Roberto De Zerbi is determined to keep strengthening his Tottenham squad after the club only just avoided the drop last season. Following the arrivals of Marcos Senesi, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, attention has now turned to bolstering the attack, with Manchester City’s Savinho still on the club’s radar after being tracked back under Thomas Frank too.
However, a move for the Brazilian may not be Tottenham’s smartest option, given they already have a near-identical player in Mohammed Kudus. Signed for £55 million from West Ham, Kudus has struggled for end product, managing just three goals in 26 games last season after netting five in 35 for the Hammers the year before. Savinho shares a similar profile — a left-footed winger who creates plenty but rarely finishes — with only seven goals in 84 appearances for City and 13 assists over the past two seasons.
The numbers back up the concern. Over the last two Premier League campaigns, Savinho has scored just twice from 7.34 expected goals and squandered 12 big chances — figures not far off Kudus, who scored seven from 8.83 xG in the same span. With such similar weaknesses, Spurs would likely gain more from a winger who brings something different to the table.
That’s where Benfica’s Andreas Schjelderup comes in. Football Insider report that Tottenham are among several clubs who have opened talks with the Portuguese club over the Norwegian, who looks unlikely to sign a new deal in Lisbon, making a summer sale more probable. Valued at around £34 million, Schjelderup’s output this season suggests he’d have a far bigger impact than Savinho in the final third.
The stats make a compelling case: Schjelderup racked up seven goals and 7.21 xA in the Portuguese top flight this season, alongside nine big chances created, compared to Savinho’s single goal, zero big chances created and 1.62 xA in the Premier League. Across all competitions, the Norwegian finished with 10 goals and five assists, plus two goals in seven Champions League outings — numbers that mark him out as one of the most exciting young wingers in Portugal.
Naturally right-footed but comfortable on either flank, the 21-year-old has been tipped by analysts as having genuine elite-level potential, and he backed that up on the World Cup stage with Norway. Despite only two starts at the tournament, he contributed four goal involvements in six appearances, scoring against England in the quarter-finals and setting up goals against France and twice versus Brazil in the last 16.
Producing that form against top international opposition only strengthens the case that the £34 million-rated forward has what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
Taken together, Schjelderup looks the more rounded and productive option compared to Savinho, who struggled for goals all season and didn’t even make Brazil’s World Cup squad. For Tottenham, the Norwegian represents a target capable of making a real difference — and a smarter one than doubling up on Kudus’s skillset.
