Manchester City's Italian manager Enzo Maresca spoke about a number of issues concerning the team during the press conference preceding the clash with Bournemouth, scheduled to take place on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, as part of the first round of the Premier League.
Maresca said about the start of the new season: "I feel very excited to begin this new chapter and this new journey. Our aim is to continue along the same path we have followed over the past ten or fifteen years, so we are very happy to finally play our first match at home."
Pushed on City's plans for the closing days of the transfer window, he replied: "We don't have a minimum or maximum number of signings, it depends on certain factors. We know exactly what we need, and we will see what happens over the next ten days. We have 10 days ahead of us, and we hope we can carry out what we have planned."
Asked about Chelsea's Argentine star Enzo Fernandez, he said: "Unfortunately, I always find myself having to answer in the same way: Enzo is a Chelsea player, and I will not talk about players who are not part of our squad. I see it as a lack of respect, and I don't like it when other managers talk about our players."
The Manchester City boss turned to his opening opponents next. "I also watched their pre-season friendly, and I followed some of their matches last season. One can clearly see their identity, it is a team characterised by an attacking style of play and intense pressing. They were like that under Andoni Iraola, and they still are. What they do is entirely clear, whether they have the ball or not."
Doku's injury and the length of his absence: Savinho's departure
Maresca then addressed Jeremy Doku's injury. "During the last match, Doku complained at half-time of some pain in his calf muscle. We didn't want him to play more than 45 minutes, so the decision to substitute him was planned in advance. Current estimates indicate that his period of absence will range between two and three weeks, and no more than that."
Rodri and Savinho came up next. "It is entirely clear that when a player wants to leave, convincing him to stay becomes a complicated matter. This happened with Rodri, and the same situation is now repeating with Savinho, he expressed his desire to leave from the first day of his arrival, and we are waiting to see what happens now."
He added: "Apart from Rodri, everyone shares one thing, which is that they did not take part in matches much. And when players don't play, they prefer to leave. The players I mentioned, apart from Rodri, are all players who did not get many opportunities to participate, for various reasons."
His words land as Tottenham Hotspur close in on Savinho. Spurs have struck an agreement with Manchester City to sign the Brazilian winger this summer, in a deal that could reach 85 million pounds sterling.
Omar Marmoush's position on leaving
On the future of Egyptian Omar Marmoush, Maresca said: "I don't know. Omar is still here, and he is still with us. He is different from Savinho, so we will see what happens."
He added: "Things are usually complicated when a player leaves and a replacement has to be signed. We will see whether Omar stays or not, because if someone leaves, a replacement must come in."
The Manchester City manager revealed: "From the first day, Savinho asked to leave, whereas Omar Marmoush did not ask to leave from the first day."
Tottenham, meanwhile, are close to another attacking reinforcement. They have opened advanced negotiations with Manchester City to sign Marmoush.
Reports indicate that Tottenham have reached a final agreement with the Egyptian player over the personal terms of the contract, while negotiations are still ongoing between the two clubs over the value of the deal and the mechanism for completing it.