Roberto De Zerbi has shed light on his conversations with Sandro Tonali before the £100m move to Tottenham and what Spurs prioritised while finalising their summer transfer targets.
The Italy international has become the most expensive signing in Tottenham’s history and the first player for whom the club broke the £100m barrier.
Spurs have also shattered their wage ceiling to sign Tonali, who is reportedly on a £ 250k-per-week contract with the Lilywhites.
It is an open secret that De Zerbi played a huge role in convincing the 26-year-old to come to N17, and the Italian has now revealed why he was so keen on ensuring his compatriot joined his project at Spurs.
Roberto De Zerbi believes Sandro Tonali will be a leader at Tottenham
Tonali has admitted that his mind was made up on joining Spurs following his conversations with De Zerbi, insisting that the project at Tottenham is ‘perfect’ for him.
The Spurs head coach has now revealed that the midfielder’s leadership qualities were the main reason he wanted him in the squad, adding that he expects those qualities to come to the fore in North London.
When asked about Tonali’s comments about why he chose Tottenham, De Zerbi told Sky Sport Italia (as relayed by Sport Italia): “If I really did convince him, then I can only be happy about that. 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 played, so here with a team that is in the process of reconstruction, he can have an important role.
“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.”
De Zerbi revealed that Spurs prioritised signing the right characters
The 46-year-old explained that Tottenham did not focus on just the quality of the players when finalising their summer transfer targets.
He explained that the club wanted the right characters, who have the hunger and are capable of fostering the required team spirit at the club.
When asked about the club’s signings so far, De Zerbi said in the same interview (via Gianluca Di Marzio): “We tried to take the right players also from a character point of view: good people, positive, with ambition and hunger, players and people of a certain type. Today, football, in addition to the quality of the game and everything else, I believe is also based a lot on team spirit, on the character and discipline of the players.”