Journalist: Tottenham chasing huge signing after Savinho breakthrough | OneFootball

Tottenham Transfer Latest: Savinho, Cody Gakpo and Roberto De Zerbi’s Search for a Spurs ‘Bomba’

Tottenham Hotspur’s summer has already carried the sound of ambition, expenditure and upheaval, and now it is moving towards the part supporters tend to remember most keenly, the search for goals, flair and conviction in the final third. According to The Athletic, Spurs are still pushing for more attacking reinforcements before the window closes, with Roberto De Zerbi making it plain that this squad is unfinished.

The headline detail is compelling enough. De Zerbi has said he expects “two, maybe three” more arrivals, while the club are confident of completing a move for Savinho from Manchester City. Beyond that, there is the tantalising mention of a possible attacking “bomba”, a word that has naturally stirred imagination around N17, even if the head coach later clarified that “bomba in Italian is different from bomba in English”. Semantics rarely calm supporters in August. Hope, after all, is football’s most renewable fuel.

What matters more than the phrase is the substance behind it. Tottenham have already committed heavily to midfield and defence, spending nearly £250million this summer by The Athletic’s account, and are among the Premier League’s biggest net spenders. Now the attention has shifted decisively to the area that has too often failed to convert promise into punishment. Spurs can move the ball, they can threaten spaces, they can fashion moments, but for too long they have lacked reliability where matches are won.

Spurs attack remains the urgent priority

There is a hard football logic to Tottenham’s pursuit of more forwards. The squad’s attacking depth looks thin, and its condition raises further concern. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are recovering from anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Dejan Kulusevski has not played for over a year because of a complicated patella issue. Mohammed Kudus is still working back from a hamstring problem. Dominic Solanke endured ankle and muscle issues last season. James Maddison, meanwhile, travelled on tour but did not feature because of a “small problem”, and his recent history dictates careful handling.

That is before taking into account the uncertainty around Richarlison. De Zerbi admitted he “does not know” whether the Brazilian will stay because “sometimes he wants to leave”. When a player with Richarlison’s personality, edge and penalty-box instinct enters the final year of his contract, every goal and every interview seems to carry transfer undertones. His stoppage-time winner against Chelsea in pre-season was a reminder of his usefulness, but it did not settle the wider question.

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So when The Athletic writes that Tottenham’s squad “desperately needs an injection of quality in the final third”, it is difficult to argue. Spurs have lived in the long shadow of Harry Kane’s departure for three years. In that time there have been flashes, mini-revivals and occasional runs of scoring form, but no lasting sense that Tottenham possess an attack capable of sustaining a serious challenge over a full campaign.

Solanke’s return of 12 goals in 42 Premier League appearances for Spurs is not catastrophic, and context matters given that he has “played under four different head coaches since joining from Bournemouth in August 2024”. Stability has been scarce. Service has been inconsistent. Rhythm has been broken. Yet numbers remain numbers, and Tottenham know that if they are to climb, they need greater certainty in front of goal.

Savinho pursuit makes sense for De Zerbi

Of the names linked, Savinho feels like one that aligns naturally with modern Tottenham. He is dynamic, direct and adaptable, able to operate on either wing and stretch a game with pace and unpredictability. The Athletic reports that Spurs have been interested in him for more than a year, and that confidence is growing around a deal, although Manchester City would want a replacement before allowing him to leave.

This is an important detail, because it hints at how seriously City would weigh his departure. Clubs with elite resources do not loosen their grip on attacking talent without careful calculation. If Tottenham can prise Savinho away, they will be acquiring more than a squad option. They will be bringing in a player capable of unsettling defenders in the one-v-one moments that so often decide tight matches.

De Zerbi’s football places a premium on bravery and incision in possession. He likes players who can receive under pressure, commit opponents and alter the geometry of a defence. Savinho suits that brief. He would also ease the burden on a forward line that has looked over-dependent on patched-up availability and under-powered output.

Yet even if Savinho arrives, the picture will not feel complete. Spurs need more than one answer. They need multiple first-class options, as The Athletic puts it, and they need them because the Premier League is too relentless to be navigated by hope alone. The top sides rotate threat, sustain pressure and punish fatigue. Tottenham are trying to build towards that level.

Cody Gakpo interest shows search for goals

The other eye-catching name is Cody Gakpo. Tottenham have, according to The Athletic, “made contact with Cody Gakpo’s representatives”, though no formal negotiation with Liverpool has begun. Liverpool, understandably, “do not want to sell the Dutchman”. That should surprise nobody. Players with his production profile are expensive to replace and difficult to prise away.

What is intriguing is why Spurs admire him. The answer lies in his numbers and his movement. The Athletic notes that only seven wide players averaged more touches in the opposition penalty area than his 2.2 per 90 minutes last season, and that he ranked in the top 10 for chances created and shots from open play. Most pointedly of all, he was “comfortably ahead of every Spurs player in all three of those metrics”.

That last line should command attention inside Tottenham. It is not simply that Gakpo is talented, or versatile, or a recognisable international forward. It is that he produces the exact kind of measurable attacking threat Spurs currently lack. He gets into the box. He takes up dangerous positions. He turns territory into jeopardy.

The Athletic’s analysis goes further, explaining that “Gakpo would add firepower to a Tottenham forward line that is technically gifted, but lacks a killer instinct in front of goal.” It also makes an observation that feels especially relevant to De Zerbi’s methods: “For De Zerbi, the skill is getting into those positions in the first place. And Gakpo offers a solution both on the wing and through the middle, should injuries plague Spurs’ centre-forwards again.”

That is the key. Tottenham do not simply need artistry. They need repeatable threat. Gakpo’s willingness to make that run to the back post, to “gamble on the ball reaching him”, and to attack scoring zones with regularity would give Spurs a quality they have not consistently possessed since Kane and Son Heung-min were at their devastating peak.

Whether such a transfer is realistic is another matter. Liverpool have little appetite to weaken themselves, particularly with Andoni Iraola only just beginning his work as head coach. Tottenham can admire all they like, but admiration and acquisition are separate arts. Even so, the interest itself is informative. It tells us where Spurs believe they are short.

Our View

From a Tottenham supporter’s perspective, this report feels encouraging because it sounds like the club actually know where the weakness is and are trying to fix it properly. We have all watched Spurs for the past few years and seen the same problem, too much nice football in patches, not enough ruthless finishing when it matters. So hearing De Zerbi talk about “two, maybe three” more signings, and seeing serious names like Savinho and Cody Gakpo linked, gives you the sense that the club are aiming higher.

Savinho feels especially exciting because he looks like someone who can beat a man, create panic and change the pace of a match. Gakpo sounds harder to do, but he is exactly the type of attacker Spurs have missed, someone who gets into scoring positions again and again. That matters. We have had too many forwards who threaten without fully delivering.

The concern, of course, is outgoings. If Romero and Vicario both leave, that is a lot of leadership going out of the team. And Richarlison’s future still feels up in the air. But if those sales help fund elite attacking quality, many fans would accept the gamble. The big hope is simple, finish this window with real firepower and give De Zerbi the tools to build something thrilling, modern and genuinely competitive.