Sandro Tonali: Tottenham's Essential Record Signing

Roberto De Zerbi did not bother dressing it up. Asked for his early verdict on Tottenham’s new record signing, the Italian cut straight to the point.

“Sandro Tonali is better than I thought.”

For a player who cost £100million and arrived under the weight of that price tag from Newcastle, that is no small compliment. Spurs have hurled money at this summer window – their outlay will surge past £300m once the £75m deal for Savinho from Manchester City, plus up to £10m in add-ons, is completed. Yet Tonali is the one they chose to break the club’s transfer record for. The one they decided to build around.

De Zerbi knows exactly what he has bought. He has known Tonali for years, long before the midfielder became a headline signing in north London. The pair are bound by Brescia, the city that shaped them both. De Zerbi grew up there; Tonali spent nine formative years there in the academy and first team, learning the craft that turned him into one of Italy’s most coveted midfielders.

That shared history colours the manager’s judgement. This is not a coach dazzled by a few good training sessions. It is someone who has tracked Tonali’s rise and still finds himself surprised.

“He is better than I thought before working with him as a player and as a guy,” De Zerbi said on Friday. “I know his family, his agents, and I know they all are good people.

“I’m very happy to work with him and I think he’s the right player in the right place. Especially because we want to put him inside of the project.

“He has the right qualities, the right personality, the right values, to stay in this place.”

The numbers from last season at Newcastle hardly scream “record signing”. In 32 Premier League games, Tonali did not score. No goals, no viral clips, no easy narrative. Yet Tottenham did not spend £100m on a highlights reel. They paid for balance, control, and a midfielder whose reputation has grown on the back of his all-round game rather than one standout statistic.

That is what Spurs believe they have secured. A 26-year-old Italy international, trusted by a coach who knows his background, his character, and the people around him. A player De Zerbi wants not just in his team, but at the heart of the club’s long-term project.

For Tottenham, that is exactly what a record signing is supposed to be. Not just expensive. Essential.