Tottenham's Transfer Moves: Marmoush and Savio Signings

Tottenham’s summer shake-up is gathering pace – and it is dragging half the Premier League into its slipstream.

Frankfurt frozen out of Marmoush windfall

Eintracht Frankfurt will receive nothing from Omar Marmoush’s move from Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur, despite speculation that the German club were in line for a sell-on bonus.

BBC Sport understands Frankfurt have confirmed there is no sell-on clause cashing in as Marmoush switches from City to Spurs. That clarity cuts through a swirl of rumour around the complex web of deals involving the forward and his new team-mate Savio.

Reports suggested City had pushed Savio’s fee up to around £75m, the theory being that an inflated price for the Brazilian would allow them to reduce what they owed Frankfurt on Marmoush, who left the Bundesliga side in 2025. The German club’s stance ends that narrative. City keep the Savio windfall. Frankfurt get nothing from Marmoush’s latest move.

Spurs’ transfer plan: from ‘bomba’ to balance

So where does this leave Tottenham’s wider rebuild?

At the start of the summer, Spurs mapped out a plan: five major signings, topped up by free transfers, to reshape Roberto De Zerbi’s squad. Savio and Marmoush are two of those headline arrivals from Manchester City. De Zerbi had spoken of wanting a “bomba” signing to sit alongside Savio. Marmoush, in profile and price, fits that description.

The challenge now is numbers. Tottenham have well over 30 senior players on their books, depending on how you count academy graduates. Any further business will lean heavily on outgoings once the Savio and Marmoush deals are over the line.

The question from Spurs fans is simple: how many more? Inside the club, the answer depends on who they can move out in the final days of the window.

What Marmoush brings De Zerbi

Strip away the transfer noise and Marmoush’s case is straightforward: he is a proven, flexible forward whose City career stalled under the weight of competition.

Since joining from Frankfurt, the Egypt international scored 16 goals in 62 games in all competitions for City. Last season he managed eight goals in 36 appearances, but his Premier League minutes dropped sharply. He started only eight league matches, logging roughly 700 minutes – fewer than he had after arriving midway through the previous campaign.

His league output – three goals, three assists – broadly matched his underlying numbers. An expected goals figure of 3.53 suggests the problem was not his finishing, but opportunity. He was fighting for scraps in a side built around Erling Haaland, with City continuing to stack attacking options around their No 9.

Tottenham’s situation is different. Dominic Solanke has been hit by injuries over the last 18 months. Richarlison is into the final year of his contract. De Zerbi needs another reliable forward, and Marmoush offers more than a single role.

He is primarily a No 9, yet rarely chained to the position. At Frankfurt he led the line, dropped in as a second striker and drifted in from the left. City used him mainly through the middle but also from the flank and just off another forward. That kind of flexibility is gold dust for a coach who loves fluid front lines.

A runner in behind – and a runner with purpose

Nedum Onuoha, who watched Marmoush closely at City, sees a very clear sweet spot.

As much as Marmoush can drop towards the ball, Onuoha believes he is at his best playing on the shoulder of defenders, constantly threatening the space in behind. Put him in a team that looks forward early, forces centre-backs to turn and sprint towards their own goal, and you see a different version of the striker.

The numbers back that up. Opta’s Premier League data from last season shows Marmoush averaged 11.46 runs in behind per 90 minutes. That is almost identical to Solanke’s 11.61 and ahead of Richarlison’s 10.03. Crucially, he also offered more on the ball than those two, giving De Zerbi a forward who can both stretch defences and link play.

For a Spurs side trying to evolve into a more aggressive, vertical unit under their new head coach, Marmoush looks less like a luxury and more like a tactical fit.

Newcastle turn to Gonzalez after Guimaraes exit

While Spurs reshape their attack, Newcastle United are rebuilding the heart of their midfield.

Newcastle have agreed a deal worth up to £52m for Manchester City midfielder Nico Gonzalez, a move that hands head coach Matthias Jaissle the profile of player he has been pushing for.

The club have already been busy, bringing in goalkeepers Lukas Hornicek and Ewen Jaouen, defender Amar Dedic, midfielders Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur, and forward Bazoumana Toure. It is a young, continental-heavy recruitment drive.

Jaissle, though, made it clear last week that “adjustments need to be done and will be”. Those words came in the shadow of a painful sale: talisman Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal. With Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier also gone in recent months, Newcastle needed Premier League experience and authority.

Gonzalez, 24, has only spent a season and a half in England after joining City from Porto, but he fits the club’s age profile and their demand for upside. Last season he led all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, who played at least 900 minutes, for high turnovers per game with 2.13. He also ranked in the Premier League’s top five midfielders for line-breaking passes per match at 12.

That blend – aggression without the ball, incision with it – is exactly what Newcastle have been missing since Guimaraes left. Gonzalez now walks into a bigger role at St James’ Park than he ever had at City.

Forest gamble big on Delap

Nottingham Forest are taking their own swing at the market, and it is a hefty one.

They have agreed a club-record fee worth around £50m to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap. The 23-year-old is expected at the City Ground this week for a medical before signing a long-term contract.

It is a rapid rise in valuation for a player whose career has already taken a few sharp turns. Delap came through Manchester City’s academy, then went on loan to Stoke, Preston and Hull before Ipswich Town bought him in 2024 for about £20m. He responded with 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances for Ipswich and was tipped as a future England international.

Chelsea pounced, paying £30m and beating Manchester United and Everton to his signature. But the move never caught fire. A shoulder problem and hamstring issues disrupted his campaign, and he scored just one Premier League goal. The arrival of Brazil forward Joao Pedro squeezed his pathway further, and this summer Chelsea put him up for sale.

Forest’s decision to go to £50m underlines their belief that Delap can be a regular Premier League scorer again. He joins a squad already bolstered by £34m defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting, plus free-agent additions Xaver Schlager and goalkeeper Steve Benda.

There has been major churn. Forest sold England midfielder Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for a club-record £116m and striker Taiwo Awoniyi to Coventry City for £9m. Up front, Chris Wood and Igor Jesus both drew blanks in the 1-0 home defeat by Leeds on the opening weekend. Delap arrives to change that picture.

Chelsea, for their part, have moved on quickly, signing strikers Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton.

A frantic finish to the window

With less than a week left in the window, the market is still moving hard.

Forest are closing in on Delap. Aston Villa are weighing up Jean-Philippe Mateta as a potential replacement for the outgoing Ollie Watkins. Tottenham are trying to trim a bloated squad while bedding in Savio and Marmoush. Newcastle are betting big on Gonzalez to anchor a new-look midfield.

The money is flowing, the risks are obvious. By the time the window shuts, we will know which of these clubs has simply shuffled the deck – and which has genuinely changed the direction of their season.