Roberto De Zerbi wasted no time challenging his newest recruit, telling Savio he expects the winger to reach double figures in goals this season after a dazzling first appearance for Tottenham Hotspur in a 5-1 Carabao Cup triumph over Charlton Athletic.
Savio, who joined Spurs in an £85 million move from Manchester City on Tuesday following months of speculation over his future, needed little time to make an impression on the north London faithful. Introduced from the bench in the 71st minute, the 22-year-old Brazilian curled home a low finish in the 82nd minute before setting up further chaos in the Charlton defense, with his follow-up effort deflecting in off Ben Davies three minutes later to seal a comfortable win.
Speaking after the match, De Zerbi praised the timing of his new signing's introduction and outlined his expectations moving forward. "Yes, it is a perfect day for him," the Tottenham boss said. He went on to explain the specific area he wants Savio to develop, despite already rating him among the finest wide players in the game. "I think his biggest step and biggest improvement is to increase the number of goals because as qualities, I think he is one of the best wingers, but the best wingers score many goals."
De Zerbi revealed that he and Savio had already discussed a concrete numerical target for the campaign. "I spoke with him and we put the goal on 10 or 12 goals (target) because we need 10 or 12 goals from the wingers," he explained, before contextualizing why goal contributions from wide areas are so crucial to his side's ambitions. "Last season we suffered too much because also the number of goals were not enough to compete for nothing more than that (17th) position."
Savio was far from the only bright spark on the night. Academy product Mikey Moore, just 19, opened the scoring in the 41st minute with a well-struck left-footed finish, showcasing his talent even as his long-term future at the club remains uncertain. A loan move to Bundesliga outfit FC Koln has reportedly been arranged for the teenager, with De Zerbi weighing up what path best serves his continued development.
"It is important for him, it is important for us because he is our player from the academy and in this day we have to understand what the best solution is for him and for us," De Zerbi said of Moore's situation. He added that retaining the youngster remains appealing in principle, but game time takes priority. "I would like to keep him because he is young, a good player, but we can't (make) the wrong decision because anyway he needs to play and put games inside of him. With Johan Lange and Vinai (Venkatesham) we have to find the best solution."
Dominic Solanke also enjoyed a memorable evening, netting before halftime on his first start for the club, while Kevin Danso added a fourth goal in the 67th minute to put the tie beyond doubt. Charlton's Lloyd Jones grabbed a late consolation, but it did little to soften the blow for the visiting side.
For Charlton manager Nathan Jones, the night's true cost went beyond the scoreline. Centre-backs Collins Sichenje and Billy Koumetio both had to be withdrawn through injury inside the first 15 minutes, compounding an already thin defensive unit. "Ah look, it is a pretty disastrous night for us," Jones admitted afterward. "Not the result or going out of the cup, but the injuries we have picked up. To lose two centre halves, we lost Reece Burke the other day so three centre halves, that is the difficult thing."
Based on reporting from Independent Football.