Enzo Maresca Faces Setback with Savinho's Illness Ahead of Community Shield

Enzo Maresca’s plans for his first piece of Manchester City silverware have hit an early snag.

With the Community Shield against Arsenal looming in Cardiff, 22-year-old winger Savinho missed City’s latest training session at the City Football Academy, sitting out due to illness, according to The Athletic’s Sam Lee. It leaves a cloud of doubt over his involvement in the traditional curtain-raiser at the Principality Stadium.

While Savinho stayed away, the session still carried a sense of renewal and intrigue. Jack Grealish was back in the thick of it, pushing to make what would be his first appearance for City in over a year after a long battle with injury. Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and January signing Marc Guehi all trained as well, each staking an early claim for a starting role against Mikel Arteta’s side this weekend.

Savinho’s absence comes at a fascinating moment. Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the Brazilian, with Roberto De Zerbi reportedly on the verge of landing his main attacking target. Spurs are said to be nearing a full agreement for the £60 million-rated forward, with north London watching every development in Manchester closely.

This is not a quiet rebuild at Tottenham. It’s an aggressive reset.

After back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, the club has thrown itself into the transfer market in an attempt to drag itself back toward the top end of the table. The early part of the window was all about shoring up the back line: Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke have all arrived to reshape the defence.

Then came the statement in midfield. Spurs committed a combined £185 million to bring in Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, a double move that underlined just how dramatically they intend to change the spine of the team.

Final Third Focus

Now the spotlight is on the final third.

To clear the runway for another major attacking signing, Tottenham are preparing to cash in on some big names. Cristian Romero is close to joining Atletico Madrid, while full-back Djed Spence is set for a move to Inter. Those exits are expected to create the financial space required to go hard for Savinho, though City’s hierarchy at the Etihad are unlikely to roll over easily for a direct Premier League rival, especially without a replacement lined up.

If City dig in and a deal for Savinho proves too complex or too costly, Spurs have already drawn up an alternative. Cody Gakpo is high on their list. The Liverpool forward is admired at Hotspur Way for his versatility and output, but prising him away from Anfield looks a far trickier task. Journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that Liverpool are reluctant to sell Gakpo unless they can bring in multiple attacking reinforcements first, a condition that could drag any negotiations into dangerous late-window territory.

The clock is ticking. The Community Shield will offer an early glimpse of how Maresca copes without Savinho, if the Brazilian is indeed absent, while Tottenham push on with their final piece of summer business.

One last attacking signing stands between De Zerbi and a complete rebuild. Will it be Savinho in sky blue now and white later, or will Spurs be forced to turn fully toward Gakpo as the deadline bears down?