Spurs Are Betting Big on a Double City Raid, But Can De Zerbi Actually Fix This Attack?

Tottenham are going big this summer. After spending a staggering £185m on midfield alone, Roberto de Zerbi is now eyeing a double raid on Manchester City for two forwards who barely featured under Pep Guardiola last season. Savinho and Omar Marmoush are the names on the table, and if this deal gets done, it will reshape how we think about Spurs' Premier League ambitions this season.

Two Players City Couldn't Find a Place For

Let's be honest about what Spurs are actually buying here. Savinho managed just seven Premier League starts last season. Marmoush, who cost City £59m from Eintracht Frankfurt, scraped eight goals in 36 appearances across all competitions. These are not players who set the Premier League alight in 2025-26. They are players who flopped at one of the best-resourced clubs in world football.

That framing matters. City will expect to make a significant profit on both, which tells you everything about the fee Spurs are likely to face. The question is whether that represents value or whether Tottenham are about to pay top dollar for players who couldn't hold down a starting spot at the Etihad.

What De Zerbi Actually Needs

The case for both signings starts with context. Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League last season, scoring just 48 goals in 38 games. That is relegation-territory output. De Zerbi has already ripped up the midfield and rebuilt it with Fernandes and Tonali, so the platform is there for a more controlled, possession-based style. What's missing is the end product.

Savinho, at 22, is a direct, unpredictable winger who can carry the ball at pace and create chances in tight spaces. That fits De Zerbi's pressing system well. Marmoush, a different type entirely, is a physical, clever forward who showed genuine Premier League quality before City signed him. His numbers before the Etihad move were impressive. The worry is whether a year of limited game time has dulled that edge.

The Cody Gakpo angle floating around suggests Spurs themselves aren't sure which combination gets them where they need to go. Financing all three would be a stretch, so this double City deal might signal that Gakpo is off the table.

City's Summer Clearout and What It Means for the Premier League

Man City selling Rodri, Reijnders, Trafford, Savinho and Marmoush in the same window is a significant reshaping of a squad that dominated the Premier League for years. It opens up genuine questions about where City land in the title race this season. If Spurs are picking up City's castoffs, they need to be castoffs who were unlucky rather than simply not good enough.

We'd lean towards Savinho being the more reliable bet of the two. He was genuinely wanted by top clubs in 2025 before choosing to stay at City. Age and raw ability suggest his best years are ahead. Marmoush is the bigger gamble given the fee City paid and his output in Manchester. If De Zerbi can get him firing, great. If not, Spurs will have made two expensive mistakes back to back.

Our Read on This Deal

From a pure Premier League betting angle, Tottenham getting both of these deals done shifts them up the outright market. They were already more interesting after the Tonali and Fernandes business. Add two attacking threats with something to prove and suddenly the conversation around top-half finishes becomes more credible.

We'd stop short of calling Spurs title contenders or even top-four certainties. De Zerbi needs this attack to click quickly given the opening fixtures, and there's a very real chance that one or both of these players takes time to settle. Savinho is the one to watch. If he hits the ground running under De Zerbi's system, Spurs fans will feel they've found a player the Premier League hasn't seen the best of yet.

City's loss could genuinely be Tottenham's gain. We just wouldn't bet the house on it before a ball is kicked.