Savinho at Tottenham: how the Brazilian fits and enhances De Zerbi's football

Savinho arrives with the chance to be a key figure in a move that makes real sense at Spurs

Savinho is finally set to swap Manchester for London. Tottenham have reached an agreement to sign the Brazilian from Manchester City for £75 million fixed, plus a further £10 million in possible add-ons.

The deal still depends on the final formalities, with the Brazilian set to undergo his medical at the London club this Friday.

For Tottenham, this is not simply about signing another winger. Savinho joins a squad currently being rebuilt to play according to Roberto De Zerbi's ideas. The Italian wants a team brave enough to play out from the back, draw in the opposition's press, find the free man and, once the ball reaches the wide players, give them the space and freedom to attack.

It is precisely at that final stage where Savinho can make the difference.

How De Zerbi wants Tottenham to play

To understand the fit, it is first necessary to understand the manager. De Zerbi typically builds his teams around a structure that can shift into a 3-2-5 shape in possession. The idea is not simply to keep the ball: the goal is to use possession as a trap.

The team invites the opposition to press. The centre-backs and goalkeeper circulate the ball, the midfielders drop into certain zones to draw markers out, and when the opponent overcommits, the pass that breaks the first line of pressure appears.

This is where Savinho becomes interesting, because there is little point building a trap to draw the opposition in if, once the pressure is broken, there are no players capable of exploiting the space. Savinho is one of those players.

There is one particular characteristic that likely explains a large part of De Zerbi's interest in the Brazilian: he does not need to receive the ball standing still.

Savinho is extremely comfortable receiving the ball wide, driving forward and attacking the full-back one-on-one. But he can also receive the ball more centrally, accelerate towards goal, or combine with a teammate before attacking the last line.

In the 2024-25 Premier League, his first full season at City, he ranked among the players completing the most dribbles per 90 minutes. He averaged 2.6 successful dribbles per 90, behind only Jeremy Doku, Mohammed Kudus and Julio Enciso, according to Opta data.

He also averaged 6.8 progressive carries of at least ten metres per 90, a figure only surpassed by Doku among players with more than 1,000 minutes played. And Savinho does not rely exclusively on dribbling to produce output.

That season, he was responsible for 2.2 chances created per 90 minutes, according to Opta, and registered 0.41 open-play assists per 90, the third-best rate in the Premier League.

That fits perfectly with De Zerbi's philosophy: the manager does not necessarily need a winger who receives the ball 30 times a match. He needs someone who, when receiving the ball in an advantageous position, can turn that advantage into something concrete.

Where does Savinho fit in at Tottenham?

Savinho is left-footed and became known primarily for playing on the right, receiving the ball wide and cutting inside. That was also how he spent much of his time at Manchester City. However, he is also very comfortable on the left.

It was on the left flank that Savinho built much of his reputation at Girona, where he had the most statistically impactful season of his career to date: nine goals and ten assists in LaLiga in 2023-24. The likelihood, then, is that De Zerbi will have a player capable of switching flanks during matches.

Tottenham already have Mohammed Kudus, who will return from injury and is naturally more associated with the right side. In a Tottenham side playing a 3-2-5 shape, Savinho could be one of the players responsible for maintaining width.

But there is a key difference between him and a winger who simply stays wide: Savinho can start on the touchline and finish the move inside the box. That ability to attack at different heights is exactly what gives unpredictability to such a positional structure.

De Zerbi's football relies heavily on the relationship between width and occupation of central spaces. When the winger stays wide, the opposition full-back has a decision to make: track the winger, or stay close to the centre-backs?

If he tracks Savinho, a lane may open up centrally. If he does not, the Brazilian receives the ball in a one-on-one situation, exactly where he tends to feel most comfortable.

De Zerbi's structure combines wingers hugging the touchline with inside movements from other players to create different types of numerical superiority. And Savinho is particularly dangerous when he has space to run into.

That means the quality of Tottenham's build-up play will be crucial. The better De Zerbi manages to draw the opposition in, the more often Savinho will receive the ball in conditions where he is at his most dangerous.

Savinho is exactly the kind of winger De Zerbi wants

The manager himself has already explained that he likes teams that keep the ball, while also stressing the need to attack and defend collectively.

'I love keeping the ball, I love ball possession. I love creating chances, the chance to score. But at the same time, I love 11 defenders when we don't have the ball, because in this time of football we have to attack with 11 players, the keeper as well, and we have to defend with 11 players when the ball is not with us' - De Zerbi told the club's media channel.

The manager favours aggressive individual pressing after losing the ball. The player closest to the ball must react immediately, while the rest of the team compresses space.

Savinho has the intensity for that, and although he is not a physically dominant player, his acceleration and ability to chase down opponents can prove useful in a system that requires the forwards to take part in the press.

That also helps explain why De Zerbi is looking for a winger capable of fulfilling the specific functions of his model.

The signing also makes sense given the context of the squad. Tottenham finished last season in 17th place and spent much of the campaign fighting relegation. De Zerbi took charge towards the end of the season and managed to keep the club up, but the board decided on a complete squad overhaul for the new campaign.

Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke are among the reinforcements to arrive, while Andy Robertson and other experienced players have also been brought in. The problem was that the attack remained heavily dependent on players who were unavailable.

Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert all spent significant periods recovering from injuries. Tottenham themselves confirmed that all four missed the pre-season tour to continue their treatment.

Savinho, then, arrives in an area of the squad that was desperately short of pace, dribbling and individual creative quality.