EXCLUSIVE: Tottenham given Sandro Tonali transfer verdict as Roberto De Zerbi role clear
Tottenham Hotspur have struck an agreement with Newcastle for Sandro Tonali and Chris Waddle has now had his say on the deal
Chris Waddle believes Johan Lange is right to break the bank, albeit reluctantly, to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United. The Magpies midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer as Roberto De Zerbi looks to rebuild the core of his squad.
Last week, our colleagues at The Chronicle Live revealed that Newcastle had rejected an £80million bid from the Lilywhites for Tonali, whose contract at St. James' Park expires in June 2028. football.london understands Spurs made an improved offer of around £20m this week and the two clubs have now struck a £100m agreement for the player.
It's believed that said figure is broken down into an initial £92.5m, as well as a further £7.5m in add ons dependent on multiple Champions League qualifications. Over the past week, Manchester City have reportedly secured the signature of Elliot Anderson, agreeing a deal with Nottingham Forest worth £116m, and that may have impacted the Tonali deal.
Speaking to football.london on behalf of 10bet, where you can place a sports bet, Waddle commented on the impact that such a transfer would have on the market and Tottenham's pursuit of the Italy international.
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"Listen, in modern-day football, when Elliot Anderson is being talked about for £130m, who knows?" said the Spurs cult hero. "Tonali is a hard-working midfield player. What does he get, four or five goals a season?
"He's a fit guy who can cover the ground, and I can see why teams are interested. But I honestly can't believe the transfer fees of today, paying £80m or £100m for a midfield player who doesn't really create a lot or score a lot.
"It’s a hell of a lot of money, and I still can't get my head around some of these figures. But if that's the going rate you have to pay, so be it."
Johan Lange appears to have made a conscious effort to sign Premier League-proven players this summer, welcoming Andrew Robertson, Marco Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Martin Dubravka to Hotspur Way. With Mateus Fernandes also set to join, the Tottenham sporting director has completed the bulk of business before pre-season preparations get underway.
Waddle added: "It’s lively, and things are moving, which is a good thing. With players coming in, I'm sure they'll have to get rid of a few to fund these transfers and change the squad.
"There might be a couple of players leaving after the World Cup who you didn't think would go. Once the tournament finishes, I think there'll be a lot more movement. But they're active and in the market.
"They've signed two or three, and it looks as if they want to build a new side that can compete at the right end of the table. With Roberto De Zerbi going in there, the sporting side is different now.
"It's not Daniel Levy running the transfers the way it used to be. It's a different face and a different way of looking at it."
Waddle has attributed the change in the recruitment philosophy to De Zerbi, who would've sought assurances from Lange before taking the job. Although Tottenham have been embroiled in back-to-back relegation battles, the Italian will want to fight for a Champions League qualification spot.
"Tottenham have been getting a lot of stick about where they've been the last couple of years, so I think they've started to realise that you need to spend money on good players," said Waddle. "Simple as that.
"If you get good players, you'll have a good team. I think with De Zerbi going in, he probably said during his interview, 'Look, you can get another manager in after me, and another one after him, but if you just keep going down the same lanes you've been going down, you won't progress. You've got to be braver, spend money, and get better quality.'
"And I think they've listened to him..."