Roberto De Zerbi believes Sandro Tonali can become the face of Tottenham’s rebuild despite only joining from Newcastle United this summer.
Tonali completed his club-record £100m transfer to Tottenham in July, bringing the curtain down on three successful years at St. James’ Park.
Having joined Newcastle from Serie A giants AC Milan in 2023, Tonali made 110 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists.
The 26-year-old also helped Newcastle end their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy by beating Liverpool 2-1 in the EFL Cup final in 2025.
But he opted to join Tottenham this summer and is one of several new faces in De Zerbi’s ranks, after the Italian helped the club retain their Premier League status last season.
Tonali will be a part of a new midfield duo along with Mateus Fernandes, who joined from West Ham for £85m. Jan Paul van Hecke has also arrived for £52m, while Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka were signed on free transfers.
De Zerbi’s side have also tied down Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro, Ben Davies and Antonin Kinsky to new contracts, though the Tottenham boss believes that Tonali presents all the leadership qualities that can help the club move forward in 2026-27.
“If I really did convince him, then I can only be happy about that,” De Zerbi told Sky Sport Italia during an in-depth interview.
“I told him the truth, because I always tell players what I really think. I believe he is a player who has always been a leader in every squad he has played in.
“So here, with a team that is in the process of reconstruction, he can have an important role.
Tonali is Tottenham. pic.twitter.com/2Yn0PfUkFO
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 6, 2026
“I was already watching Tonali when he was playing for Brescia, my hometown club and the team I support. At the age of 18, he already looked like a veteran.
“I think this is something that Tottenham and I can offer him, more than other clubs.
“This is my first ‘real’ season at Tottenham, the last was about survival, but this time we can start building something lasting in the most difficult league in Europe.”
De Zerbi recently revealed that Tottenham have not finished yet in terms of their summer spending, with reports suggesting that Manchester City’s Savinho is a target.
But there could be one notable departure too in Djed Spence, with the England international reportedly closing in on a move to Serie A champions Inter.
Reports on Wednesday suggested Inter had made an initial offer to Tottenham of €30m (£25.6m), plus add-ons.
Spence enjoyed a standout campaign for England at the World Cup, appearing in all eight of the Three Lions’ games as they took bronze in North America.
Despite four of his appearances coming as a substitute, Spence attempted (19) and won (11) the second-most tackles among Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
He has made 85 appearances across all competitions for Tottenham since joining them in 2022, and should his move to Inter materialise, he will return to Serie A having appeared 16 times for Genoa during a loan spell three years ago.
