Former Spurs forward Teddy Sheringham has suggested Tottenham’s record signing Sandro Tonali is not a top player, questioning why the club did not move for Elliot Anderson, who cost £16 million more.
Tottenham Hotspur’s new signings from the summer transfer window are starting to settle in under Roberto De Zerbi.
That is no surprise, as many of the ten new additions have played more than 500 minutes in the Premier League after ten games.
In fact, four of De Zerbi’s new signings feature among Tottenham’s top ten performers so far this campaign: Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson.
Here is the breakdown of the top ten highest-rated Spurs players so far
However, despite their influence, former Spurs striker Teddy Sheringham is not entirely convinced by the recruits or the leadership at Tottenham.
Former Tottenham striker questions Sandro Tonali signing
Speaking on the pitchbefumble Instagram account, the former Tottenham man was critical of Spurs’ summer business, arguing that while the Lilywhites have brought in good players, they are not exactly top players.
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He said: “I mean, again, they’ve spent an awful lot of money. But when you spend that big money, you expect to have top players. And I don’t think they’ve bought top players. I think they’ve got good players in. So they’ve probably got, on a scale, a little bit better than what they had. But are they top players? I’m not so sure. And so you’re still going to get the mistakes, and you’re still going to get the… no leadership qualities.”
The former striker then singled out Tonali, comparing Spurs’ record signing with Elliot Anderson and stating that if Tottenham really wanted the best midfielder, they should have gone for the former Nottingham Forest man.
He added: “You know, just for instance, you’ve got Tonali. It’s a good player, there’s no doubt about it. It’s a good player, a very good player. But if they’d have spent a little bit more and gone out and got Elliot Anderson and said, ‘Look, this is what we want’… You know, everything he does, he wants to be the winner. You can tell, everything he does on the football pitch, he wants to be involved. He wants to get it off the back four, he wants to go forward, he wants to tackle someone, he wants to go forward and score a goal.
“Tonali’s good. He gets about the pitch. He doesn’t get involved in everything. So if you’re going to make a statement when you’re spending that sort of money, go out and get the best. Tottenham haven’t done that.”
How Tonali compares with Anderson in the Premier League
Teddy Sheringham does make some good points, and the stats back up his assessment of the two midfielders. Tottenham’s record signing cost £16 million less than Anderson.
Tonali has certainly shown his quality at Tottenham, especially in October during Spurs’ three-game winning run.
The midfielder showed exactly what he offers, helping Tottenham apply pressure high up the pitch with his relentless running.
His physical quality is further shown in his numbers this season, with Tonali in Tottenham’s top three for distance covered, number of sprints and distance per 90.
Tonali definitely outperforms the City man on these physical stats. However, in terms of who is the more complete midfielder, further stats show that Anderson offers more than Tonali.
The City man is better in duels, winning possession, progressive carries, forward passes, key passes and progressive passes.