Spurs began their Premier League season in the worst possible fashion, suffering a damaging 3-0 defeat away at Brentford on Saturday evening.
The result was a bitter blow given the renewed optimism surrounding the club after a difficult 2026 leading into the new campaign.
Club-record signings Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali were both unable to prevent Tottenham from being thoroughly outclassed by the Bees at their own ground.
While defensive frailty was the primary concern on the night, Spurs also generated worryingly few goalscoring opportunities throughout the contest.
The imminent arrivals of Savinho and Omar Marmoush are expected to transform the attacking picture significantly under Roberto De Zerbi.
Tottenham are reportedly paying a jaw-dropping £85m for Savinho, a figure widely acknowledged as an overpayment for a player who scored just one league goal throughout 2025/26.
There is a belief that Spurs have paid such a sum in order to lower the fee they are due to pay for Marmoush, who is set to sign on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy of £50m.
Despite his modest output last season, Savinho’s underlying numbers from 2024/25 paint a much more encouraging picture of what the Brazilian winger can offer.
During that campaign, he ranked among the finest 7% of wingers and attacking midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for successful dribbles per 90 minutes, registering an impressive 2.81 per game.
Comparisons were made to Riyad Mahrez for the way he dazzled on his left foot and cut inside before wreaking havoc on opposition defences.
Savinho’s creativity was equally striking, ranking among the best 11% of positionally similar players for expected assists per 90 minutes, notching 11 assists and producing 1.6 key passes per game in the Premier League.
Only Kevin De Bruyne managed more creative output than Savinho for Manchester City during that remarkable 2024/25 season.
His limited involvement last term is largely explained by his workload, as he played just 36 times and 1,502 minutes, with 19 players including backup goalkeeper James Trafford earning more regular minutes.
The Brazilian started only seven Premier League games and four European fixtures, making a move away from City an obvious and necessary next step in his development.
Tottenham’s ability to help Savinho reach his ceiling, however, will hinge heavily on finding a reliable centre-forward capable of converting the chances that creative wide players produce.
Richarlison ended 2025/26 as Spurs’ top scorer with 12 goals and added three more in pre-season, but his Brentford showing was deeply unconvincing by any measure.
He managed just 17 touches, completed eight passes, failed to register a single shot, and lost possession in the build-up to the hosts’ second goal of the evening.
Dominic Solanke is the alternative option, though the striker endured a heavily disrupted campaign working under De Zerbi, Thomas Frank, and Igor Tudor across a challenging season.
Without a consistent and prolific striker to feed off the service that Savinho and Marmoush are capable of providing, Tottenham’s attacking investment risks falling short of its considerable potential.