‘They Were Not Protagonists’ – Roberto De Zerbi Admits Issue For Tottenham Pair | OneFootball

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi believes that Omar Marmoush and Savio need to adapt to the role of being a main man at Spurs, which they do not have prior experience of.

Spurs were very busy during the summer transfer window and spent heavily to rejig their squad so as not to repeat last season’s horrendous league campaign.

Goalscoring was an issue for Spurs last season, so they decided to pursue Savio, who they failed to sign in the summer of 2025 and paid a whopping £85m to sign the 22-year-old Brazilian.

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De Zerbi also decided to sign Marmoush from Manchester City to strengthen the centre forward department and the Egyptian, following his transfer, admitted that he was impressed by the Spurs boss’ passion.

However, despite spending heavily in recruiting Marmoush and Savio, both ex-Manchester City players have yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League.

Coventry City and Spurs are the only teams in the league yet to score after four games, but De Zerbi has no doubts about the qualities of Marmoush and Savio.

The Italian thinks that Marmoush and Savio are not used to the responsibility of leading the forward department by starting games and added that they will now require adaptation to the new scenario.

“Savio and Marmoush didn’t play many, many games in Manchester City because they were not protagonists”, De Zerbi said in a press conference (5:42).

“Here the situation is different.

“They have more responsibility [than] they are used to.

“They have to adapt and understand the situation is changing, but in terms of quality, both players are very, very good.”

Manchester City signed Savio from Troyes in the summer of 2024, but the 22-year-old failed to establish himself in the starting lineup and netted only seven goals during his tenure at the Etihad.

The 27-year-old Marmoush was the main man at Eintracht Frankfurt before he joined Manchester City during the winter transfer window 2025 and scored 16 times for them in 62 games.

Spurs have made poor start of the season as they sit 17th in the league table and the Italian tactician will be desperate to turn things around in their next Premier League game against Aston Villa