Savinho's Absence Complicates Tottenham's Transfer Plans for Community Shield

Enzo Maresca’s plans for his first piece of Manchester City silverware have hit an early snag.

As City stepped up preparations for the Community Shield showdown with Arsenal at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Savinho was a conspicuous absentee from their latest training session. The 22-year-old Brazilian, a livewire option in the final third, sat out due to illness, according to The Athletic’s Sam Lee, casting doubt over his involvement in Sunday’s curtain-raiser.

On the pitches at the City Football Academy, though, there were far more encouraging sights. Jack Grealish was back in the thick of it, pushing to make what would be his first appearance for the club in over a year after a grim run of injuries. Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and January signing Marc Guehi all trained as they jostle for starting roles against Mikel Arteta’s side.

Savinho’s absence comes at a fascinating moment for his future.

Tottenham, and Roberto De Zerbi in particular, are closing in on what has been described as their primary attacking target. Spurs are nearing a full agreement for the £60 million-rated winger, with north London interest intensifying just as he drops out of City training.

It fits a summer in which Tottenham have behaved like a club desperate to tear up the recent past. After back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, the rebuild has been ruthless. The first half of the window was devoted to the defence: Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke all arrived to reshape the back line.

Then came the statement in midfield. Spurs poured a combined £185 million into Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, handing De Zerbi the kind of technical, combative core he demands.

Now the spotlight is on the attack. Savinho is the preferred piece to complete the puzzle, but Tottenham know they need room to move. Cristian Romero is close to joining Atletico Madrid, while Djed Spence is set for Inter. Those exits are designed to open up the financial space required to really test City’s resolve.

That, though, is where it gets complicated. City’s hierarchy are unlikely to roll over for a direct domestic rival, especially without a replacement lined up. Maresca’s immediate needs for the Community Shield collide with the club’s longer-term planning and Spurs’ aggressive push in the market.

So Tottenham have drawn up contingency plans. One of the alternative names on their list is Cody Gakpo. The Liverpool forward is highly admired at Hotspur Way, seen as another elite option who can operate across the front line. But prising him away from Anfield would be a different level of difficulty.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has outlined Liverpool’s stance: they are reluctant to sell Gakpo unless they can bring in multiple attacking reinforcements first. That condition alone makes any move for the former PSV man a far more complex negotiation than a straight bid.

The clock is ticking. The Community Shield will give an early glimpse of how Maresca’s City might look, with or without Savinho, while Spurs work frantically in the background.

For De Zerbi and Tottenham, one final attacking signing remains the last major job of the summer. Will it be Savinho, Gakpo, or a late twist in a window that has already rewritten the club’s ambitions?