Sandro Tonali is over the moon to be a Tottenham Hotspur player and admitted that his mind was made up on the move as soon as he had a conversation with Roberto De Zerbi.
Tonali has now officially become Tottenham’s record signing, with the Lilywhites confirming his arrival a few hours ago in a £100m deal from Newcastle.
The signing comes just a few days after Spurs’ capture of Mateus Fernandes, with Tottenham fans excited about watching their new midfield pair play together at N17 next season.
Many pundits have questioned why Tonali would want to sign for Spurs, and the midfielder has now explained why he was convinced it is the right next step for him.
Sandro Tonali admits he only wanted Tottenham after Roberto De Zerbi conversation
The 26-year-old has now revealed that he had no intention of waiting for any other club to make a move as soon as he heard about Tottenham’s interest and had a conversation with De Zerbi.
A lot has been made about the pair’s Brescia connection, and the Spurs newcomer admitted that he cannot wait to play for a coach who he knows well.
Tonali told Spurs Play: “I decided to sign for Tottenham, and I didn’t need two teams, three teams, four teams [in my mind]. I knew already my team for the next season, and I can’t wait to start the season and to play the first game.
“Every time you change the team, you have to restart everything. You have to restart your relationship with the teammates, with the staff, really with the fans. I’m a bit lucky because when you know the staff, it’s more easy for you, especially at the start of the season, the summer.
“He’s an unbelievable gaffer, I’ve known him for a long time. He’s from Brescia, I played 10 years in Brescia. Sometimes we meet in Brescia when we have a day off or two days off, we come back both in our city and I think this is fantastic. I spoke with him for the first time, we spoke like friends, and we spoke like players and gaffers already. This chat was close to magic because it was like, OK, now I have to sign for you for sure.”
Tonali admits he cannot wait to start the new season as a Spurs player
The former Newcastle man revealed that he and De Zerbi spoke about every aspect of Tottenham, and that the conversation made him very excited about what is in store next season.
The midfielder admitted that he woke up with fresh excitement this morning, realising that he is now a Spurs player.
When asked what De Zerbi told him about the club, Tonali responded: “We spoke a lot, really, about Tottenham, about the stadium, about the fans, about the players, about our football. We can’t wait to start the season.
“This morning at 6 am, I woke up like a Tottenham player. When we came here this morning, the feeling was fantastic. It was like when I was 16, 17, and I played my first game. It was so similar, I was like a kid with the energy inside. I think this is all positive things, especially for football, especially because I’m 26 now, I’m not 18-years-old.”