Tottenham signs Savinho for over $100 million
London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur signed Brazilian winger Savinho from Manchester City yesterday for an initial fee of £75 million ($102 million), pushing the London club’s total spending in this summer’s transfer window to over $400 million.
The 22-year-old Savinho failed to establish himself as a regular starter at City over two seasons, but the Spurs hope to add pace and creativity to their attack after narrowly avoiding relegation from the English Premier League last season.
Savinho said in a statement to Tottenham: “It took some time, but I am very happy to be here. It’s a great opportunity at a distinguished club with one of the best coaches in the world.”
The impact of Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi at the end of last season helped Tottenham avoid relegation to the second tier, the Championship, for the first time in 49 years.
However, the manager’s revolution, backed by heavy spending to reshape the squad, began disastrously with a 3-0 defeat to Brentford in the opening match of the new season.
De Zerbi said: “Savinho brings vitality, creativity, and quality to the wide areas. He has the courage to face defenders and the ability to change the course of matches with his creativity.”
According to reports, City could receive up to an additional £10 million ($13.6 million) in bonuses and incentives.
Furthermore, more dealings between the two clubs are likely in the coming period, as Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush appears set to leave Manchester for north London before the transfer window closes next week.
Meanwhile, Spanish coach Xabi Alonso started successfully with Chelsea, despite a hard-fought 3-2 win over London rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday, concluding the first matchday of the English Premier League.
Brazilian Joao Pedro opened the scoring for Chelsea just 31 seconds after the kickoff, while Morgan Rogers, making his debut in the Blues shirt, added a goal in the 41st minute, and Cole Palmer scored in the 49th. Fulham’s goals came from Joshua King in the 23rd minute and new signing Gonzalo Garcia in the 54th.
Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, a Chelsea player, came on as a substitute in the 64th minute amid loud boos from Fulham fans, following his provocative role in Argentina’s victory over England in the World Cup semi-final.
In an evening that brought old friends together on the touchline and on the pitch, Alonso secured victory against Fulham’s new manager, his compatriot Alvaro Arbeloa.
The two friends played together for seven years at Real Madrid and Liverpool, and also shone with the Spanish national team.
Ironically, Arbeloa rose from Real Madrid’s youth setup to replace Alonso when the latter was sacked at the Santiago Bernabeu in January.
