There will be a Tottenham Hotspur player to lift the World Cup this weekend, although it won’t be anyone of an England persuasion, with the Three Lions bowing out at the hands of Cristian Romero’s Argentina.
The polarising centre-back will now face off against Pedro Porro’s Spain in Sunday’s showpiece, while it’s the futile third-place playoff for Djed Spence and co.
Spence, somewhat of a surprise inclusion in the squad, was immense for much of Wednesday’s clash, serving a reminder as to 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 have come from N17, but could any of his international colleagues end up in north London ahead of next season?
Realistic Spurs targets from England’s World Cup squad
Starting from back to front, the likely exit of Guglielmo Vicario has potentially opened the door to a move for James Trafford, the Manchester City man having been England’s third-choice pick behind Dean Henderson and Jordan Pickford.
Sticking with City, while he hasn’t been directly linked, any elite Premier League or European team would be foolish not to take a look at John Stones, the 32-year-old currently a free agent after leaving the Etihad last month.
Like Spence, Stones is believed to be courting interest from Serie A, but you wouldn’t bet against clubs closer to home sniffing around, with Spurs potentially set to need increased depth in the centre of defence if the aforementioned Romero follows Luka Vuskovic out the door.
|
England Player Ratings vs Argentina |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Rating |
|
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 potentially realistic move might be for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, the 23-year-old said to be of interest to De Zerbi and co, albeit while more likely to head to Arsenal instead.
There have been rather bold claims that Harry Kane could make a return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, yet that appears something of a long shot, with Marcus Rashford seemingly a more attainable target.
After 18 months of Old Trafford exile, Rashford is set to be reintegrated at Manchester United this summer, albeit with the view to still sealing a move away at some stage, with Spurs among the interested parties.
On the opposite flank, there’s no chance of the Arsenal pairing of Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka ending up at N17 any time soon, but could the Lilywhites secure a similar type of figure to the Gunners’ number seven?
How Spurs can sign their own Saka this summer
It’s difficult to be too heartened by any member of De Zerbi’s forward line right now, with almost every attacker enduring a spell on the sidelines over the last 12 months or so.
The right flank has been a particular issue, not least after selling Brennan Johnson in January, with Wilson Odobert sustaining an ACL injury and with Mohammed Kudus missing almost the entirety of 2026 so far.
Randal Kolo Muani didn’t cut it in their absence, hence why an upgrade is needed heading into 2026/27, something Spurs could find in the form of Savinho.
As noted by Fabrizio Romano – speaking on his YouTube channel – a deal for the City man is still something that ENIC are keen to persist with, having been linked with the Brazilian since 2024.
“But don’t forget that Tottenham want to sign Savinho. The player they want for winger position is Savinho. So let’s see what’s going to happen there.”
Still only 22, Savinho did endure a difficult season at the Etihad, after sliding down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola, yet there remains a player there to be excited about.
Valued at around £60m, the left-footer did score and assist just two Premier League goals last time out, yet he did score once and contribute eight assists in his debut season in 2024/25.
That campaign showcased what the youngster is all about, so deadly and creative when cutting in onto his favoured foot from the right flank, as he created 11 ‘big chances’, while averaging 1.6 key passes and 1.8 successful dribbles per game.
For comparison, in that same season, the aforementioned Saka was just ahead with ten assists, while creating 21 ‘big chances’ and averaging 2.4 key passes and 1.6 successful dribbles per game.
It is easy to see the likeness between them, even if the Arsenal man remains a level above, with Scout Lab noting that Saka was actually the eighth-most similar player to Savinho in 2024/25, among those in their position in Europe’s top seven leagues.
Like Saka, he’s fleet of foot and has pace to burn, so direct when coming up against opposition full-backs.
That was evident during his stint at Girona in 2023/24, as he racked up ten assists and created 14 ‘big chances’. Most impressively, too, he led the way in LaLiga for the most successful dribbles made by any player in the division.
Such innate dribbling prowess is certainly Saka-esque, with Spurs still waiting to find their own consistent, reliable game-changer on the right flank.
The hope was that it would be Kudus last term, yet the mantle might now fall to Savinho, should the Lilywhites maintain their interest.
