Enzo Maresca Faces Challenge Ahead of Community Shield

Enzo Maresca’s plans for his first piece of silverware as Manchester City manager have hit an early snag.

With the Community Shield against Arsenal looming at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, one of the brightest attacking options in his squad, Savinho, was absent from City’s latest training session. The 22-year-old Brazilian sat out due to illness, according to The Athletic’s Sam Lee, casting doubt over his involvement in Sunday’s traditional curtain-raiser.

It is a headache Maresca could have done without.

While Savinho stayed away, the mood at the City Football Academy was lifted by the sight of some heavyweight names sharpening up. Jack Grealish took part as he pushes to make his first appearance for the club in over a year after prolonged injury problems. His return to the grass, in a competitive sense, has been a long time coming.

He was joined by Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and January signing Marc Guehi, all jostling for a place in the starting XI against Mikel Arteta’s side. For Maresca, the session underlined the depth at his disposal. It also underlined what he might be about to lose.

Because Savinho’s absence comes at a delicate moment.

The winger is at the centre of intense interest from north London, with Roberto De Zerbi pushing hard to make him the face of Tottenham’s revamped attack. Spurs are understood to be closing in on a full agreement for the £60 million-rated forward, with De Zerbi viewing him as his primary attacking target.

Tottenham’s urgency is easy to understand. After back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, the club has been forced into a brutal reset. They have already ripped up and rebuilt large parts of the squad, starting from the back and working their way forward, determined to claw their way back toward the top end of the table.

Summer Business

The first wave of their summer business focused on shoring up the defence. Martin Dubravka arrived to strengthen the goalkeeping department, while Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke were brought in to remodel the back line. It was a clear statement that the soft underbelly of recent seasons would not be tolerated.

Then came the big swing in midfield. Spurs poured around £185 million into the engine room to land Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, reshaping the spine of the team in one expensive, decisive burst. The message was blunt: this is not a slow rebuild.

Now the spotlight is on the final third. That is where Savinho comes in.

To push that deal over the line, Tottenham are preparing to cash in on some of their most valuable assets. Cristian Romero is close to a move to Atletico Madrid, while Djed Spence is on the verge of a switch to Inter. Those exits are designed to create the financial space required to properly test City’s resolve.

That resolve, though, is not guaranteed to crack. Selling a highly rated 22-year-old to a domestic rival is not a straightforward decision for the Etihad hierarchy, especially without a clear replacement lined up. Maresca’s attacking puzzle for this season would look very different if Savinho were to depart.

Spurs have at least drawn up a contingency plan. If prising Savinho away from City becomes too complex, they have identified Cody Gakpo as another elite option. The Liverpool forward is admired at Hotspur Way for his versatility and output across the front line.

Landing him, however, is an altogether trickier proposition. Journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that Liverpool are reluctant to sanction Gakpo’s sale unless they can bring in multiple attacking reinforcements first, a stance that raises the bar on both time and money for any potential buyer.

The clock is ticking. The Community Shield will offer a first glimpse of Maresca’s City, with or without Savinho, while Tottenham race the transfer deadline to complete the final piece of De Zerbi’s attacking rebuild.

One way or another, the Brazilian’s next move looks set to shape the opening chapter of the season for both clubs.