What significance can a name carry? Apparently plenty, based on the conversation at Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham press conference on Tuesday. The discussion came shortly after Spurs completed the £75m transfer of Savinho from Manchester City, with the Brazilian winger confirming that he now wished to be known as Sávio. That name will appear above the No 17 on his Tottenham shirt, a number previously worn by former captain Cristian Romero before his move to Atlético Madrid.
The 22-year-old had used the name Sávio at different stages before spending two seasons with City, but his decision to return to it still prompted questions. Since Savinho can be loosely translated from Portuguese as “little Sávio”, some wondered whether the change reflected his belief that he had developed into an older, more accomplished player.
There has also been speculation surrounding the transfer fee, which may increase to £85m through add-ons. The initial £75m already makes Sávio City’s record sale, having originally cost them £30.8m from Troyes. Tottenham are also trying to recruit City forward Omar Marmoush, whose former club Eintracht Frankfurt are entitled to a percentage of any future sale. One theory suggests Spurs may have agreed a higher price for Sávio in exchange for a potentially lower valuation of Marmoush, thereby limiting the amount owed to Eintracht.
De Zerbi has more immediate concerns following Tottenham’s disappointing 3-0 loss at Brentford in their opening Premier League fixture. His team must now prepare to host Charlton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.
“Listen, I lost 3-0 in the first game in the Premier League … do you think for me it’s a problem if Savinho becomes Sávio?” he said before looking towards his interpreter. “If Enrico [the interpreter] becomes Savinho, it’s a problem. If Savinho stays Sávio, nothing changes for me.”
According to De Zerbi, negotiations for Sávio began three days after last season concluded. Completing the transfer became a lengthy process, but the Tottenham manager believes the effort was justified. He considers Sávio among the world’s strongest players when taking on defenders in one-on-one situations. The winger must now become more productive in the final third, especially in front of goal. He registered only seven goals for City across all competitions, including two in 53 Premier League matches. His registration was finalized in time, making him eligible to face Charlton.
De Zerbi eventually acknowledged that adopting the name Sávio represented a new beginning for the player. Tottenham are also clearly in need of a reset after their defeat at Brentford, where optimism generated by substantial summer investment quickly gave way to frustration and a familiar sense of disappointment.
Several circumstances may help explain Tottenham’s poor display against Brentford, who looked more organized and showed greater determination in individual contests. De Zerbi highlighted those factors while insisting that he was presenting facts rather than searching for excuses.
His entire back four differed from the unit he preferred at the end of last season, while the central midfield partnership was also new. The attacking combination of Mikey Moore, Richarlison and Mathys Tel hardly appeared capable of leading a serious challenge for Champions League qualification. Fitness problems ruled out several players, including Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Mateus Fernandes and Dominic Solanke. Some of those concerns may be connected to an exhausting pre-season trip to New Zealand and Australia, an issue De Zerbi continues to mention with visible frustration.
Even so, those facts cannot fully justify such an unacceptable performance. There remains a belief that Tottenham can recover, largely because of De Zerbi’s presence and the arrival of several players already equipped for Premier League football. However, the Brentford result has increased the pressure before Charlton’s visit. One statistic underlines the problem: Spurs have recorded only one domestic home victory in 2026, beating Everton on the final day of last season to secure their top-flight survival.
De Zerbi stressed that he and his players had “started the project right now, not last season”. He arrived with only seven matches remaining in the previous campaign and collected 11 points, narrowly steering the club away from relegation. “Last season, we fought to stay up,” he said, suggesting that building a genuinely cohesive side will require considerably more time and work.
At the same time, surviving last season’s difficult situation provides some encouragement. “Maybe last season was a tougher challenge to stay up than this season,” De Zerbi said. “I said to the players: last season, in a worse situation, we showed character, we showed balls. We showed pride and quality. Now we have to stay calm and to analyse better the situation – not to have an emotional reaction. We have to be intelligent.”
De Zerbi’s main objective is to establish consistency, which he described as putting together five consecutive victories. That target may appear remote after the loss at Brentford, but the manager remains confident. Achieving it will require the entire squad to adopt a different mentality. “We have to get used to winning games and games and games – we have to change habits from the last two seasons,” he said.
“For me, the Carabao Cup is like the Premier League. We are not in the condition to make differences [between the competitions]. We have to play well and get used to winning – and winning matches, not a match. We have to change the mood. And we can.”
De Zerbi confirmed that Porro and Van de Ven are expected to return on the bench against Charlton, while Solanke could be included in the starting lineup. James Maddison will miss two weeks after sustaining a shoulder injury in the Brentford match. The manager must also decide whether to select Sávio, with anything other than a Tottenham victory considered unacceptable.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
