'unacceptable'. He highlighted that he had a completely new back four and midfield pair, and was missing several players due to fitness issues, including Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Mateus Fernandes, and Dominic Solanke. Despite the challenges, De Zerbi expressed faith in the team and the need to change collective mentality to achieve consistency.
Sávio is available for selection in Spurs' upcoming Carabao Cup tie at home against Charlton on Wednesday night, with his paperwork completed. Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven are expected to return as substitutes for the Charlton match, and Dominic Solanke may start. James Maddison is out for two weeks with a shoulder injury sustained against Brentford.