Tottenham Hotspur are now closing in on the signing of Sandro Tonali, and we have taken a closer look at his shirt number history and which number he is most likely to don in N17.
Following the scare of relegation to the Championship last season, Tottenham Hotspur have not hesitated in improving their squad.
The Lilywhites have shown both balance and ambition in their summer dealings so far, taking advantage of the free-agent market while splashing the cash when needed.
That has led to the signing of Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka, who arrived on free transfers, while Jan Paul van Hecke and Mateus Fernandes are marquee additions, joining for a combined £137 million.
A sixth signing now seems imminent with Spurs closing in on a deal for Sandro Tonali.
Tonali is expected to cost a mammoth £100 million (€118m), while his wages will see Spurs smash their current wage bill after agreeing a £10.3 million (€12m) contract with Tonali – a deal that will make him the highest earner at the club.
Tottenham shirt numbers available to Sandro Tonali
In the wake of the deal being announced soon, we have taken a look at the shirt number Sandro Tonali is likely to pull on at Tottenham.
Tonali is, of course, a seasoned professional who has been playing at the senior level for a long time. He not only has experience at the highest level in club football, but has also represented the Italian national team.
During that time, the 26-year-old has worn a variety of shirt numbers. At the start of his career, while with Brescia Primavera and Brescia Calcio, the Italian donned numbers including 8, 4, 34 and 10.
| Season | Club | Jersey number |
|---|---|---|
| 2019/20 | Brescia Calcio | 4 |
| 2018/19 | Brescia Calcio | 4 |
| 2017/18 | Brescia Primavera | 4 |
| 2017/18 | Brescia Primavera | 8 |
| 2017/18 | Brescia Primavera | 34 |
| 2017/18 | Brescia Calcio | 30 |
| 2017/18 | Brescia Calcio | 34 |
| 2016/17 | Brescia Primavera | 8 |
| 2016/17 | Brescia Primavera | 10 |
The change of number stopped when he secured his first big move to AC Milan in the 2020/21 season. During his three years in Italy, Tonali had more stability and consistency, sticking to the number 8.
That theme carried on into Newcastle United, where he has maintained the number 8, making it seven seasons in a row without a change.
| Season | Club | Jersey number |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | Newcastle United | 8 |
| 2025/26 | Newcastle United | 8 |
| 2024/25 | Newcastle United | 8 |
| 2023/24 | Newcastle United | 8 |
| 2022/23 | AC Milan | 8 |
| 2021/22 | AC Milan | 8 |
| 2020/21 | AC Milan | 8 |
Which shirt number will Tonali wear at Spurs?
Ideally, one would expect that Tonali will want to continue wearing the number 8 shirt at Spurs, but that is very unlikely, as Conor Gallagher has only just made that shirt his own following Yves Bissouma’s departure.
As a result, Tonali will need to make a change, and based on his number selection during his career, a few stand out as possible options.
As noted earlier, the number 4 is one shirt number the Italian has used in the past while at Brescia Calcio and Brescia Primavera.
He has also worn the number 4 with the Italian national team in 2021/22 and with the Under-21s in 2019/20.
However, at Tottenham, that number is currently taken by Kevin Danso. If Tonali were to claim it, Danso would have to change his number.
The number 6 then becomes the next obvious pick, as Tonali has worn it in the past with the Italian national team.
He has donned the number 6 three times for his country, doing so in 2019/20, 2018/19 and 2020/21. Switching to this number at Tottenham could work perfectly, as it is currently vacant following the departure of Joao Palhinha, who was the last to wear it.
Tonali has also worn the numbers 30, 34, 20, 13, 14 and 18 in his career, although at Spurs several of those are already occupied.
Rodrigo Bentancur is currently the club’s number 30; Mohammed Kudus has the number 20 shirt, Archie Gray wears 14, and Destiny Udogie is 13.
The number 34, however, is vacant. Tonali wore 18 while with Italy in the early stages of his international career in 2017/18 and 2018/19, but that has now been taken by Mateus Fernandes.
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