Sandro Tonali joined Tottenham as the biggest-money addition of their 10-signing summer window, with a reported £100 million move from Newcastle making him a club-record buy.
The 26-year-old is also understood to command close to £250,000 a week, making him the club’s top earner and putting significant pressure on him to deliver right away.
So far, though, the Italian hasn’t hit his stride, with Spurs losing both of their opening Premier League fixtures against Brentford and Newcastle.
After the Newcastle loss, manager Roberto De Zerbi noted that Tonali is still building toward peak physical sharpness, even though he went through a complete pre-season programme. Pressed further on the subject, De Zerbi implied fans might need patience before the midfielder shows his true quality—suggesting it could take until his second year at the club.
De Zerbi drew a comparison to Tonali’s time at AC Milan, where he needed a full season to settle before becoming central to their title-winning campaign the year after. He said he’s hopeful Tonali can perform at a high standard right from his debut season in north London, while conceding that bedding into a new club, squad, and tactical setup naturally takes time.
That said, Tottenham’s strategy of investing in proven Premier League talent was built around the idea of hitting the ground running. Tonali may be entitled to an adjustment period as he learns De Zerbi’s system, but a fee of this size limits how much patience will realistically be extended to him. Big transfer price tags have weighed heavily on plenty of players before, and managing that burden could end up being Tonali’s toughest test yet in England.
For now, Spurs will simply be hoping their record buy finds the touch that convinced them to spend so much on him in the first place.
