Why Tottenham's £85m swoop for Savio just doesn't add up - except for Man City

Senior figures at Manchester City are said to be thrilled with the sale of Savio to Tottenham in a deal which could reach £85m.

And so they should be. Because somehow, City have managed to make more than £50m profit on a footballer who contributed little or nothing to the team's success in the short time he spent at the Etihad.

It took Pep Guardiola less than half a season to realise he'd made a mistake in signing the Brazilian winger from Troyes in 2024. In two seasons in Manchester, Savio made just 28 league appearances. These included a grand total of seven last season. But it was his lack of commitment as much as his lack of impression and goals, which made the £30.8m fee look extortionate.

Let's just say Guardiola and his coaching staff had little time for Savio's work rate and reluctance to get physical when he needed to. But there is a man working at the highest level of football who must see something in Savinho no-one else can: Carlos Raphael Moersen.

Get our comprehensive football coverage, with news, updates, opinions, analysis and everything that matters to you, straight to your inbox.

To get it, it's a quick and easy one-two:

1. Head THIS WAY

Moersen, who is known as 'Rafi" to his friends and colleagues, oversaw Savio's transfer to City when he was the City Football Group executive.

He spent almost a decade working across CFG clubs and, and was responsible for overseeing football transactions within the organisation. In December of 2025 Moersen was lured to Tottenham, as the club's new director of football operations. Moersen arrived in north London with big ideas.

And it just so happens one of them was for Spurs to sign Savio. Which they have now done. Signing someone who looks out of his depth in the Premier League once, is clumsy. But doing the same thing twice is downright foolish. Undeterred, Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi is under the impression he's landed himself a game-changing star.

"Savio is a player who brings energy, imagination and quality in wide positions. He has the courage to attack defenders and the ability to change a game with his creativity," he said.

Spurs' fascination with Savio is as remarkable as it is hard to fathom. Because, and with respect to De Zerbi, if Guardiola didn't rate him, then why would an Italian whose greatest managerial achievement to date is winning the Ukrainian Super Cup?

Spurs supporters should be bracing themselves. To witness a footballer who flatters to deceive - thus personifying what his new club have been all about in recent times.

Sky's Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season, with more than 1,500 games from the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts.