Tottenham's Transfer Strategy: Savinho, Marmoush, and Gakpo
Tottenham’s £400m gamble might not be done yet. Savinho is in. Omar Marmoush is close. And there are growing hints that something even bigger could still be coming.
Double swoop – and then?
On Thursday, Fabrizio Romano laid out the plan in simple terms: Tottenham want two wingers and a central striker this summer. Savinho and Cody Gakpo were named as the wide targets, with a new No 9 to complete the set.
Within hours, Spurs had moved. An £85m agreement with Manchester City for Savinho was struck, a statement fee that underlined just how aggressively the club are backing Roberto De Zerbi. With that deal effectively done, attention swung to the second part of the attacking rebuild: Omar Marmoush.
The Eintracht Frankfurt forward has agreed personal terms on a five-year contract and, by all accounts, is eager to work under De Zerbi. Talks between the clubs have been described as “very close”, with a deal expected to be wrapped up in the coming days. If and when that happens, Tottenham’s outlay this window will surge towards the £400m mark.
And yet, the noise around the club suggests the spree may not stop there.
“May yet go bigger”
According to The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney, Tottenham “may yet go bigger than Savinho and Omar Marmoush”, as he put it in his Inside Football newsletter.
The obvious name in that conversation is Cody Gakpo. Romano has repeatedly framed the window around three pillars: Savinho, Gakpo and a central striker – the latter now looking like Marmoush. While the Egyptian has dominated headlines in recent days, Gakpo has never fully drifted from the picture.
Romano’s latest line was clear enough: “It’s not over at all, the summer transfer window for Tottenham. I always told you Savinho, Gakpo, and a central striker. Savinho is done. Gakpo: we will talk in the next few days.”
If it isn’t Gakpo, then Spurs are hiding another attacking target extremely well. With the window now into its final week, that cloak of secrecy cannot last much longer.
The Gakpo equation
For Gakpo, several pieces still need to fall into place.
Personal terms are not the issue. The Dutch forward has already agreed a deal with Tottenham and is understood to be very keen on the move. The problem lies at Liverpool’s end. He remains part of their plans, and the club have so far proved stubborn in any negotiation.
His strong pre-season has only hardened that stance. Some journalists now believe a sale will be especially difficult after Gakpo impressed over the summer and with Liverpool confident that new manager Andoni Iraola can extract even more from him.
Tottenham, crucially, have not yet submitted a formal offer. That could change fast if Liverpool reshape their own attack. Interest remains in Paris Saint-Germain duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye; the arrival of either would crank up competition in Gakpo’s position and might shift Liverpool’s calculation on a sale.
For now, Spurs wait, armed with an agreement on personal terms and a clear idea of the player they want.
Savinho is done. Marmoush is nearly there. The question now is whether Tottenham stop at “very big” – or push for something even larger in the final days of the window.
