Manchester City's world may have felt like it was collapsing in on itself over the last fortnight as the 115 charges verdict was communicated. However, as Khaldoon Al Mubarak continued to insist on the club's innocence, he was also keen to stress how much there is to look forward to.
On the pitch, City have started the season superbly with a 100 per cent record across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup. This start is even more impressive considering Enzo Maresca overhauled his squad in the summer transfer window. Several first-team players departed the Etihad Stadium in search of a new chapter. Two of those who chose to depart reunited in north London.
Savinho's Record Sale to Tottenham
Savinho joined Tottenham Hotspur in a record sale for the Blues. City received a whopping £75m for the Brazilian winger, and that could rise further to £85m should clauses be activated. In Manchester, this transfer was heralded as a great success.
Having joined from fellow City Football Group club Troyes in 2024, Savio made 84 appearances, scoring seven goals and bagging 16 assists. This modest total does not equate to a £75m player, never mind a £85m one, hence the celebrations from a City perspective. But speaking to MEN Sport, football.london's Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold believes the signing was decent business from Spurs, despite the high fee.
"Tottenham had made Savio their number one target all summer, having chased him for a year beforehand, so ultimately they were always going to spend whatever it took to get him," he explained. "Roberto De Zerbi was already planning with staff over the summer how to utilise the Brazilian best if Spurs could get the deal over the line."
Assessing Savio's Start at Spurs
"For years, Tottenham have not pushed above and beyond for their top targets and made sure they got the deal done, so it's difficult to criticise them for finally doing exactly that this summer with a number of targets," he continued.
He added: "I think so far we've seen exactly what we knew about him. There's incredible raw potential there and he leads the Premier League in successful dribbles per match by a distance so far this season, but it's about what comes next."
"That's where De Zerbi needs to develop what Guardiola saw in the young Brazilian. His debut was spectacular with the goal - he thought he scored twice - against Charlton in the Carabao Cup and he's been Spurs' most dangerous attacker so far, and the only one who isn't lacking confidence. Time will tell who got the better end of the deal."
Marmoush's Loan and Obligation to Buy
Two days after confirming the arrival of Savio, Spurs added his former City teammate Omar Marmoush to their ranks. Like Julian Alvarez before him, Marmoush struggled playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland.
To accommodate him, City aimed to use him on the wings, but compared to Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku or Antoine Semenyo, Marmoush was not at the same level. In fact, the arrival of Semenyo in January ultimately spelt the end for the Egypt international.
The former Bournemouth man has shown he can fill in for Haaland when needed, but also that he is more equipped to play on the wing. Unlike Savio, Marmoush did not request to leave City. However, it was clear his opportunities would be limited at the Etihad Stadium, were he to remain.
Gold's Verdict on Both Players
"He's looked bright without having the end product, yet," Gold explained. "The Egyptian is clearly an explosive player and can make something happen out of nothing, but De Zerbi needs to decide where he's best utilised."
"He's played centrally, but obviously isn't a target man, and then out on the left when [Dominic] Solanke has been on the pitch. I think that once Solanke is fit and sharp then Marmoush will benefit from playing off him and buzzing around the big front man."
"He's looked neat and tidy through the middle without the strength to be a real focal point. He can hold the ball up occasionally in tight situations but it's not his greatest strength."
"I get the feeling that De Zerbi will end up using him just behind Solanke at times with the latter sometimes pulling back to release the rapid Egyptian through on goal. It was something that [Harry] Kane and [Heung-min] Son used to do to great effect."
Next summer, Spurs are obligated to make Marmoush's loan permanent for £60m. While this is a strong indication that his time at City is over, it is not a 100 per cent guarantee, as we saw when Chelsea paid a penalty fee to not sign Jadon Sancho from Manchester United.
But Gold is confident that we will not see a Sancho repeat in eight months. "I was told early in the summer that Marmoush was a player that De Zerbi had loved from his Frankfurt days," he said. "He's got the quality and a fair bit of experience and now he needs to feel loved rather than a back-up, which the Italian should do."
"Both Marmoush and Savio have been supporting acts at City and now they have the chance to be leading men at Spurs. That should motivate them."
He concluded: "He's [De Zerbi] clearly a big fan of both players and sees them as key parts of his team going forward. He wants both to get fitter and sharper, while acknowledging that Marmoush looks to be ahead in that respect."
"Both will start most matches for Spurs and De Zerbi has made it clear that they will bring a bit of magic to unlock the door that the club haven't had in recent years. Once they are combined with the team's absent playmakers like [James] Maddison, Xavi [Simons] and [Dejan] Kulusevski then they should really start firing on all cylinders."
