Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for attacking reinforcements as head coach Roberto De Zerbi rebuilds following a season that nearly ended in Premier League relegation.
The club have already brought in Marcos Senesi, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, and Jan Paul van Hecke as part of a substantial summer overhaul at the club.
Spurs have been linked with Manchester City winger Savinho, who was a target for former head coach Thomas Frank during last summer’s transfer window.
However, there is a strong argument that signing Savinho would represent a costly mistake given the profile of player De Zerbi already has at his disposal.
Tottenham spent £55m to bring Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United last year, and the Ghana international scored just three goals in 26 appearances for the club last season.
Savinho carries many of the same weaknesses as Kudus, being a left-footed wide forward who has consistently struggled to score goals at Premier League level with any regularity.
The 22-year-old has scored just two goals from 7.34 expected goals across the last two Premier League campaigns, missing 12 big chances and converting at a rate of just two to five percent.
He has registered 13 assists across those two seasons, but scoring only seven goals in 84 total appearances highlights a serious inefficiency in front of goal that Spurs cannot afford to replicate.
Football Insider reports that Tottenham are one of the clubs who have made contact with Benfica to open talks over a move for Norway international Andreas Schjelderup this summer.
The 22-year-old is valued at £34m and is unlikely to sign a contract extension with the Portuguese club, potentially making Benfica open to selling him in the current window.
Schjelderup managed seven goals and four assists in Liga Portugal last season from 28 appearances, compared to Savinho’s single goal and one assist from 24 Premier League outings.
The Norwegian created nine big chances for teammates in league competition alone, while Savinho created zero, underscoring a dramatic difference in attacking output and influence.
Schjelderup also impressed on the world stage this summer, scoring against England in the World Cup quarter-finals and providing three assists across six appearances for Norway.
His goals and assists came against elite opposition, including a brace of assists in a win over Brazil and a further assist against France during Norway’s tournament run.
Analyst Filipe Sousa has claimed the Benfica forward has “world-class potential”, and his World Cup performances suggest he is ready to handle the demands of top-level football consistently.
His ability to perform against England, France, and Brazil at the World Cup gives genuine confidence that he can adapt to Premier League intensity without a prolonged settling-in period.
Schjelderup is a right-footed forward capable of operating on either flank, giving De Zerbi a different and more versatile option compared to the left-footed Savinho or the similar Kudus.
Savinho did not make the Brazil squad for the World Cup, which speaks volumes about his standing relative to other attackers when compared to a player of Schjelderup’s current trajectory.
At £34m, the Benfica winger represents not only a more productive profile but potentially better value than pursuing a Manchester City player carrying a premium price tag and inconsistent output.
For Tottenham to genuinely compete in the Premier League next season, securing Schjelderup over Savinho looks like the sharper, smarter decision in the final third this summer.