Sandro Tonali’s agent says Tottenham had ‘a very clear idea’ of the Italian midfielder who ‘deserved’ to become the most expensive Italian player ever, while Honest Ahanor’s move to Chelsea highlights that Italy still has plenty of emerging talent.
Riso gave an interview to Tuttosport discussing some of the biggest deals he completed with his clients during the summer transfer window, including Tonali and Ahanor.
Tonali became the most expensive Italian footballer ever by joining Tottenham from Newcastle for circa €115m.
‘Tottenham had a very clear idea of Tonali’
“There are many years of work behind such an operation. I’m not the one who set the record: it’s Sandro who deserved it on the field,” Riso said.
“I made a few more phone calls at most,” he added, smiling.
“Tottenham are a club that had a very clear idea of Sandro. When a company makes you understand that a player is a priority, everything becomes easier.”
Another Riso client, Ahanor, joined Chelsea from Atalanta in a €46m deal. The 18-year-old will effectively play for the Blues starting from 2027-28 as he’ll spend the current campaign on loan at Crystal Palace.
“For Atalanta, it is undoubtedly a great operation. But if such a young boy reaches such an evaluation, it also means that even today in Italy we have talent and know how to cultivate it,” Riso said.
“The fact that they stay here [in Italy] is not central, especially if their destination is the Premier League, a league I have often described as the NBA of football and which, as such, can certainly contribute decisively to their growth.
“It is highly challenging and returns them stronger to our national team. The real challenge for Serie A is to create the conditions for these guys to grow up here, before having to sell them.”
Ahanor had become the second-most expensive U17 Italian player only one year ago, when he moved to Atalanta from Genoa for €15m plus add-ons.
The versatile 18-year-old defender made his senior Italy debut this past June under caretaker coach Silvio Baldini.