Tottenham Hotspur signed three new attacking players this summer transfer window. They are going to spend a combined 150 million pounds on Savio and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City once the season ends and Marmoush's loan deal becomes an obligation to buy, and they also added Roberto De Zerbi's former pet favorite at Shakhtar Donetsk, Mykhaylo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea with an option to buy for 75 million.
And so far, Spurs have nothing to show for their efforts. Mudryk is already injured for potentially two months after his first appearance off the bench, while Marmoush has not scored or assisted a goal. Savio has been significantly more succcessful, but only in his appearance off the bench in his debut against lowly Charlton Athletic. Otherwise, like his former Man City teammate, Savio has also failed to contribute.
But Spurs were supposed to sign a third blockbuster attacker before settling on a late loan deal for Mykhaylo Mudryk. Iliman Ndiaye was linked to Spurs before joining Manchester City himself, but the player Tottenham really wanted before that was one of the same players to burn them in their League Cup elimination against Liverpool, Dutch left winger Cody Gakpo.
Cody Gakpo is putting up big numbers for Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur were interested in Gakpo throughout the window, but they did not show much urgency in signing him until it was too little, too late. Gakpo didn't exactly push to join Spurs the same way that Savio and Omar Marmoush were attempting to leave Manchester City, while Liverpool got such a strong performance from him on Matchday 1 that they stopped engaging in any transfer efforts with the Lilywhites.
Roberto De Zerbi wanted Cody Gakpo even more than Savio and Marmoush, judging by how much Fabrizio Romano and other transfer insiders were talking up Spurs interest, and now the Italian manager has to be regretting Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange not showing more urgency to land the Liverpool man.
Gakpo has been one of the best forwards in the Premier League to start the season, bouncing back from a poor 2025/26 campaign and looking every bit the player for Liverpool that he has been for the Dutch national team at two straight major international tournaments now. Gakpo's six goal contributions in four starts between the Premier League and League Cup dwarf the numbers Spurs forwards are putting up, and after a direct loss to Liverpool, Spurs missing out on the Dutchman looks even worse.
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