Savio had been a Tottenham player for a little over twenty-four hours when he walked onto the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night. Eleven minutes later he had scored. Three minutes after that he had a hand in another. Spurs beat Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the Carabao Cup second round, and almost nobody left talking about the other four goals.
Twenty minutes, one cult hero
The Brazilian, signed from Manchester City for £85m on Tuesday, came on in the 71st minute in place of Dominic Solanke. In the 82nd he cut inside from the right and put a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner. In the 85th his scrappier effort deflected off Ben Davies and went in again, credited to the veteran defender but created entirely by the substitute.
"He lit the place up," Jamie Redknapp said afterwards. "This is what Tottenham want. Players like that who can get you off your seat. Who can cut inside and hit a ferocious left-footed shot. He was excellent." Solanke, the man he replaced, called him "a joy for all of us to watch."
De Zerbi wants numbers, not just noise
Roberto De Zerbi was pleased and immediately raised the bar. "I think his biggest step and biggest improvement is to increase the number of goals," the Spurs manager said. "As qualities, I think he is one of the best wingers, but the best wingers score many goals. I spoke with him and we put the goal on 10 or 12 goals, because we need 10 or 12 goals from the wingers."
The context behind that demand is uncomfortable. Savio managed three goal contributions in the Premier League last season. Tottenham scored 48 times as a team and finished 17th. De Zerbi is not being harsh; he is being specific about the exact reason his side spent £85m.
The rest of a routine night
Mikey Moore broke a stubborn Charlton defence down in the 41st minute, smashing his first Tottenham goal through the hands of Tiernan Brooks. Solanke doubled it four minutes later after the visitors failed to clear. Kevin Danso, one of several senior names introduced after the hour, headed in a Mateus Fernandes free-kick with his first touch. Lloyd Jones got a consolation for Charlton from a corner in the 87th.
De Zerbi had named a strong side after the dismal opening-weekend defeat at Brentford, and got the response he wanted. Spurs travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the third round, which will tell everyone rather more about Savio than a Championship side chasing shadows did.
Match facts: Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Charlton Athletic, Carabao Cup second round, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wednesday 26 August 2026. Scorers: Moore (41), Solanke (45), Danso (67), Savio (82), Davies (85 og); Jones (87) for Charlton. Savio, 22, joined from Manchester City for £85m on Tuesday 25 August. Spurs face Liverpool away in round three.
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