Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer window is rarely talked about. So it speaks volumes that they have a role to play even in the inflationary market of 2026.
In fact, it’s one of the reasons the Spurs are paid more than usual.
After Elliott Anderson left for Manchester City for £116m, the Lilywhites spent £85m on Matheus Fernandes before signing Sandro Tonali for their first-ever £100m. The level of spending in the Premier League is astonishing.
Morgan Rodgers has also been linked with a move to Spurs, but he is likely to join Chelsea for £117m.
How close were the Spurs to signing Morgan Rogers?
After the additions of Tonali and Fernandes, it would have been a daunting prospect to welcome Rodgers to the club. That said, Tottenham were mean and were certainly interested in signing a player described by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp as “one of the best players in the world”.
To be honest, the Londoners weren’t that close to signing him from Aston Villa this summer. They had their sights set on it, but I always knew they would end up going to their noisy neighbors Arsenal.
Instead, it was the London blue side who secured a transfer out of nowhere. Chelsea paid Villa’s desired fee and the deal was completed.
At £117m, Rodgers is now the most expensive English player in football history. Will he be able to afford that price? Well, considering the prices this summer, the answer is yes. He is a better player than the aforementioned Tonali and Andersson.
Rogers – Career by season | ||
|---|---|---|
season | the goal | assist |
2022/23 | 1 | 1 |
2023/24 | 10 | 9 |
2024/25 | 14 | 16 |
2025/26 | 14 | 12 |
Spurs may have secured their own £100m player this summer, but it seemed unlikely they would repeat that deal and exceed Tonali’s transfer fee.
Alas, they would have gotten a strong, good player. The 23-year-old is a very versatile player. He played on the left and in the middle for Villa, and played on the right for England at the World Cup, most notably assisting Anthony Gordon’s opening goal in the semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Since moving to the Midlands, Rodgers has been nothing short of outstanding, scoring 14 goals in successive seasons and also providing 28 assists in the past two seasons.
So how did Roberto De Zerbi manage to acquire someone similar? Well, Spurs are looking to strengthen their attack this summer.
How can the Spurs sign their version of Morgan Rodgers?
It’s already been an incredibly exciting summer for Tottenham, but how can they make it even better? Well, adding a few forward players certainly wouldn’t go amiss.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Crupi appears to be at the top of the list and I truly believe they can achieve this. According to reports, he wants to transfer.
He is not the only Premier League forward likely to arrive at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In fact, according to Fabrizio Romano, Spurs are still looking to move Sabinho, who is hoping to make a deal happen.
Romano said at the weekend: “Tottenham want Sabinho and negotiations are ongoing between the clubs. Sabinho is very keen to move to Tottenham. He was already preparing to join a year ago, but the deal didn’t happen. They offered him a new contract, but now Sabinho wants to go to Tottenham. To get the green light for the transfer, Manchester City will need to find a replacement.”
Although a deal is still not very close, it feels like it is moving quickly. So what can he bring to the club? There are some key differences between Rodgers, primarily the fact that they are both strong on the opposite foot. However, there are many similarities, not least the fact that despite being of different ages, both players have struggled to make the grade at City.
Rodgers was forced to leave City as a teenager before rising to the top through spells at Middlesbrough and Aston Villa. It’s a different journey for Savinho, but like the Englishman, he feels he needs to leave the Etihad to truly find himself as a footballer.
The main similarities are the ability to run powerfully with the ball and make things happen, especially creatively. Unlike Rodgers, Sabinho is not much of a scorer. He has scored just seven goals in 84 games for City. Still, he certainly knows how to support his teammates.
In the 2024/25 season, the Brazilian wideman provided 13 assists in all competitions in the Premier League and completed 1.6 key passes per game. For City, only Kevin De Bruyne (2.1) had a better score that season.
For comparison, Rodgers recorded 16 assists in the same period and 12 in 2025/26. They create goal chances at a similar rate.
The important thing is that both players are running very straightforwardly. There’s very little side-by-side or backwards when it comes to these two. They love to deal with men. Two seasons ago, Rodgers completed 1.90 dribbles per 90 compared to Sabinho’s 2.64.
Creative, tough on the ball and unconventional forward players, there’s a lot to like about these two. Spurs had little chance of signing Rodgers, but signing Savinho, who is valued at £60m, would give them an exciting and creative wide player from a fellow Premier League club.
