There will be a Tottenham Hotspur player lifting the World Cup this weekend, although it won’t be an Englishman, as the Three Lions bow at the hands of Argentina’s Cristian Romero.
The centre-back will face Spain’s Pedro Porro in Sunday’s match, which is a third-place play-off for Djed Spence and co.
Spence, who was surprised to be included in the squad, was brilliant in Wednesday’s clash, reminding why Roberto De Zerbi’s side would be foolish to cash in this summer.
The 25-year-old Inter target was the only member of Thomas Tuchel’s squad to feature in the N17, but could any of his international teammates end up in north London ahead of next season?
Real Spurs are aiming for England’s World Cup squad
Starting from back to front, the possible exit of Guglielmo Vicario opened the way for the departure of James Trafford, the Manchester City man who was England’s third choice behind Dean Henderson and Jordan Pickford.
Sticking with City, while he has never been directly linked, any elite Premier League club or European club would be foolish not to look at John Stones, the 32-year-old currently a free agent after leaving the Etihad last month.
Like Spence, the Stones are believed to be seeking interest from Serie A, but you wouldn’t bet against clubs closer to home sniffing, and Spurs may need more depth in the center of defense if the aforementioned Romero follows Luka Vuskovic out the door.
|
England vs Argentina player ratings |
|
|---|---|
|
The player |
Average |
|
GK – Pickford |
6 |
|
RB – James |
6 |
|
CB – Stones |
6 |
|
CB – Guehi |
6 |
|
LB – Spence |
7.5 |
|
CM – Anderson |
7.5 |
|
CM – Rice |
6 |
|
CM – Bellingham |
5 |
|
RW – Rogers |
6 |
|
ST – Kane |
5 |
|
LW – Gordon |
7 |
As for the midfield unit, the only possible move would be for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, with the 23-year-old said to be interested in De Zerbi and his team-mates, although they may go to Arsenal instead.
There have been bold claims that Harry Kane could return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, however that looks like a long shot, with Marcus Rashford seemingly within reach.
After 18 months in exile at Old Trafford, Rashford will be reunited with Manchester United this summer, however with a view to sealing a move at some point, with Spurs among the interested parties.
On the other hand, there is no chance of Arsenal’s pairing of Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka ending up in N17 anytime soon, but can the Lilywhites secure the same sort of figure in the Gunners’ number seven?
How can Spurs sign their own Saka this summer
It’s hard to be inspired by any member of De Zerbi’s forward line at the moment, with almost every striker having endured a spell on the sidelines in the last 12 months or so.
The right side has been a particular problem, at least after selling Brennan Johnson in January, with Wilson Odobert suffering an ACL injury and Mohammed Kudus missing almost the entire year of 2026 so far.
Randal Kolo Muani didn’t cut it in their absence, which is why an upgrade is needed in 2026/27, something Spurs can get in the form of Savinho.
As noted by Fabrizio Romano – speaking on his YouTube channel – the City man’s deal is still something that ENIC are willing to continue, as they are linked with the Brazilian from 2024.
“But don’t forget that Tottenham want to sign Savinho. The player they want to replace the defender is Savinho. So let’s see what will happen there.”
Still only 22, Savinho is enduring a difficult season at the Etihad, after falling into disrepair under Pep Guardiola, but there is one player to cheer for.
Costing around £60m, the left-footed striker scored and assisted just two goals in the Premier League last time out, however he scored once and provided eight assists in his first season in 2024/25.
That campaign showed what the kid is all about, very dangerous and creative when he gets on his favored foot from the right side, as he created 11 ‘big chances’, while averaging 1.6 key passes and 1.8 successful dribbles per game.
In comparison, in that same season, the aforementioned Saka had just ten assists, while creating 21 ‘big chances’ and 2.4 key passes and 1.6 successful dribbles per game.
It’s easy to see the similarities between them, even if the Arsenal man remains at a higher level, Scout Lab notes that Saka was actually the eighth player to match Savinho in 2024/25, among those in their positions in Europe’s top seven leagues.
Like Saka, he is a bundle of feet and has speed to burn, heading straight for opposition defenders.
That was evident during his time at Girona in 2023/24, as he collected ten assists and created 14 ‘big chances’. Most impressively, too, he led the way in LaLiga with the most goals scored by any player in the division.
Such playmaking ability is certainly Saka-esque, and Spurs are still waiting to find their own consistent, reliable game-changer on the right.
The hope was that it would be Kudus in the final quarter, however now the hat could fall to Savinho, if the Lilywhites keep their interest.
