Sandro Tonali is heading to north London. A staggering deal potentially worth a club-record £100m has been struck with Newcastle United.
His arrival follows the confirmed signing of new midfield partner Mateus Fernandes, who admitted he was smitten by Roberto De Zerbi when he spoke to the fiery Italian.
Spurs are prepared to shell out £185m to transform a midfield that suffered mightily last season and only developed a semblance of stability once De Zerbi took the reins. Rodrigo Bentancur's return from injury proved important, João Palhinha offered clutch moments and young Archie Gray sparkled in patches.
As a collective, though, Spurs' engine room rarely clicked and while Thomas Frank was in charge, barely sought to pass the ball forward. Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr each had disappointing seasons, and both could be sold this summer.
While the club is aiming to minimise risk by exclusively signing players with Premier League experience, the mammoth outlay required to persuade Tonali and Fernandes to join renders the deals huge financial gambles. Plenty are condemning egregious overpays, particularly for Tonali, but the club has spent years "winning" transfer deals with little on-pitch reward, and supporters grew increasingly fed up.
It's about time we acted with the care free ruthlessness of a major insitution, with two decades of Daniel Levy frugality undermined in an incredibly short space of time.
Tonali excited by new Tottenham adventure
De Zerbi is uniting with a player he's cherished for a long time. There's a personal connection between the pair, with Tonali born in Lodi, an hour's drive from De Zerbi's beloved Brescia, who should benefit massively from this deal amid their mightily precarious financial state.
The Tottenham boss wanted to sign Tonali at Sassuolo off the back of the midfielder's tough debut season with AC Milan. Now, five years on, De Zerbi finally has his man, and it's certainly costing him a lot more than it would've done in 2021.
After the big news dropped on Wednesday, David Ornstein has since confirmed that Tonali will sign a six-year deal with the club once he undergoes his medical on Thursday afternoon.
On his way to north London, the midfielder was caught by Sky Sports Italia journalist Luca Bendoni, who asked him about his impending move.
"We decided for a change and we are ready for this new adventure," Tonali replied, before responding to another question regarding the Italian national team.
De Zerbi has, of course, had a major influence, with his ability to sell his project perhaps transcending even what Ange Postecoglou pitched to targets while he was at the club. There may be holes in Tonali's game that shouldn't mean he's a £100m footballer, but an overpay doesn't render the Italian a poor midfielder.
In one fell swoop, Spurs have rejuvenated their engine room. The frontline's next.
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