Roberto De Zerbi could barely hide his excitement. Tottenham’s head coach called them “bomba” signings, and for once the word felt about right.
Savio and Omar Marmoush have arrived to detonate Spurs’ attack and, just as significantly, to underline the scale of the club’s ambition in a transfer window that has already smashed through expectations and budgets alike.
Spurs go all‑in
Across one dizzying week, Tottenham wrapped up a double deal with Manchester City: Savio in an £85 million package and Marmoush on a season-long loan that carries an obligation to buy, with that fee potentially climbing to £60m. Add it all up and Spurs’ summer outlay has now surged beyond £350m.
De Zerbi, who is rarely short of conviction, admitted even he did not see this coming.
“I didn’t expect one transfer market and one window like we have done,” he said before Saturday’s Premier League visit of Newcastle.
Yet he is not quite done. The Italian hinted that one more signing could arrive before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline, targeted at a specific position that he declined to name. The mood inside the club, he insisted, is aligned and aggressive.
“Yesterday we went for dinner with the owners, with Vinai, with Johan and with Enrico,” De Zerbi revealed. “We spoke about this, but we have all of us on the same page and there is a very good connection.”
The message is clear: the rebuild is still rolling.
“Bomba” arrivals
Savio has long been on Tottenham’s radar. Now he comes in as a headline addition, a wide forward with pace, flair and a price tag that says first-team cornerstone, not squad option.
Marmoush, though, might prove just as important. He becomes Spurs’ eighth signing of the summer and plugs multiple gaps at once: cover and competition in attack, and a different take on the number 10 role at a time when James Maddison is short of full fitness and Mohammed Kudus is only just back from a serious tendon injury.
The numbers back up De Zerbi’s enthusiasm. Marmoush struck 37 goals in a prolific 18-month spell at Eintracht Frankfurt and added 16 at Manchester City. Those returns explain why Tottenham were prepared to commit so heavily to the deal, even if his first Premier League outing for the club may come from the bench.
“A great signing for us. A great player, another great player and every one of us loves him as a player,” De Zerbi said. “We hope he can do what he is able. I think he can give more solutions in attack. We need players in attack capable to score goals, to play well with the ball also, a very fast player, great qualities and we are all happy.”
De Zerbi sees Marmoush as both a central striker and a high-impact playmaker, but one cut from a different cloth to the existing options.
“I think he can play as a central striker. He is a different number 10 than Gallagher or Maddison, more of an attacker, but he is a player of big qualities. The most important thing is to have players with qualities.”
For a coach who demands intensity and incision in the final third, Marmoush and Savio look tailor-made.
Competition everywhere
The new arrivals land in a dressing room already brimming with fresh faces and renewed authority. New captain Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro both featured in Wednesday’s 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Charlton and are pushing to start again. Savio is being lined up for his full debut, while Kudus could make his first squad appearance since January.
De Zerbi suddenly has options all over the pitch. Real ones. Not just cover, but genuine alternatives who change the way Spurs can attack opponents.
That depth sharpens the picture for those on the fringes. Pape Sarr remains available for selection, yet his future hangs in the balance with the window ticking down.
“Pape? No, he’s good. We have to see in the last day of the transfer market what can happen with him,” De Zerbi said.
Then came the blunt edge that has defined his management style.
“If you want to leave and you have not found the offer, it’s your problem, not my problem. I give respect, I kiss you, I hug you, but at the end have to stay calm inside the dressing room.”
It was a line delivered with a smile, but the meaning was unmistakable. The standards have risen. The squad has changed. Spurs are paying elite money and expect elite mentality in return.
The “bomba” has gone off. The question now is how far this revamped Tottenham side can blast their way up the Premier League.
