Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has breathed new life into the club. After turning around the performances of several key players, namely Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, to help Spurs survive the relegation battle, the Itailan manager is bringing in some big stars around the Premier League to Spurs.
With Jan Paul van Hecke all but officially set to join Spurs for 60 million euros, De Zerbi has turned his focus to potential 100 million euro blockbuster transfer Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United, deemed potentially up for grabs by the Magpies. Per Matteo Moretto, De Zerbi and Tottenham are "pushing...forcefully" for the Italian international, with Moretto noting that the player and coach both hail from the same city on the peninsula, Brescia.
Tonali is a mover and a shaker, the caliber of player who would already be one of the best for Tottenham but also the kind of player with the untapped potential to become one of the world's biggest stars.
However, in order to guarantee a move for Tonali, Tottenham need to clear out space for the 26 year old midfielder. Here are three underperformers who could be sold so Spur can have the wage space, transfer budget, and space in the squad to make a potential 100 million euro transfer.
CM Pape Matar Sarr
Pape Matar Sarr is not a bad player. He works hard for the team and he has occasional moments of brililance, including for Senegal, but, at the end of the day, he just does not have the quality to be a starter for Tottenham.
He could be a starter for a club with lower expectations, and Brentford are interested in him. So if Tottenham can sell him to their London rivals or even someone else in the Premier League, they could get a cool 20-30 million pounds for a player who is still relatively young. That, combined with Cristian Romero's fee, could come close to equaling Tonali, while Sarr would clear much needed midfield space for Tonali's spot, too.
CB Cristian Romero
Cristian Romero is the player Tottenham can sell for the most money, and they already replaced him by signing compatriot Marcos Senesi for free from Bournemouth as a talented ball playing center back. Jan Paul van Hecke is also joining for a substantial fee, though he figures to start next to Micky van de Ven over Senesi.
Regardless, Romero is expendable, and Tottenham fans were not exactly submitting rave reviews about his captaincy last season. The Argentinian international should go to La Liga for a similar fee to what Spurs paid for Van Hecke, and that money will be put to use to throw the kitchen sink at Tonali.
DM Joao Palhinha
Radu Dragusin has no future at Tottenham and is a much less important or effective player for Spurs than Joao Palhinha, but he is not a midfielder who affects Tonali's place in the squad, nor is he going to go for a huge fee, even with several notable Italian clubs linked to the player.
Spurs do not stand to gain anything financially from Joao Palhinha leaving, as he is not even their player. Palhinha joined Spurs last summer on loan from Bayern Munich, and while he played a key role in the club's survival at the end of the season, Palhinha's lack of quality on the ball makes him nothing more than a rotational player. Spurs can't really afford to sell Rodrigo Bentancur right now, so while he would make more sense as a one to one change for the superior playmaker in Tonali, it is easier to let Palhinha walk to Sporting CP.
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