Senior figures at Manchester City are said to be very satisfied with selling Savinho to Tottenham in a deal that could reach a value of £85 million.
And they have reason to be happy. Man City could earn more than 50 million pounds in profit from a player who has not contributed significantly to the team's success in his short time playing for the club.
In just less than half a season, Pep Guardiola realized that signing the Brazilian winger from Troyes in 2024 was not as effective as expected. In two seasons at Manchester, Savinho only played 28 matches in the Premier League, including only 7 starts last season. The limited contribution level made the initial fee of £30.8 million quite expensive.
Guardiola and the coaching staff at that time were not satisfied with the intensity of activity as well as Savinho's lack of decisiveness in dispute situations. However, there was one person at the highest management level who saw different potential in this player. That is Carlos Raphael Moersen.
Moersen, who friends and colleagues call "Rafi", once supervised the deal to bring Savinho to Man City when he was CEO of City Football Group. He spent nearly a decade working at CFG clubs and was responsible for monitoring many transfer activities in the system.
In December 2025, Moersen was appointed by Tottenham as Football CEO. He came to north London with the ambition to build a new direction for the club. One of those plans was to bring Savinho to Tottenham.
Now, that plan has become a reality. What is noteworthy is that Tottenham not only places their trust in a player who has faced difficulties at Man City, but is also willing to pay a fee that could be up to 85 million pounds. If Savinho does not meet expectations, this will be a very expensive gamble for Spurs.
Roberto De Zerbi looks at the problem in a different direction. The Tottenham captain believes that Savinho can bring speed, creativity and enough handling to change the game.
Savinho is a player who brings energy, creativity and quality in the wing positions. He has courage and the ability to change the game with his creativity" - De Zerbi commented.
Tottenham's belief in Savinho is quite high, especially when Guardiola once did not see him as a suitable choice at Man City. The difference in this assessment puts Savinho before an important challenge: proving that what he showed at Etihad does not reflect his true ability.
With Man City, this deal is almost an ideal result when they successfully sold a player not in the plan with a very large profit. With Tottenham, the story is completely different. They need Savinho to prove that £85 million is not too high a price for a player who has no place at Etihad.
