Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi addressed the media on Tuesday as his side prepares to face Charlton in the Carabao Cup second round.
The Italian coach had fresh transfer business to discuss following Tottenham’s acquisition of Brazilian winger Savio from Manchester City in a deal worth £75million, with an additional £10million possible in performance-related add-ons. This represents the north London club’s seventh summer signing, bringing their total transfer expenditure to £319million, with further activity expected before the window closes. The club has also generated significant income through player sales to maintain financial balance.
De Zerbi is hoping to strengthen his squad further with the addition of Savio’s City colleague Omar Marmoush, while Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo features on his list of potential targets.
Before turning attention to Wednesday’s cup tie against Championship outfit Charlton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, De Zerbi must help his squad recover from a disappointing opening Premier League defeat at Brentford at the weekend.
The former Brighton manager fielded questions from journalists including the club’s correspondent at the club’s training headquarters on Tuesday.
When discussing the incoming signing, De Zerbi described Savio as one of the finest exponents of attacking play one-on-one, suggesting the winger possesses the quality to match the world’s best wide players who typically net between 10 and 15 goals each campaign. The coach indicated his desire to improve his side’s goal-scoring output.
Savio himself commented on finalising his switch to north London.
The former City player completed a £85million move to Tottenham and reportedly made one particular request upon joining.