Sandro Tonali has revealed he was convinced to join Tottenham following a ten-minute conversation with Roberto De Zerbi, despite his temptation to move home to Italy. The 26-year-old Italian moved south from Newcastle earlier this summer in a transfer which could be worth as much as £100m if add-ons are achieved. It is a club-record deal, eclipsing the £85m they spent to bring in West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes earlier that week.
Magic conversation about Brescia
Speaking after signing, Tonali referenced a ‘magic’ conversation with head coach De Zerbi which convinced him of the move, and has now revealed that their talks centred around a shared passion for Italian club Brescia. De Zerbi was a boyhood Brescia supporter and later played for them, while Tonali started his senior career there.
“We spoke about Brescia, about the difficult situation facing our club,” Tonali told reporters in Australia, referring to the fact Brescia is facing bankruptcy after being relegated to Serie C. The pair later met in Italy to discuss the move.
He continued, revealing he had held talks with another interested club but had no doubts over joining Tottenham despite their brush with relegation last season.
First impression sealed deal
Tonali continued: “Honestly, I spoke with another team [also]. When you speak with a team, the first impression is a big thing and my impression was very positive. When you are happy after a 10-minute chat, it's everything, everything is perfect.”
“I spoke with my wife - this was the first thing. We wanted to change our life, but not just for the city, we wanted to change everything. We spoke with two clubs.”
He did, however, say that he would have preferred a move to Italy, but that no interested clubs could afford to meet Newcastle’s asking price.
“We had decided to come back in Italy but it was impossible for the money,” he admitted, explaining clubs could afford his wages but not the transfer fee.
“England was our solution and we found the best solution in England for me, for my career, for my football, for my happiness, for my family. I spoke with two teams. I understood after 10, 15 minutes that Tottenham would be my next team.”
