Tonali ‘took 10 minutes’ to decide to join Spurs
Sandro Tonali says he decided within 10 minutes to join Tottenham after speaking with manager Roberto de Zerbi, completing a club-record £100m move from Newcastle. Their shared connection to Brescia, Tonali’s boyhood club, helped persuade the midfielder despite Spurs having finished 17th in the previous Premier League season.
De Zerbi first made contact through a mutual friend last season, then met Tonali at his home near Brescia after Tottenham secured survival. Tonali said London accounted for only about 10% of his decision, with football, his manager and the club’s recruitment plans more important; he also said a return to Italy was financially impossible because of the transfer fee, while praising former Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.
- Tonali joined Spurs after a rapid connection with De Zerbi.
- The £100m move is Tottenham’s record signing.
- Financial barriers ruled out a return to Italy.
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Sandro Tonali is a 24-year-old Italian midfielder who has joined Tottenham Hotspur from Newcastle United in a £100 million transfer, making him the club's most expensive signing. Tonali came through the ranks at Brescia, his hometown club in Italy.
Tottenham appointed manager Roberto de Zerbi this summer after finishing 17th in the previous Premier League season, when the club committed to strengthening the squad significantly. De Zerbi previously managed Brescia, and Tonali grew up there, a shared connection that proved decisive in bringing the midfielder to north London.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Tonali’s swift decision can be seen as a considered choice based on trust in De Zerbi, a shared connection to Brescia and confidence in Tottenham’s football plans. He says the appeal was the manager and the club’s direction, rather than London or a move back to Italy, and his praise for Eddie Howe suggests he is weighing a new opportunity rather than dismissing his former club.
The case against
A 10-minute decision to join a club that finished 17th may invite questions about how fully Tonali could assess the sporting risks and recruitment plans before committing. The reported £100m fee also made a return to Italy financially impossible, so his choice may have been shaped by limited alternatives as well as conviction about Tottenham and De Zerbi.