Tonali says De Zerbi pulled him from other offers
Sandro Tonali says Roberto De Zerbi's tactical vision was the most important factor that led him to choose Tottenham Hotspur over another Premier League club when he left Newcastle United.
Tonali became the most expensive player in Spurs' history when he arrived in north London in early July, in a deal reportedly worth up to £100 million ($191.5 million).
The Italian is one of six players to join Spurs already this current transfer window, alongside fellow midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who joined from West Ham United for £85 million ($162.8 million) plus defensive trio Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, and back-up goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
He was also linked with Manchester City when it became clear that he would be allowed to leave Newcastle, and he has confirmed another club showed serious interest.
In an interview with The Daily Mail during Spurs' pre-season tour of Australia, Tonali insisted his excitement at playing under De Zerbi always outweighed any off-pitch considerations that came with his move to north London.
"After the last season, I spoke with my wife. We wanted to change our lives. Not just the city, we wanted to change everything," Tonali said.
"We spoke with two clubs. When we spoke with Tottenham, we decided to sign for this team. They spoke with 100 per cent passion, 100 pre cent seriousness.
"For London, for my life outside of football, for my family, OK, it's like 10 per cent [of the reason for moving].
"Roberto and the sporting director [Johan Lange] made the difference.
"I spoke after two minutes with my wife and my family and I said, 'Probably it will be one of my best decisions of my career.' She said, 'You have 100 per cent control over this decision'.
"Roberto said the project will be tough, but it will be perfect for me, and we could have one of the best seasons because we have big players. We just have to put the work in."
Having joined Newcastle from Serie A giant AC Milan in 2023, Tonali made 110 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists.
During his time at Newcastle, the 26-year-old helped it end a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy by beating Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final in 2024-2025.
Spurs continue their pre-season preparations by facing Chelsea in Sydney on Saturday, with further games against Getafe and Hoffenheim to come before they open their Premier League campaign at Brentford on 23 August (AEST).
