Roberto De Zerbi's High Praise for Sandro Tonali
Roberto De Zerbi did not bother dressing it up.
“Sandro Tonali is better than I thought.”
For a manager who chooses his words carefully, that is a heavy compliment. It also lands at a club that has just smashed through the £300million barrier in summer spending and placed Tonali, at £100m from Newcastle, right at the heart of the project.
Tottenham’s window has been loud. Savinho is set to arrive from Manchester City for £75m plus up to £10m in add-ons, another big swing from a club determined to close the gap at the top. Yet amid all that noise, De Zerbi’s focus keeps snapping back to the midfielder from Brescia.
The connection runs deep. De Zerbi grew up in the city; Tonali grew up in its club. The pair have known each other for years, long before the pressure of north London and nine-figure transfer fees.
On Friday, asked what had struck him in the first weeks of working with the Italy international, De Zerbi did not just praise the player.
“He is better than I thought before working with him as a player and as a guy,” he said. “I know his family, his agents, and I know they all are good people.”
This is not just about technique or tactical fit. De Zerbi kept circling back to character, to how Tonali will be woven into the fabric of what Spurs are trying to build.
“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.”
Tottenham have paid for exactly that blend. Tonali did not score in 32 Premier League games for Newcastle last season, an empty column that might spook some clubs when attached to such a fee. Spurs looked past it. They saw a 26-year-old with a reputation as a complete, balanced midfielder, someone who can dictate tempo, compete physically and carry responsibility in the centre of the pitch.
Now De Zerbi has him, likes him even more than he expected, and has made it clear: this is not a luxury signing, this is a cornerstone.
