De Zerbi possesses excellent one-on-one combat ability: Savinho is an important signing.

Another match in the second round of the 2026/27 English League Cup will take place, with Tottenham Hotspur hosting Championship side Charlton Athletic. De Zerby stated that new signing Savinho possesses excellent one-on-one skills and is a very important acquisition.

Brazilian striker Savinho officially joined Tottenham Hotspur today. The 22-year-old winger previously played for Manchester City, winning the English League Cup and the FA Cup with the "Citizens" last season.

Tottenham Hotspur manager De Zerby said, "If you analyze last season, I think that as forwards, we need players who can win one-on-one duels, create shooting opportunities, and pose a threat. The focus is not just on scoring goals, but on one-on-one ability. Savinho is one of the best players, especially considering he was born in 2004."

“He can play on the right or the left. I’ve known him for a long time. I spoke with him when I was managing Brighton and before he transferred to Manchester City. He’s a very important player for us, and this is a very important signing.”

Speaking about the process of bringing in Savinho, De Zerbi shared, "I had no patience at all, but I had to wait. We started negotiations about Savinho a week after the game against Everton. For many reasons, we didn't complete the transfer until the last week of August."

"We can certainly sign other players, but if we want the highest level and the highest quality players, then it's worth waiting a while rather than making a quick deal like we would with an average player."

Besides signing Savinho, Tottenham Hotspur had previously signed Robertson, Tonali, Van Heik, and Senesi. However, in the first round of the 2026/27 Premier League season, Tottenham Hotspur, playing away, ultimately lost 0-3 to Brentford, failing to secure a winning start.

De Zerbi said, "I hugged Lucas Berribal after the game, and he knows what I'm thinking. He knows he didn't play well in that game. But for Lucas Berribal, Archie Gray, Matisse Tel and Moore, games like these are the right step to make them better and better."

“Of course we want young players to get playing time, but they lack experience. What is experience? Players have to go through these days and experience these kinds of games. The team may lose games, of course, but the next time we face a game like Brentford, we have to be stronger, and that’s a normal part of growing up.”

De Zerbi also stated, "We must find the conditions needed to build the team as soon as possible for this project to truly begin, not just starting from last season. Last season's goal was to avoid relegation, while this season has only just begun, and becoming better is not something that can be achieved overnight."

“We must build chemistry and relationships among the players, establish our playing style, and find the soul of the team. We didn’t show these qualities in the last game.”

Image source: Internet