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Tottenham have signed Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United in a club-record £100m deal.
The midfielder, who is expected to earn more than £275,000 per week, was keen to work under Spurs boss and fellow Italian Roberto De Zerbi, despite interest from elsewhere, including Manchester City.
He told Sky in Italy last week that De Zerbi had played a "huge role" in his decision to join Tottenham, adding he was moving to London for "lifestyle and family" reasons.
It is the second-highest fee Newcastle have ever received for a player. The highest was the £125m that Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak last summer.
The qualities 'elite' Sandro Tonali can bring to Spurs
Sandro Tonali: Roberto De Zerbi key to Spurs move
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It is the second time in the space of a week that Spurs have smashed their transfer record after completing the £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes from West Ham on Tuesday.
Discussing his arrival in north London, Tonali told the club's official website: "I'm very happy to be here. When I arrived at the club, it felt fantastic. People said about there being four or five clubs - there was only one.
"I spoke to the head coach for close to two hours about the club, the fans, the stadium and our football. It was like magic because I knew immediately that I had to sign for Tottenham.
"I've played against Tottenham a few times and always found a great atmosphere made by great fans. I can't wait to start the season."
De Zerbi added: "Sandro is a special player and a great signing for our club. I have followed him for a long time, as he came through the youth system at my hometown club, Brescia, and I'm so happy to be working with him now.
"Given his qualities, there was a lot of interest in Sandro this summer. However, he was very clear in his desire to join Tottenham, and I know our fans will love what he brings to the team."
The arrivals of Fernandes and Tonali takes the north London club's spending this summer through the £200m barrier.
Spurs have splashed out £52m on defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, while they have also brought in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka all on free transfers.
It signals a big shift in transfer strategy from the club following back-to-back 17th-placed Premier League finishes after narrowly escaping relegation on the final day last season.
The deals for Fernandes and Tonali come after Spurs agreed to sell defender Luka Vuskovic for £50m to Brighton.
Tonali: Newcastle gave me more than football - it gave me a home
The Italian midfielder bid farewell to Newcastle in a post on Instagram. He said: "Three years ago I came to Newcastle not really knowing what to expect. Today it's time to say goodbye and it's hard to find the right words.
"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 team-mates 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.
"Together, we achieved something this city had been waiting decades for. At Wembley that day, it was special, a historic moment we got to share together. To the fans who never stopped believing, who never stopped cheering for this club, who were there in the hardest times, that trophy was for you.
"The game brought me to Newcastle. Today I leave with my wife and our son, born during my time here. This city gave me more than football. It gave me a home, moments I'll hold onto forever, and people I will always be grateful for.
"Thank you for everything."
'Tonali's a proper midfielder - Spurs will have a good season next year'
Sky Sports' Paul Merson on Spurs' summer business:
"Tonali is a very good signing, he is one of my favourite players in the Premier League, he is a proper, proper midfielder.
"Whenever I've watched Tottenham, I always think they are a bit over-run in midfield, they do not ever dominate games.
"They've got good centre halves and forwards when they are all fit, but they never dominate the midfield and the manager [Roberto De Zerbi] has come in and highlighted that and he has brought in two very good midfield players.
I expect them to have a good season next year, but I wonder whether Aston Villa's performance against Tottenham at the end of last season will come back to haunt them. They were comfortably beaten and could arguably have relegated Tottenham with a better result. If the race for the Champions League places comes down to fourth or fifth next season, that match could prove to be a costly missed opportunity.
"But he [De Zerbi] has bought very well at the moment."
What does Tonali deal mean for Newcastle?
Newcastle signed Tonali from AC Milan in the summer of 2023 in a £55m deal but are now set to make a £45m profit on him.
It is understood the club feel the sizeable fee received for Tonali will give them the flexibility to reinforce several areas of the squad with high-potential talent.
And the sale is already being felt, with Newcastle signing winger Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim for £42m. He is set to be the first of multiple new signings through the door.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have not made a bid for Spurs midfielder Archie Gray, according to sources at both clubs.
Spurs' transfer dealings so far
Andy Robertson - Liverpool, free
Marcos Senesi - Bournemouth, free
Martin Dubravka - Burnley, free
Jan Paul Van Hecke - Brighton, £52m
Mateus Fernandes - West Ham, £85m
Sandro Tonali - Newcastle, £100m
Total transfer spend so far: £237m
How can Spurs afford this summer spree?
Analysis from Sky Sports News reporter Michael Bridge:
The big change has been the will of the leadership to spend on transfer fees and wages to compete with the top teams. After narrowly missing out on relegation, the message was 'never again'.
Spurs have qualified for European football in 17 years out of 20. They've had the lowest wages-to-turnover ratio in the league over the last few years.
They've invested well in the local area in terms of land, building the best stadium. That stadium is arguably one of the best in the world, and it is generating unbelievable revenue.
The criticism in the past from Spurs fans was that they're not seeing that money being spent on the pitch.
The promise of the Lewis family, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and non-executive chairman Peter Charrington is that they will be doing this going forward and using the revenue from things like the stadium to improve the first team. That will be a big boost in terms of their spending.
There will also be sales this summer, which will be required just in terms of creating space in the squad for all these new signings and the fact there will be fewer games to contend with after dropping out of Europe.
If you look at the players that could go - Lucas Bergvall, Luka Vuskovic, Cristian Romero, Pape Matar Sarr, Richarlison – that could raise a lot of money for Spurs.
The Lewis family injected £100m into the club this summer – and that takes them up to £200m since 2025 – but that was for the day-to-day running of the club rather than for transfer spending.
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Not many players get a big move after being relegated twice in their first two Premier League seasons. Not least for £85m. But Mateus Fernandes is seemingly different.
Despite being part of one of the worst Premier League teams at Southampton two seasons ago, Fernandes still managed to secure a £38m move to West Ham. And even though he was relegated again, he is moving to Tottenham a year later for more than double that figure.
It's a strong midfield market this summer too. The likes of Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and Sandro Tonali are among the many midfield maestros who could be on the move, with the latter expected to follow Fernandes to Spurs for £100m.
Spurs complete club-record Mateus Fernandes signing
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If England midfielder Anderson is deemed the ideal central midfielder pick this summer - and he looks set for Man City - then Fernandes is not a bad alternative. The numbers spell that out pretty clearly.
Last season, Fernandes proved his status as one of the Premier League's toughest tacklers and it's a feature that stands out for those who know him.
"That's no surprise that his tackling stats are very high," Simon Rusk, who worked with Fernandes at Southampton, including via an interim head coach spell after the Saints' relegation, tells Sky Sports.
"Both speaking to him and observing him, I could see that would be a feature in his game - and a strength."
Alongside the tough-tackling nature is a lot of high-intensity running to get to the challenge in the first place.
Fernandes sits in the top 10 Premier League midfielders for distance covered. And again, it follows the same pattern: if Anderson is the best first-choice option on the market, then Fernandes is pretty much the next best option available.
It wasn't always the plan when Fernandes was signed by Southampton; he was seen by Russell Martin as a more advanced option.
"He was used as a little bit more as a No 10, a little bit more of an advanced role," he says. "But when I spoke to Matty through conversations with him, quite apparently, he saw himself as more of an all-round midfield player, more of a No 8.
"And that would lend himself to the defensive side of the game. What Matty wanted to do, he wanted to run. He wanted to be involved in the game as much as possible.
"But certainly, looking at his performances at West Ham this year, he certainly moved forward in terms of his game intelligence and mixed in with his strength, his tenacity and his engine."
West Ham noticed that desire for Fernandes to play slightly deeper too - using him mainly as a hybrid option between a No 6 and a No 8 in the season just gone.
Unfortunately for Fernandes, it has not quite worked out in terms of team success. Back-to-back relegations have tarnished the growing career of a promising midfield talent.
But despite the difficult contexts he's been trusted with, Fernandes has remained a positive influence on the dressing room wherever he has gone.
"He was a fantastic lad to work with," adds Rusk. "I think he was mentally tough, but he'd be hurt. I could see how much it hurt him, the relegation at Southampton.
"And I'm sure he'll be hurting again with being part of a relegation at West Ham. But, his character, he will use that as fuel.
"It will only make him a stronger, better player. It's not necessarily what happens to you, it's the meaning you apply to it. And I think for Matty, he's got a growth mindset.
"He's got an unbelievably excellent attitude towards becoming better. So he can only use this as being better."
All these attributes helped convince multiple managers - including Rusk, Russell Martin, Graham Potter and Nuno Espirito Santo - that Fernandes is a player worth sticking with, even at his tender age.
Since moving to the Premier League aged 19, Fernandes has started all but four of the top-flight games he's been available for. Two of those matches were his first two appearances in the competition, one was due to suspension and the other saw him score off the bench away at Leeds last season.
"You're looking at a 20-year-old, he's landed in the Premier League and plays week in, week out," says Rusk. "He's instantly gained the trust of everyone in the building.
"And one thing you can't underestimate as well with a young player, he moved to a new country, new environment, different language, the predominant language. And he was able to deal with all of those things and seamlessly become a regular starter in the Premier League.
"There was a level of maturity about him without any shadow of a doubt. Single-minded, but really good to work with - and very respectful. And all of those ingredients lend themselves to someone developing and becoming a better player."
What has helped Fernandes settle in is the player's ability to learn new information quickly - which will bode him well as he prepares for a third summer move in three years.
"I've worked with a lot of players where they've got an unbelievable raw talent, but maybe less coachable in terms of how they're willing to absorb information," says Rusk. "But Matty was, from that point of view, a dream to work with."
Rusk saw that firsthand during his time working with Fernandes at Southampton.
When the Saints visited Spurs in April 2025, Rusk - who was part of the Saints backroom staff at the time - worked with the midfielder for a couple of days on making late runs into the box, in a bid to stifle Ange Postecoglou's high line.
Fernandes ended up scoring in that game via a late run into the box. In a game remembered for Southampton suffering the earliest Premier League relegation in history, there were signs of a future gem in the works.
"The best players I've worked with, they learn quick. You tell them something and the penny drops quite quickly," Rusk says.
"And that Tottenham game, we only had a day or two working on the timing of his runs into the box and he arrived with a goal late with what we'd worked on.
"It was another bit of reinforcement where I thought: 'yeah, you've got a real chance of going on to great things here.'
"I've benchmarked it against a lot of the players that have gone on to playing right at the top of the game: international football, Champions League, Premier League football. They were very resilient, they were very single-minded and they learn quick. And I definitely put Matty in that bracket."
And speaking of goals, that is one area where Fernandes could improve. He got five goals and five assists for West Ham last season - which is not bad for a team who ended up being relegated.
But as Rusk says: "If he applies goals, then you're probably moving towards a complete midfielder." All of a sudden, the interest in Fernandes starts to make sense.
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It feels like things are changing in N17. Tottenham's spending is set to surpass their record for a single window with the signings of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali – and they are not done yet.
The combined £185m fee for Fernandes and Tonali will take Spurs' total outlay in this window to £237m, surpassing the £225m spent in the summer of 2023. Roberto De Zerbi has completed his business in midfield and defence and is now set to address the attack.
How different it could have been if they were relegated. Spurs' aggressive start to the window has raised eyebrows at rival clubs, who are wondering how a club that finished 17th is attracting such a calibre of player and spending so much.
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De Zerbi's influence can't be understated. We've seen Tonali at Milan's Linate Airport telling Sky in Italy how important his fellow Brescian was in convincing him to join. That was clear with Jan Paul van Hecke too. He has a big pull.
The ambition Spurs are showing embodies their coach. It was always Tonali and Fernandes - despite doubts from elsewhere that they could do both. And everything has been agreed by July 1, a world apart from the windows we've been accustomed to with Spurs.
Without doubt, as well, De Zerbi is the most hands-on Spurs head coach in terms of transfer business for a long while. It's never a case of just one person running the recruitment anymore; those days are long gone, but De Zerbi is a bit of a throwback.
Last summer there were embarrassing transfer sagas with Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White, and that is why it was so important to get a signing like Mateus Fernandes over the line ahead of Manchester United, who beat Spurs to Bryan Mbeumo a year ago.
One of the main reasons Spurs have missed out on targets previously - or failed to take that next step - was a result of a strict wage budget. That's been changed and Spurs are now able to offer salaries that make them competitive with the very top clubs.
With the Fernandes deal, I was told Spurs would go as high as it took to beat United. They were determined to sign him, especially ahead of a top-six rival, and I think that will have been a real relief for a lot fans as well as a moment to celebrate. It's a statement of intent.
The qualities 'elite' Sandro Tonali brings to Spurs
From a financial perspective, I am told there are no concerns about falling foul of the new Squad Cost Ratio rules which replaced PSR as of July 1 - and Spurs are actually one of the clubs to benefit most from the change in rules.
Part of the reason for that is because of Spurs' impressive revenues thanks to the stadium and all of the business that brings in the shape of concerts, boxing matches and NFL UK games. They have also been in Europe in 18 of the last 20 seasons.
The latest Deloitte Football Money League table had Spurs as the ninth biggest generators of revenue of all the clubs in world football - just behind Manchester United and ahead of Chelsea, which shows the financial heft of the club.
The big change has been at leadership level and the altered strategy that has brought about. Daniel Levy left at the start of last season as chairman and now it's Vinai Venkatesham and Peter Charrington working under the Lewis family.
They promised after the final day of the season that they would spend the money generated by the club on improving the first team. Spurs want to dine at the top table with the very best clubs - and they are now backing that up by spending the money.
There will be sales as well and, with the six new arrivals through the door already - regardless of finances - players will need to go to make space, especially as there's no Europe to contend with. Spurs have players they could move on for decent money.
Luka Vuskovic is joining Brighton for £50m. He is only 19 and never played a competitive match for Spurs, who paid around £9m for him, and he becomes the club's fourth-biggest sale ever.
Lucas Bergvall wants to go and has strong interest from Nottingham Forest but we understand that he's been told he will not be leaving. Let's see what happens there as the midfield looks quite bloated now. Pape Matar Sarr is another potential exit there. He has Brentford interest.
Cristian Romero could leave if a club offers Spurs enough money, with six central defenders in the squad currently. Richarlison is in the final year of his deal, which means there's a decision to make there. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is likely to go, too, with plenty of interest from Italy.
It looks like Antonin Kinsky is in line to become the No 1 keeper full-time after his impressive form at the end of the season, with Martin Dubravka coming in as understudy. We're told reports of interest in Manchester City and England's James Trafford are wide of the mark.
Spurs still have business to do, but the work they have got done early in the window has been transformative: Premier League-proven players brought in to make an impact from day one. That was key for De Zerbi, who wants to push for Europe straight away.
Times really do feel like they are changing at Spurs. This was a huge summer for the leadership, and so far, so good.
Tottenham's deal to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle continues an exhaustive overhaul under head coach Roberto De Zerbi. At £100m, he will become the most expensive, and the most important, of six summer signings so far.
While Mateus Fernandes, his new midfield partner, arrives having shown potential to become one of the Premier League's leading midfielders at 21, Tonali is already there. The 26-year-old is entering his peak years, ready-made and established among the elite.
The view from Newcastle is that they have secured an excellent fee. Tonali was of course a key player for Eddie Howe but struggled to find consistency last season. The club have nearly doubled their money on the Italy international in the space of three years.
Spurs, though, will feel confident he can justify the expense under a head coach with whom he has connections. Tonali started his career at Brescia, in the city where De Zerbi grew up.
Sandro Tonali: Roberto De Zerbi key to Spurs move
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"Let's say De Zerbi played a huge role in this decision," Tonali told Sky in Italy. "He made a huge difference. He acted as a fellow native of Brescia and a friend, but he also demonstrated that he had a lot of work behind him, and that he is committed to it."
Tonali faced De Zerbi's Sassuolo side on numerous occasions while in Italy, first with Brescia then with AC Milan, and has spent the intervening years honing attributes which can elevate Spurs.
Firstly, there is a level of technical ability which Spurs badly lacked among their midfield options last season. Like Fernandes, Tonali is comfortable dictating play, serving as a bridge between defence and attack and moving the ball quickly and incisively.
There is a clear difference when comparing his passing numbers to those of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha, Spurs' most-used central midfield pairing last season.
Tonali made roughly twice as many passes ending in the final third. According to Opta, he also averaged considerably more line-breaking passes, reflecting a greater willingness than Bentancur or Palhinha to be proactive and launch attacks.
Progressing the ball aggressively is vital to De Zerbi's philosophy and helps to explain why he also targeted centre-backs, in Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Sensei, who rank among the most ambitious, forward-thinking passers in the Premier League.
The signing of Tonali highlights De Zerbi's desire to transform the physical profile of the side as well as its technical profile. His athleticism, as a box-to-box midfielder who contributes at both ends, was recently talked up by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
"Tonali is a midfielder I really rate," Carragher told Sky Sports News. "He's got great pace and great power in midfield. He's certainly a player I looked at thinking about Liverpool."
His pace can be seen in Premier League tracking data.
Tonali's top speed of 36.06 kilometres per hour last season ranked as the 14th-highest among the 551 players to feature in the competition, above even his new team-mate Micky van de Ven in a top 15 otherwise dominated by forwards and full-backs.
Of the 145 players categorised by Opta as central midfielders, Tonali in fact ranked as the quickest. Howe outlined the value of his speed across the ground out of possession last season.
"Sometimes it's not necessarily a quality that registers immediately," he said. "But with the number of times that he reads the game, reads where the ball is going to drop and is there first, you realise it's a massive skill of his, his athleticism, his speed."
Tonali played an important role in snuffing out counter-attacks for Newcastle - "defensively, I think Sandro is one of the reasons why we have been so strong," added Howe - and De Zerbi will likely seek to use his athleticism in the same way.
Tonali's dynamism and defensive diligence can also be seen in Opta's numbers for runs tracking back into position. His total of 144 such runs last season was the highest by a Newcastle player and the seventh-highest by anyone in the competition as a whole.
He offers robustness too. Tonali joined Newcastle having only missed six Serie A games out of 76 in his final two seasons at AC Milan and suffered no notable injuries at Newcastle.
Since returning from the 10-month betting ban that disrupted his first season in the Premier League in August 2025, he has played nearly 80 per cent of Premier League minutes, behind only Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn among team-mates in that timeframe.
Former Italy boss Luciano Spalletti cherished Tonali's completeness. "He has the ability to help everyone on the pitch because he knows how to do everything," he said. While Howe has described him in similar terms, indulging comparisons with Andrea Pirlo while highlighting the additional qualities he brings to the table.
"He's definitely got those similar qualities in terms of build and style, but I think the thing that sets Sandro apart from anyone else is that he can do all of those things technically and tactically, and look really good, while having his athleticism and ability to run as well."
For Spurs and De Zerbi, it's an all-round package worth the expense.
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