Tottenham Hotspur are not often the story of the transfer window. It speaks volumes, therefore, that even in the inflated market of 2026, they have had their part to play.
In fact, Spurs are one of the reasons bigger payments than normal are being shelled out.
After Elliot Anderson’s remarkable £116m move to Manchester City, the Lilywhites went out and spent £85m on Mateus Fernandes before making Sandro Tonali their first ever £100m signing. The level of spending in the Premier League has been simply jaw-dropping.
A move for Morgan Rogers to Spurs was also floated but he looks set to join Chelsea to the tune of £117m.
How close Spurs came to signing Morgan Rogers
After the additions of Tonali and Fernandes, welcoming Rogers to the club would have been mind-boggling. That said, Tottenham mean business and they were certainly interested in signing a player described as “one of the world’s best players” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp.
Truthfully, the Londoners did not come particularly close to prising him away from Aston Villa this summer. They were in the picture but always thought he would end up at their noisy neighbours, Arsenal.
Instead, it was the blue side of London that secured a move, seemingly out of nowhere. Chelsea paid the fee Villa wanted and the deal was done.
At £117m, Rogers is now the most expensive English player in football history. Does he warrant that price tag? Well, in the context of the fees this summer, the answer is yes. He’s a better player than the aforementioned Tonali and Anderson.
Rogers – career by season | ||
|---|---|---|
Season | Goals | Assists |
2022/23 | 1 | 1 |
2023/24 | 10 | 9 |
2024/25 | 14 | 16 |
2025/26 | 14 | 12 |
Spurs may well have secured their own £100m man this summer but the chances of repeating that deal and going above the fee for Tonali seemed slim.
Alas, they would have got their hands on a mighty fine player. The 23-year-old is extremely versatile. He’s played on the left and through the middle for Villa, while he played on the right for England at the World Cup, notably providing the assist for Anthony Gordon’s opener in the semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Since moving to the Midlands, Rogers has been simply outstanding, scoring 14 goals in back to back seasons and also providing 28 assists in the last two seasons.
So, how could Roberto De Zerbi get his hands on someone similar? Well, Spurs are looking to strengthen their attack this summer.
How Spurs could sign their own version of Morgan Rogers
It’s already been an incredibly exciting summer for Tottenham so how could it get even better? Well, the addition of a few forward players certainly wouldn’t go amiss.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi would appear to top the list and there is a genuine belief that they could get this one done. Reports suggest he wants the move.
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He’s not the only Premier League forward who could arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Indeed, according to Fabrizio Romano, Spurs are still exploring a move for Savinho and he wants the deal to happen.
Romano noted this weekend: “Tottenham want Savinho, there are negotiations ongoing club to club. Savinho is very keen on the move to Tottenham. He was already prepared to join them a year ago but the deal did not happen. They offered him a new contract, but now Savinho wants to go to Tottenham. To get the green light for a move, Manchester City need to find a replacement.”
While a deal is not yet hugely close, it feels as though this one is progressing swiftly. So, what could he bring to the club. Well, there are some key differences to Rogers, primarily the fact that they are both strong off opposite feet. However, there are also plenty of similarities, not least the fact that both players have struggled to make the grade at City, albeit at different ages.
Rogers was forced to leave City behind as a teenager before making his way to the top via Middlesbrough and Aston Villa. It’s a different journey to Savinho but it does feel that like the Englishman, he needs to leave the Etihad behind to really find himself as a footballer.
The key similarities are their ability to powerfully run with the ball and make something happen, notably creatively. Unlike Rogers, Savinho is not much of a goalscorer. He has just seven goals in 84 games for City. Yet, he certainly knows how to assist his teammates.
In 2024/25, the Brazilian wide man supplied 13 assists in all competitions and completed 1.6 key passes per game in the Premier League. At City, only Kevin De Bruyne (2.1) managed more that season.
For context, Rogers produced 16 assists in the same term and then 12 in 2025/26. They create goalscoring chances at a similar rate.
Crucially, both players are so direct with their running. There is very little going sideways or backwards with these two. They love taking on a man. Two seasons ago, Rogers completed 1.90 successful dribbles per 90 to Savinho’s 2.64.
Creative, tough to get the ball off and maverick forward players, there is much to like about the pair of them. Spurs never really stood much of a chance of getting a deal done for Rogers but in the £60m-rated Savinho, they’d seal their own exciting and creative wide player from a fellow Premier League club.
