Abdulhafiz TeslimTottenham will essentially be paying £60million for four years of service if they complete a deal to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.
Spurs made a bold move this week to sign the Italian in a big-money deal in what has been described as a “statement signing” by the Lilywhites.
After finishing 17th in the Premier League for the second season in a row, the Lewis family have vowed to invest heavily in the team under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi – the club’s fourth manager in less than a year when he arrived at the end of March.
De Zerbi guided the club away from the embarrassment of relegation to the Championship, with a 1-0 win over Everton on the final day of the season securing their status as a Premier League side.
Work has already begun on revamping the squad De Zerbi inherited from Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, with Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi arriving from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively. Tottenham have since completed the signing of Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton in a deal worth around £52million.
They are all defensive signings, with De Zerbi moving up the pitch to make further additions too, which is where Tonali comes in. De Zerbi is pushing for a move to sign his fellow Italian this summer to add bite to his midfield in N17.
GIVEMESPORT understands Spurs want to make a statement signing this summer and, with Newcastle United expecting a fixed fee of around £85million, plus around £15million in add-ons to take the deal to £100million, Tonali would certainly fit that bill.
The Magpies are willing to let Tonali leave this summer, although the departure was expected to be to a club competing in European competition next season, something Spurs are not.
For Tottenham, signing Tonali is an expensive but necessary move that would take the club to the next level.
Last summer, Spurs brought Joao Palhinha back to the Premier League on loan from Bayern Munich and had an option to buy the Portuguese for around £26million this summer. De Zerbi admitted before the season ended that he would “100%” like to sign Palhinha permanently, but the option to buy was not taken up before the deadline. While Tottenham could still bring the 30-year-old back to N17, if they sign Tonali for £85million, you’ve got to think a deal for Palhinha would be dead in the water.
According to DataMB, Tonali ranks higher when it comes to progressive passes, forward passes and ball carrying. Unsurprisingly, Palhinha fares better in duels and averages more tackles per 90 than the Italian.
Tonali’s heat map for the 2025/26 season shows he does his best work between the two boxes, and he created six big chances for teammates last season, with an expected assists figure of 2.89. Palhinha’s heat map shows the bulk of his work being done in his own half. He scored more goals, popping up with crucial strikes at key moments for Spurs, but created only one big chance, with an xA of 0.66.
Tonali is a more well-rounded midfielder who can operate in a defensive or more attacking role for De Zerbi. Palhinha, despite the goals, is perhaps more limited.
Spurs can finally show the rest of the Big Six they mean business
Then there’s their ages. At 30, signing Palhinha does not offer any significant financial upside to Tottenham. He would likely be signing his last big contract if he were to join on a £26million deal – the price of Bayern’s option to buy – and is entering the latter stages of his career, albeit with several good years still ahead of him if he stays injury-free.
Tonali is four years younger than the Portuguese and, depending on the length of his contract and how long he plays for, Spurs could still recoup a significant portion of their investment with a future sale.
It’s a big-money deal, but Spurs have been criticised for so long for not putting their money on the table and really challenging financially with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. Signing Tonali is a chance to prove they’re finally willing to make that change and battle for the best players and the biggest pieces of silverware.
Abdulhafiz Teslim
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