Enzo Maresca confirms Savinho asked to leave from day one, contrasts with Marmoush

Sometimes a manager says the quiet part loud. Enzo Maresca did exactly that on August 21, confirming that Brazilian winger Savinho made his desire to leave Manchester City clear from the very start of the current era, while Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush has made no such request.

The distinction matters because both players are reportedly deep in discussions to join Tottenham Hotspur, meaning City could soon wave goodbye to two of its attacking options in the same window.

Two players, two very different situations

Savinho, 22, joined City for £30 million in 2024 and is tied to the club until 2031. The winger managed only seven Premier League starts last season, a modest return for someone City had backed financially. His limited playing time appears to have fueled the transfer request, which Maresca now confirms arrived essentially on day one of his tenure.

Marmoush’s situation reads differently. The 27-year-old arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for around £59 million in January 2025 and collected just eight starts last season. The key difference, per Maresca, is that Marmoush has not asked to go anywhere.

That framing from the manager carries weight. A player who hasn’t requested a move but is still being linked to a transfer suggests the club itself may be open to selling, or that Tottenham’s interest is significant enough to force a conversation.

Tottenham’s summer splurge keeps growing

Tottenham, operating under Roberto De Zerbi, has already spent north of £229 million in transfer fees this window. Adding both Savinho and Marmoush would push that figure considerably higher.

City have reportedly agreed a deal for Savinho worth approximately £75 million as a base fee, with a further £5 million guaranteed and up to £5 million more in performance-related add-ons. For a player bought at £30 million roughly two years ago, that represents a clean profit of more than £45 million on paper.

Marmoush negotiations are described as ongoing, and a combined outlay for both players could land somewhere between £140 million and £160 million.

What this means for Manchester City

City’s summer has already seen Rodri depart for Barcelona, a significant midfield loss. Losing Savinho and potentially Marmoush on top of that represents a meaningful reduction in attacking depth.

The Marmoush dynamic is the more interesting thread to pull. He arrived for a substantial fee just eighteen months ago and was presumably signed with a longer-term plan in mind. If City are now willing to move him on after limited integration, it raises questions about how that recruitment decision was evaluated internally, and whether the club’s planning process for January 2025 aligned with the manager’s actual needs.

Maresca kept the framing clean. Savinho wanted out. Marmoush did not ask to leave. Whatever happens next with the Egyptian forward, the manager has made sure the public record reflects that distinction clearly.

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