Tottenham's Summer Transfer Spree: Marmoush and Savio Join
Tottenham’s summer spree has taken another twist, Manchester City’s web of sell-on clauses has frayed, and Newcastle and Nottingham Forest are both betting big on the next phase of their rebuilds.
Frankfurt frozen out of Marmoush windfall
Eintracht Frankfurt will not see a single euro from Omar Marmoush’s move from Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur.
BBC Sport understands the Bundesliga club have confirmed there is no sell-on clause triggering a payment as the Egypt international swaps City blue for north London. That clarity cuts through weeks of speculation around the financial mechanics of Spurs’ double swoop for Marmoush and Savio.
Reports suggested City had pushed Savio’s fee up to around £75m to effectively dilute what they would owe Frankfurt on Marmoush, who left Germany for Manchester in 2025. That theory collapses with Frankfurt’s stance: they get nothing from this deal.
The numbers around the transfers remain under scrutiny. The reality for Spurs is simpler – they are paying heavily to reshape Roberto de Zerbi’s attack.
Spurs’ shopping list: how far do they go?
Inside the club, the plan at the start of the summer was bold: five major signings, plus a cluster of free transfers, to give De Zerbi a squad capable of playing his high-risk, high-tempo football.
Savio is one of the headline acts. Marmoush is another. De Zerbi publicly asked for a “bomba” signing alongside Savio; Marmoush has been framed as exactly that kind of explosive arrival.
But the next moves hinge on exits.
Tottenham currently have well over 30 senior players on their books, depending on which academy graduates you count. That is not a squad, it is a logjam. Sales will dictate whether Spurs push for more big names before the window shuts or simply trim the fat around De Zerbi’s core.
What Marmoush actually brings Spurs
Strip away the price and the noise, and Marmoush’s profile is clear.
He scored 16 goals in 62 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City after leaving Frankfurt. Eight of those came in 36 outings in 2025-26, a season when his Premier League minutes shrank dramatically. He started only eight league games and played roughly 700 minutes – less than he managed after arriving midway through the previous campaign.
His league output last season: three goals, three assists. His expected goals stood at 3.53, almost perfectly in line with his finishing. The problem was not composure in front of goal. It was opportunity.
Marmoush has been trying to break into a front line built around Erling Haaland, with City continuously refreshing their attacking options. He found himself fighting for scraps.
Tottenham’s situation is different. Dominic Solanke has spent the last 18 months battling injuries. Richarlison, who has never fully nailed down the number nine role, is now into the final year of his contract. There is a vacancy for a forward who can both start and stretch defences.
Marmoush is, by trade, a central striker. But he is no fixed-point target man.
At Frankfurt he led the line, worked as a second striker and drifted in from the left. City used him in a similar way: mainly through the middle, but also from the flank and in support of another forward. That positional fluidity fits neatly with De Zerbi’s preference for interchanging forwards and constant movement.
It is not just about where he stands. It is how he runs.
‘Better on the shoulder’ – the Marmoush blueprint
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha has seen Marmoush’s strengths up close and does not complicate the analysis.
Yes, the forward can drop in and link play. The sharper version of him, though, lives on the last line of defence.
Onuoha believes Marmoush needs a team that repeatedly hits balls in behind, forcing defenders to turn and sprint towards their own goal. That is where the 25-year-old’s game sharpens: timing his runs, attacking space, dragging backlines into panic.
The data backs that picture. Opta’s Premier League numbers from last season show Marmoush averaged 11.46 runs in behind per 90 minutes. That is almost identical to Solanke’s 11.61 and ahead of Richarlison’s 10.03. The difference is that Marmoush also offered more on the ball.
Drop that profile into a De Zerbi system, with Spurs encouraged to play through pressure and then release runners at speed, and the fit looks obvious. Now it is on Tottenham to build the kind of supply line City never truly offered him.
Newcastle turn to Gonzalez after Guimaraes exit
While Spurs retool their forward line, Newcastle are rebuilding their midfield around a new heartbeat.
Newcastle United have agreed a deal worth up to £52m for Manchester City midfielder Nico Gonzalez, giving head coach Matthias Jaissle the kind of all-rounder he has been demanding.
Jaissle warned last week that “adjustments need to be done and will be” after a summer of upheaval. Newcastle’s young side came within seconds of beating Liverpool on the opening weekend, but the squad still looked short of experience and control in key areas.
Six new signings had already arrived – goalkeepers Lukas Hornicek and Ewen Jaouen, defender Amar Dedic, midfielders Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur, and forward Bazoumana Toure. All from the continent. All part of a longer-term project.
Then came the painful part. Newcastle reluctantly sold talisman Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal. Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier have also departed in recent months. Premier League nous had drained away.
Gonzalez changes that dynamic.
The 24-year-old has only spent a season and a half in England after joining City from Porto, but he fits the club’s age profile: young enough to grow, experienced enough to lead. Last season, among midfielders who played at least 900 minutes in Europe’s top five leagues, he led the way for high turnovers per game with 2.13. He also ranked in the Premier League’s top five midfielders for line-breaking passes per match, averaging 12.
Win the ball high. Break lines quickly. Those twin traits are exactly what Newcastle have been searching for in the middle of the pitch.
This is the type of player who, not long ago, would have felt out of Newcastle’s reach. Now he is being handed a bigger role at St James’ Park, with a price tag that underlines his importance to Jaissle’s plan.
Forest’s £50m gamble on Delap
Down at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest are making their own statement.
They have agreed a club-record fee worth around £50m to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap. The 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical and sign a long-term deal this week.
It is a huge outlay on a forward whose last season was wrecked by injuries.
Delap, a product of Manchester City’s academy, took the scenic route to this point. Loan spells at Stoke, Preston and Hull led to a permanent move to Ipswich Town in 2024 for about £20m. There, he flourished, scoring 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances and earning talk of a future England role.
That form attracted Chelsea, who paid £30m to beat Manchester United and Everton to his signature a year ago. The move never ignited. Shoulder and hamstring problems limited him and he scored just one Premier League goal.
Chelsea responded by reshaping their own attack, signing Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton. Delap was made available for sale. Forest pounced.
The size of the fee tells you how firmly they believe he can be a regular Premier League scorer again.
Forest have already been busy. Defender Ousmane Diomande has arrived from Sporting for £34m, while Austrian midfielder Xaver Schlager and goalkeeper Steve Benda have joined on free transfers. Big money has also come in: England midfielder Elliot Anderson was sold to Manchester City for a club-record £116m, and striker Taiwo Awoniyi departed for Coventry City for £9m.
Even so, £50m on Delap is a clear bet.
He will compete with Chris Wood and Igor Jesus, neither of whom found the net in Forest’s 1-0 home defeat by Leeds on the opening weekend. Goals are an urgent requirement, not a luxury.
A window racing towards its finish
The clock is ticking. Less than a week remains in the transfer window, and the Premier League’s middle tier is refusing to stand still.
Tottenham are reshaping their forward line with Marmoush and Savio. Newcastle are handing Gonzalez the keys to their midfield. Forest are pushing their chips in on Delap. Aston Villa, watching Ollie Watkins edge towards the exit, are weighing up Jean-Philippe Mateta as a possible replacement.
These are not cosmetic tweaks. They are structural changes.
When the window shuts on 1 September, the question will not be who spent the most. It will be which of these bold, targeted gambles actually shifts the balance of power once the season bites.
