Tottenham Hotspur have a new £100million signing and the Italian midfielder has explained how Roberto De Zerbi's presence sealed the deal
Sandro Tonali has admitted that a "magic" chat with Roberto De Zerbi ensured his £100million move to Tottenham was an offer he could not refuse.
Spurs have splashed out £92.5million with another potential £7.5million in add-ons to Newcastle in a club record deal for the 26-year-old. Tonali has penned on a long-term contract, believed to be for six years, and the Italy international will wear the number 16 shirt for the coming Premier League season under De Zerbi.
The midfielder admitted that he only had one destination in mind this summer, especially after speaking to his compatriot for two hours about what he plans to do at the club in the seasons ahead.
"I decided to sign for Tottenham and I didn't need two teams, three teams, four teams [in my mind]. I knew already my team for the next season, and I can't wait to start the season and to play the first game," he said.
"Every time when you change the team, you have to restart everything. You have to restart your relationship with the team-mates, with the staff, really with the fans. I'm a bit lucky because when you know the staff, it's more easy for you, especially at the start of the season, the summer.
"He's an unbelievable gaffer, I've known him for a long time. He's from Brescia, I played 10 years in Brescia. Sometimes we meet in Brescia when we have a day off or two days off, we come back both in our city and I think this is fantastic. I spoke with him for the first time, we spoke like friends, and we spoke like players and gaffers already. This chat was close to magic because it was like, OK, now I have to sign for you for sure.
"We spoke a lot, really, about Tottenham, about the stadium, about the fans, about the players, about our football. We can't wait to start the season."
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Tonali admits that the switch to north London has left him feeling like a kid again.
"This morning at 6am, I woke up like a Tottenham player. When we came here this morning, the feeling was fantastic. It was like when I was 16, 17 and I played my first game. It was so similar, I was like a kid with the energy inside. I think this is all positive things, especially for football, especially because I'm 26 now, I'm not 18-years-old," said the Italian.
On his playing style he added: "I think I work a lot for my teammates, if I have to describe me in one sentence. I play number six and I play a lot with the defence."
In a twist of fate, the Premier League fixture schedule has ensured that the new signing's first competitive home game in a Spurs shirt will come against his former side Newcastle, currently set to be played on August 29 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"We play the second game against Newcastle, really I can't wait to play this game, I can't wait to play in this stadium because I played a few times against Tottenham, with AC Milan, Champions League, Newcastle," he said. "I found the great atmosphere, I found every time the full stadium, and that's not easy because the stadium is so big.
"The fans can change the game in two minutes. If the fans work with you, it's more easy for you. So I think the fans are one of the best things in the stadium. I know this stadium is one of the best in the world.
"The fans are crazy. We need this because we need to put every time 100 per cent energy, concentration and everything on the pitch because we want to win every single game, especially home games, and we know we can."