The transfer window is a time for wild rumors both exciting and sometimes unexpected, and we have one that’s potentially both, courtesy of Fabrizio Romano. According to Fab, Tottenham Hotspur and Roberto De Zerbi have identified Newcastle midfielder and Italy international Sandro Tonali as an ideal incoming player as Spurs revamp their squad after two consecutive 17th place finishes.
I am extremely unclear how realistic signing Sandy Toenails actually is, especially with Manchester City and Arsenal also interested. He’s also reportedly being tracked by Manchester United. I suspect it’s going to be an uphill battle, and a very, very expensive one. It is however, a statement of intent. Tonali apparently had a deal with Newcastle that the club would let him leave this summer if Toon didn’t qualify for the Champions League… which they didn’t. Tonali is a (more) passy deep lying playmaker midfielder than anyone we currently have on the books, though at age 26 he’s a play-him-now kind of mid and not one that we can build on to develop the next great Tottenham Hotspur team.
Newcastle had a down year and Tonali’s numbers were also down from the past, but he’s still a good player. He averaged 3.4 progressive passes/90 this past season, mostly from deep areas, but also isn’t afraid to carry the ball when needed. He’s more of a midfield general and is a highly intelligent footballer — he won’t get on the scoreboard much (he didn’t score at all this past season) but he’d be one who could control the tempo and the progression in midfield.
Look, Tonali would be a HUGE improvement in midfield, but I’m wary of the opportunity cost here — there’s no indication of what it would take to land him, but I’d have to think it’d be at least £80m or so, and he’ll have plenty of options if Newcastle are actually going to sell him. He’s also 26 years old — the perfect midfielder for a manager like De Zerbi who doesn’t stay at any one club very long and is kind of a win-now guy, but he’s definitely not what you’d call a long-term-plan kind of midfielder. He’ll be very good and will make Spurs better, but at a VERY high cost. He’s also much more likely to be attracted to clubs like City or United than a rebuild at Spurs, unless he REALLY gets the hard sell from De Zerbi.
I like Tonali a lot. He would certainly set the tone for what would be a very ambitious rebuild. I’m not sure he’s worth it when there are other options available, and we definitely shouldn’t get into a bidding war with Arsenal, City, or United. We will lose that war and there could be attrition. I like the idea. I’m not sure I like this particular transfer.
