Tottenham's New Era: Savio's Impact Under De Zerbi

Tottenham have spent the summer staring at the wreckage of a season that almost ended in disaster. Now they’ve been told, bluntly, that it won’t happen again.

Gordon Strachan, who knows a thing or two about living with a permanently furious manager, is convinced Spurs will not repeat the chaos of 2025/26, when they clung to their Premier League status on the final day just a year after lifting the Europa League.

“I can’t see Spurs doing that again, I really can’t,” Strachan told Betway, pointing straight at Roberto De Zerbi and the club’s transfer spend as the reasons why.

Not just the money, though. The menace.

‘Permanently angry’ – and that’s the point

Strachan drew a direct line from De Zerbi to Sir Alex Ferguson, under whom he played at Aberdeen and Manchester United, and he meant it as the highest compliment.

“Not after spending that type of money, and not with the manager they’ve got, who’s permanently angry – which is good,” he said. “It’s like Sir Alex, he was permanently angry, as long as he’s got that drive to scare people into winning games of football and not getting beat.

“When I played with Sir Alex, it was not the fact that you had to win, you were just so scared of getting beat. So I think that’s what De Zerbi does to these teams a little bit.”

That edge, Strachan believes, will drag Spurs away from the trapdoor and back towards something more fitting for a club that so recently paraded a European trophy.

And De Zerbi now has a new weapon to wield.

Savio lands – and Spurs fans erupt

Tottenham’s supporters have been waiting for a marquee attacking signing to hang their hopes on. They’ve got one.

Savio – known as Savinho at Manchester City and with Brazil – has completed his move to north London for an initial £75 million, plus a further £10m in add-ons. The reaction online was instant and loud.

“Welcome lad we’ve been waiting for you. Time to build a legacy here in Spurs and the Premier League,” wrote one fan, cutting straight to the heart of the mood.

Another went bigger: “From shining at Girona to learning under Pep, and now cooked up by Roberto De Zerbi? Absolute masterclass signing. Savio is going to transform this attack entirely. Premier League isn’t ready for this flair!”

The excitement is not just about the fee. It’s about the profile: a 22-year-old winger with pace, audacity and a highlight reel already thick with chaos-inducing runs from his time at Girona.

Registered and ready

The timing has worked out perfectly for De Zerbi. Tottenham confirmed the deal in time to register Savio for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Charlton Athletic, beating the midday deadline for new signings to feature.

He is available. Whether De Zerbi throws him straight in is another matter, but the option is there, and that alone changes the feel of the night.

Other deals are less advanced. Talks continue between Spurs and Manchester City over Marmoush, with discussions ongoing and no agreement yet in place. The clock is ticking on that front; the Savio deal, at least, is done.

‘On our radar for a while’

Inside the club, there is no attempt to downplay how significant this signing is.

Sporting director Johan Lange made it clear this was not an opportunistic swoop but a long-term target finally landed.

“Savio is someone who has been on our radar for a while and I’m delighted that he is now a Tottenham Hotspur player,” Lange said.

“He has already shown his quality at the highest level, and we believe his ability, style and mentality will be a great fit for the squad we are building here.

“I know he will excite our supporters every time he gets on the ball and I’m looking forward to watching his development under Roberto’s coaching.”

The message is obvious: this is a cornerstone signing, not a gamble.

‘One of the best managers in the world’

Savio himself sounded like a player who had been convinced not just by the badge, but by the man in the dugout.

“It’s taken a while but I’m very happy to be here,” he said after the move was confirmed. “It’s a wonderful opportunity at a brilliant club with one of the best managers in the world.

“As soon as I spoke to the Head Coach I knew I had to come. He told me he wants to help me reach the highest level, and I believe we can do that together, as a team.”

Those words will land well with a fanbase desperate to see players choosing Spurs for footballing reasons, not just contracts.

Back to ‘Savio’ and into Romero’s shirt

There is symbolism in the details too.

The Brazilian has taken the No. 17 shirt at Tottenham, vacated only 10 days ago by Cristian Romero following his move to Atletico Madrid. A defensive enforcer out, an attacking livewire in.

He has also gone back to his original name on the shirt. At Girona, he wore “Savio”. At City and with Brazil, he switched to “Savinho”. At Spurs, he returns to “Savio”, a nod to where his rise truly began.

For supporters, it’s a small thing. For the player, it looks like a reset – a fresh chapter, on his terms.

De Zerbi’s kind of winger

If there were any doubts about how Savio fits De Zerbi’s blueprint, the head coach’s own words cut through them.

“Sávio is a player who brings energy, imagination and quality in wide positions,” De Zerbi said. “He has the courage to attack defenders and the ability to change a game with his creativity.

“We’re very pleased to have him with us, and I’m looking forward to working with him, helping him continue to grow and seeing him bring his personality to the team.”

Energy. Imagination. Courage. All wrapped in that relentless, angry demand for standards Strachan talked about.

Spurs nearly fell off a cliff last season. Now they’ve handed one of the game’s most intense coaches a £85m winger built to play on the front foot.

If De Zerbi really does channel a bit of Sir Alex, this might be the summer Tottenham stopped flirting with crisis and started scaring people again.