Injured, eh? Where would Tottenham Hotspur be without them? Admittedly, there are deeper reasons for Spurs’ Premier League woes over the past two seasons, but the fitness of their key players hasn’t helped one bit.
If you look at any Tottenham player, it’s likely that they spent some time on the sidelines. Thomas Frank was without Dominic Solanke for much of his tenure, with the likes of James Maddison and Dejan Krusveski unable to play a single game under the Dane.
Maddison returned to at least assist Roberto De Zerbi, but Deki was nowhere to be seen. The situation surrounding the Swede is becoming more and more alarming as the days go by.
Despite Maddison’s return, things were far from easy for De Zerbi. Xavi Simmons suffered a cruel blow as he regained his anterior cruciate ligament. He will now miss games for at least the next nine months.
This explains why the Spurs are looking to strengthen their offensive line.
£60m star aims to sign for Spurs
It’s no exaggeration to say that the Lilywhites, who finished 17th in the Premier League for the first year in a row, have taken no prisoners.
They have already made moves to ensure this doesn’t happen again, bringing in two new players to the club last week, Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth and Andy Robertson from Liverpool.
Both players have reached the end of their contracts with their respective clubs and will head to north London on free transfers. Not bad business, right?
Still, Brighton’s key target Jan Paul van Hekke is thought to be worth £70m, so a big-money reinforcement could be on the cards. A deal at this price is unlikely, but Spurs are very keen as they made an unsuccessful bid to lure him away from the Amex.
Tottenham’s most expensive contract in history
A detailed look at the 10 richest contracts in Spurs history.
Spurs are also hoping to sign Manchester City winger Sabinho. The latest update on the pursuit comes from the Mirror newspaper, who report that the Brazilian is “ready to move to London”.
Worth £50 million, De Zerbi’s side, then managed by Frank, had hoped to sign the winger last summer, but their efforts were unsuccessful. However, this time, Sabinho wants to transfer to the club and has stated that he will “work hard to conclude a contract,” so it seems that the possibility of a contract being concluded is quite high.
Further reports from one reliable Spurs source on Sunday said the move was starting to move forward quickly, with the fee “agreed in principle” and only the add-ons now needing to be sorted out.
How to compare Savigno with Kudus and Kulusevski
Can you imagine what things would have been like last season if the Spurs’ front line had consisted of Kudus, Kulusevski, Maddison, and Simmons?
These are threatening forward players who can influence play not only from the central areas of the pitch, but also from the outside.
Selected Spurs players (games and minutes played) | ||
|---|---|---|
player | games played | minutes |
Dejan Kulusevski | 0 | 0 |
james madison | 3 | 34 |
Dominic Solanke | 20 | 1,161 |
muhammad jerusalem | 26 | 1,921 |
Xavi Simmons | 45 | 2,569 |
Spurs simply missed a lot of football in 2025/26, and it’s no surprise that they found themselves in a relegation battle without their best players for such a long period of time.
That’s why it makes sense to sign a player like Sabinho this summer, but it’s understandable that supporters will have questions, especially over a £50m transfer fee.
Indeed, the City forward is coming off a season in which he scored just one goal all season. He started just seven games in the Premier League. It was a truly disastrous campaign for the 22-year-old.
That being said, he still has some great traits. In the 2024/25 season, he scored three goals, but his number of assists reached 13. In that respect, he is similar to the aforementioned Kudus and Kulusevsky.
Since moving to England, the former has never been particularly active as a goalscorer, scoring eight goals for West Ham United and Spurs. Krusveski is similar in that respect, but he found the net 10 times last season.
What unites these three players is their creativity. Spurs’ Swedish sensation provided as many as 11 assists in the 2024/25 season before his injury, while Kudus had five before this season. However, he was one of the team’s most creative players, making 1.3 key passes per game. Pedro Polo was the only member of the team with a higher score, at 1.6.
How does it compare to Savigno? Well, only Kevin De Bruyne (2.1) managed more key passes in a game for Manchester City last season than the Brazilian winger (1.6). It’s going pretty well.
But like Kudus, he is a dual threat. When it comes to dealing with players, the City man is one of the best.
The Ghanaian has long been known for his ability to get past defenders, but he only completed 3.20 progressive carries per 90 compared to Savinho’s impressive 7.45 per 90. This statistic puts him in the top 1% of ball carriers when compared to wingers in Europe’s top five leagues.
So, despite the initial doubts, this is actually a potentially quite game-changing move for Tottenham’s attack. He is very creative, just like Krusvesky and Kudus, but he is not afraid to fight his own man.

A better deal than Sabinho: Spurs in talks to sign ‘perfect’ £66m winger
Tottenham are aiming to revamp their front line under manager Roberto De Zerbi.

