When Tottenham Hotspur decided to take the plunge near the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season and hire Roberto De Zerbi while their fate in the top flight hung in the balance, they knew they were making serious concessions and going hard after a guy who is the opposite of how complacent Spurs have been as an organization over the years under Daniel Levy.
Well, not only did De Zerbi immediately turn things around, save Tottenham from relegation, and get key players like Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven to believe again, but he is also making serious transfer demands on Spurs with the power vested in him.
Spurs are already bringing in his old Brighton standout at center back in Jan Paul van Hecke, and De Zerbi is driving hard after former Serie A star Sandro Tonali to help rebuild the Tottenham midfield in his image.
Tottenham are looking beyond just Sandro Tonali
But Tonali is not the only big player in the middle of the park that De Zerbi is after, and since clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United are desperately going for him, you could even argue that this player is an even more ambitious signing for Spurs to make.
According to a report from David Ornstein and Sebastian Stafford-Bloor of The Athletic, Roberto De Zerbi has requested that Tottenham Hotspur hotly pursue West Ham United star Mateus Fernandes, who was one of the biggest breakout stars in the entire Premier League last season depite the fact that Spurs relegated West Ham from the top flight on the last day of the 2025/26 season.
Better yet for Spurs fans, De Zerbi doesn't just want Fernandes as an alternative to Sandro Tonali. He wants the Jorge Mendes client and Portuguese international to come to N17 in conjunction with Tonali, aiming to sign both in separate deals that could potentially each cost nearly 100 million euros.
That is a ton of money, and after signing Jan Paul van Hecke for 60 million euros, it's not the kind of money Tottenham are used to investing. But it is the kind of money and the kind of high profile transfers that other major clubs in Europe like Arsenal and Man United are after that Spurs fans have been begging their club to go for over the past several years.
If De Zerbi can get Tottenham to push Tonali and Fernandes deals over the line, then he will have been sealed in the good graces of fans, because these are blockbuster midfielders who can change the shape of this team.
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