Tottenham's Exciting Transfer Moves: De Zerbi's 'Bomba' Signings

Roberto De Zerbi could hardly hide his excitement. Tottenham’s head coach called Savio and Omar Marmoush “bomba” signings and hinted he is still not finished in the market, even with the transfer deadline looming on Tuesday night.

Spurs have pulled off a double swoop from Manchester City, landing long-term target Savio in a deal worth £85million and bringing Marmoush in on a season-long loan that includes an obligation to buy. If that clause is triggered, Marmoush’s fee could climb towards £60m, pushing Tottenham’s total summer outlay beyond the £350m mark.

For De Zerbi, it has already been a window beyond anything he imagined.

“I didn't expect one transfer market and one window like we have done,” he admitted before Newcastle’s visit to north London in the Premier League on Saturday.

Yet he still wants one more.

“I think we can do one player more and in one specific position,” he said, revealing that he had dinner on Thursday with the club’s hierarchy — the owners, Vinai Venkatesham, Johan Lange and Enrico Venturelli — to discuss exactly that. “We spoke about this, but we have all of us on the same page and there is a very good connection.”

‘Bomba’ in attack

Marmoush becomes Tottenham’s eighth signing of a breathless summer and arrives to bolster an attack that has been stretched thin. James Maddison is still working back towards full sharpness and Mohammed Kudus has only just returned from a long tendon injury, leaving De Zerbi short of fully fit creators and finishers.

Marmoush brings numbers as well as versatility. He scored 37 goals in a prolific 18-month spell at Eintracht Frankfurt and added 16 more during his time at Manchester City. Even so, with Savio in line for a full debut and others returning, the Egypt international may have to start his Spurs career from the bench on Saturday.

De Zerbi is in no doubt about the level of his new forward.

“A great signing for us. A great player, another great player and every one of us loves him as a player,” he said. “We hope he can do what he is able. I think he can give more solutions in attack. We need players in attack capable to score goals, to play well with the ball also, a very fast player, great qualities and we are all happy.

“I think he can play as a central striker. He is a different number 10 than (Conor) Gallagher or Maddison, more of an attacker, but he is a player of big qualities. The most important thing is to have players with qualities.”

That flexibility will be crucial. Marmoush can operate as a nine, drop into the hole, or drift wide, giving De Zerbi the kind of moving pieces he craves in the final third.

New faces, old questions

The new captain, Micky van de Ven, and Pedro Porro both featured in Wednesday’s 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Charlton and are pushing to start again. Savio is expected to make his first start for the club, while Kudus could be named in a matchday squad for the first time since January.

One player whose situation remains unresolved is Pape Sarr. The midfielder is available for selection, but his future is still in the balance heading into the final days of the window.

“Pape? No, he's good. We have to see in the last day of the transfer market what can happen with him,” De Zerbi said.

Then came the blunt message.

“If you want to leave and you have not found the offer, it's your problem, not my problem. I give respect, I kiss you, I hug you, but at the end have to stay calm inside the dressing room.”

Tottenham have spent big, reshaped their attack and armed De Zerbi with the “bomba” he demanded. With one more signing still possible and Newcastle arriving this weekend, the question now is simple: how quickly can this expensive new machine start firing in the Premier League?