Sandro Tonali arrived at Tottenham as the most expensive of their 10 summer signings, with Spurs reportedly paying a club-record £100 million to bring the midfielder in from Newcastle.
The 26-year-old is also said to be earning around £250,000 per week, making him Tottenham’s highest-paid player and placing enormous expectations on his shoulders.
However, Tonali has struggled to find his rhythm in Spurs’ opening two Premier League matches, both of which ended in defeats to Brentford and Newcastle.
De Zerbi admits Tonali may need time
Following the Newcastle defeat, Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi suggested that Tonali is still working towards reaching his best physical condition despite completing a full pre-season.
Asked about those comments, De Zerbi hinted that supporters may have to wait before seeing the midfielder at his absolute best—possibly even until his second season at the club.
Speaking to Football.London, De Zerbi pointed to Tonali’s previous experience at AC Milan, where he struggled during his first campaign before becoming a key player in his second season, when Milan won the Serie A title.
De Zerbi said he hopes Tonali can reach a high level during his first season at Spurs, but acknowledged that adapting to a new club, dressing room and system can take time.
Tonali cannot afford a slow start
Tottenham’s decision to spend heavily on Premier League-proven players was partly based on the expectation that they could make an immediate impact.
While Tonali deserves time to adapt to De Zerbi’s system and his new surroundings, the £100m price tag means patience will not be unlimited.
The pressure that comes with such a huge transfer fee has affected some high-profile players in the past, and handling those expectations could prove to be Tonali’s biggest challenge at Tottenham.
For Spurs, the hope is that their record signing can quickly rediscover the form that made them willing to invest so heavily in him.
