Exclusive: Tottenham could return for £69m attacker in January after holding deadline day talks
The summer transfer window may have officially closed, but for Tottenham Hotspur, the pursuit of one particular target feels far from over.
Throughout the final weeks of August, the North London club was intensely focused on a deal to bring Manchester City’s exciting Brazilian winger, Savinho, to the club.
According to inside reports, Tottenham’s interest was so serious that they were prepared to shatter their existing transfer record, ready to offer a staggering £69 million to secure his signature.
This level of commitment shows just how highly manager Thomas Frank and the club’s decision-makers rate the 21-year-old international.
What makes this story even more compelling is that the feeling was reportedly mutual. Savinho himself was said to be very keen on the move and was actively pushing for the transfer to happen. He was apparently impressed by the project unfolding at Tottenham and the vision presented to him.
For any club, when a player of such high potential is not only available but is also enthusiastic about joining, it’s a major green flag. This mutual interest kept talks alive right up until the final hours of deadline day, with Spurs still holding onto a sliver of hope that they could persuade City to change their mind.
Ultimately, the deciding factor was Pep Guardiola’s firm stance. The Manchester City manager blocked the move, choosing to keep the talented winger as part of his own squad for the foreseeable future.
Savinho has missed the start of the season with a minor injury, and Guardiola clearly sees him as a valuable part of City’s plans once he is fully fit.
This has left Tottenham to shift their focus to the players already at their disposal, but the door is certainly not closed on this transfer saga.
The general feeling is that this story will pick up again when the January transfer window opens. Whether Spurs revive their interest will largely depend on how the next few months unfold at the Etihad Stadium.
The key question is how much playing time Savinho will actually get under Guardiola. If his opportunities are limited and he finds himself on the fringes of the first team, Manchester City might be more open to negotiating a sale.
Conversely, if he becomes a regular starter, the deal will become much more difficult. Tottenham will be watching his situation very closely.
This leaves Manager Thomas Frank with a specific tactical puzzle to solve in the meantime: who will reliably fill the left wing position?
The issue was highlighted in the recent disappointing performance against Bournemouth, where Brennan Johnson struggled to make an impact in that role. The team has several options, but each comes with a question mark.
The young duo of Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert are the most natural fits for the position and will likely get their chances to prove themselves. New signing Randal Kolo Muani also offers the versatility to play out wide, and even the brilliant Xavi Simons, who predominantly played on the left for RB Leipzig last season, could be shifted there.
The table below outlines the current in-house candidates Frank can turn to:
| Player | Age |
|---|---|
| Brennan Johnson | 24 |
| Mathys Tel | 20 |
| Wilson Odobert | 20 |
| Richarlison | 28 |
| Randal Kolo Muani | 26 |
| Xavi Simons | 22 |
This group is full of talent and potential, but it lacks a proven, consistent star on the left flank. This is precisely why the club was willing to break its transfer record for Savinho.
His potential arrival in January would not just be about adding another player; it would be about solving a clear problem in the starting eleven with a top-tier, dedicated talent.
For now, Spurs fans have a compelling subplot to follow for the first half of the season: watching Savinho’s progress at City and anticipating what could be one of the first major moves of the winter window.