Sandro Tonali and Roberto De Zerbi suffered a difficult start to life in the Premier League with Tottenham, with the Italian midfielder facing jeers from Brentford fans during Saturday’s 3-0 defeat.
Tough debut draws fan criticism
Tottenham suffered a heavy away loss to Brentford in their opening game of the 2026-27 Premier League season, a match that also saw Italy’s Michael Kayode score his first goal of the campaign.
The result was particularly painful for Tonali, who made his Spurs debut following a record €115m move from Newcastle over the summer — a fee that makes him both the most expensive Italian player in history and Tottenham’s costliest signing ever.
BBC Sport handed the midfielder a poor 4/10 rating, calling his outing a “desperately poor debut.” Brentford’s home crowd jeered him on multiple occasions — first after he sent a wild shot from outside the box well off target, landing nearer the corner flag than the goal, and again later in the first half when he was mockingly cheered after losing possession near the penalty area while trying to build a Spurs attack.
Reaction online was similarly harsh, with one user on X questioning whether the €115m fee could go down as “the worst overspend ever in English football.” Several Newcastle supporters suggested Tonali struggles without former midfield partner Bruno Guimarães, with one writing that his performance reflected exactly how he plays without Bruno, adding that fans expected a playmaker but he simply doesn’t have that in him. Another Newcastle fan quipped: “No refunds, Spurs.”
