Newcastle United sold Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur for £100million in the summer.
Robert De Zerbi believes Tottenham Hotspur are “very lucky” to have signed Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.
Tonali joined Spurs for a club-record £100million in the summer, but both the midfielder and the club have endured a difficult start to the campaign, sitting bottom of the Premier League table on two points after the opening five matches.
Sign up to our Newcastle United newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Shields Gazette, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
Submitting...
De Zerbi’s side went through their first four games without scoring before Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Aston Villa. They have also suffered losses to Brentford and Newcastle, while their two draws came against Nottingham Forest and Everton.
That is despite Spurs spending more than £300million on 10 summer signings. Criticism has been aimed at those new recruits, including Tonali, but De Zerbi has leapt to his fellow Italian’s defence.
Roberto De Zerbi - ‘We are lucky to have Sandro Tonali with us’
"He’s a good guy, he’s working very hard and I’m happy to have Sandro,” said De Zerbi. “We are lucky to have Sandro with us.
"The adaptation has not been so fast but it can happen, also in Milan in the first season, ok he was younger, but it is not so easy to change city, to change everything for the players.
“Sometimes the adaptation is immediate, sometimes you need more time. I think also Tonali against Everton played well.
The Gazette has launched a WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
"He can play in both situations [as a six or eight] because his physical characteristics are to play box-to-box but he started his career as a playmaker. He’s good enough with the ball, he's good enough without the ball. He's a complete midfielder, like [Lucas] Bergvall, like Mateus Fernandes.
“They are very close, not as characteristics, but these three players all have characteristics of the modern midfielder."
Tonali became the Magpies’ second-most expensive ever sale after Alexander Isak, who joined Liverpool for £130million last summer. Tonali, like Isak, was given a frosty reception during United’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month.
The 26-year-old joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55million in 2023 but made just eight appearances before serving a 10-month ban for illegal betting offences.
He resumed playing at the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign and helped Newcastle to end their 56-year trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup, as well as qualify for the Champions League, before jumping ship following last season’s 12th-place finish in the Premier League.
Stay in the know with St James’ Park’s biggest stories and sign up for our FREE Newcastle United newsletter
After leaving St James’ Park, Tonali said: “I want to start by thanking the club. To the people who work every day and nobody sees at the training ground, everyone who welcomed me and made me feel at home from the very first day. Thank you to the staff and my teammates for believing in me and helping me grow.
“A special mention to the gaffer, Eddie, who’s been a real guiding figure and who always had my back throughout this journey. But above all, I want to speak directly to the fans. When things were hard for me, you were there. Not for one day did I feel alone. I felt it every time I was at St James’ Park. That’s something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”