£52m star wants to join Spurs this summer

It’s been a long and difficult season for Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison. The England international suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury and missed the majority of the season due to that very problem.

The fact that he was unable to help his teammates prevent relegation was a huge blow to him. Even if he returned, he would not be able to play in the game due to the severity of his injury.

Maddison played just five minutes against Leeds, 21 minutes against Chelsea and eight minutes against Everton on the final day. Fortunately for him, Roberto De Zerbi’s men have secured Premier League safety.

You’d think if De Zerbi and Maddison had been around all season, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Ah, now is the time to reflect on the season, but then it’s quickly forgotten. With many transfers already scheduled, it’s time to look to brighter days next season.

Tottenham move forward with summer transfer plans

De Zerbi and the team have been wasting no time in planning his transfer in recent days, with two deals already close to being finalized.

Andy Robertson almost signed for Spurs in the winter, but his final game for Liverpool has now cleared the way for him to join the Lilywhites on a free transfer when his contract at Anfield expires this summer.

The Scot is not the only defender linked with a move to Tottenham. Fabrizio Romano revealed this week that Spurs have a “verbal agreement” with Marcos Senesi over the Bournemouth centre-back’s arrival this summer. Like Robertson, the Argentine will sign for free as his contract expires.

Spurs appear to be paying attention to the Premier League market in order to strengthen their team going forward. A move for Manchester City’s Sabinho could also be floated.

Once again, this is by Fabrizio Romano. “Please understand that Tottenham have resumed contract negotiations with Savinho this summer. Savio is open to a move,” he wrote on social media on Tuesday morning.

Spurs tried to sign the Brazilian a year ago but ultimately failed to sign him despite making several bids. His price tag has since fallen to around £52 million, according to reports.

How Sabinho fits into Spurs’ attack

It is no exaggeration to say that Sabinho’s stock price has fallen significantly over the past year. The winger could have signed for Spurs at the end of the 2024/25 season after a season in which he provided 13 assists and scored three goals.

Admittedly, these are not amazing numbers, but he was one of the most creative wide players.

However, in the 2025/26 season, he mainly played as second fiddle behind Antoine Semenyo in the final stages of the season. Sabinho started just seven league games, scoring one goal and providing two assists. Across all competitions, the 22-year-old has scored four goals and provided three assists.

For that reason, some may think this is another poor signing to add to Tottenham’s collection.

However, at his age, there is an intimidating amount of potential to be extracted from City’s forwards. It wasn’t long ago that some suggested he looked like the next Riyad Mahrez, cutting inside from right to left foot with plenty of explosive power.

He still has that ability within him, especially when it comes to progressive carries per 90, which ranks him in the best 1% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues with an impressive 9.81. Spurs fans may be wondering how he can fit into the team as opposed to a player like Mohamed Kudus, but given the number of injuries in the 2025/26 season, Spurs need more depth. As Sabinho would add, he will also be included as a possible starter.

The Brazil international could be a game-changer for De Zerbi’s attacking line-up, especially the creative players. In short, he would be a dream come true for the aforementioned Madison.

This season they missed the Brits’ creativity a lot. He had 11 assists last season. Son Heung-min, who is leaving the team, is the only one with more than 12 in all competitions.

So a collaboration between Maddison and Sabinho could be a match made in heaven. This term, the City star ranks in the best 1% of wingers in Europe for receiving through balls. That should be music to the ears of players like Xavi Simmons, Kudus and Maddison, who know how to identify runners.

This Spurs team had a lot of problems in the center, narrowly avoiding elimination, but the attack was a big problem. They hardly caused enough problems, but with Maddison back and Sabinho potentially arriving, there is hope that things will look more lively come next season.