Our interview with Sandro Tonali is over, but as we shake hands, we have a small correction to make with Tottenham Hotspur’s £100million summer signing.
Earlier on in the conversation, Tonali had explained how nice it was that he was now getting to speak in Italian – with his new manager Roberto De Zerbi and his assistants and team-mates such as Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie – after three years of only using English at Newcastle United.
Except, as those of us from the heart of the North East will tell you, we do not talk in English. We speak Geordie, and to Tonali’s credit, he appreciates the difference. He tells us how he grew to love the locals who supported him around St James’ Park, and explains how he wanted his old club to feel like they were getting their money’s worth once it became clear that he would be leaving this summer.
‘The first thing was to get the best deal for Newcastle,’ Tonali says when discussing his decision to leave his former side managed by Eddie Howe, whose exit from Newcastle was coincidentally revealed on the same day as we spoke in Sydney.
‘I met there some of the best people for football. They love football. They live for football. When I decided to move, I said to my agent and to Ross Wilson (Newcastle’s sporting director) that I wanted the best deal for Newcastle because they deserve everything. This is football. Sometimes you have to understand how everything can change in your life in five minutes.’
Newcastle are in bother this summer. Not only might Bruno Guimaraes follow Tonali and Anthony Gordon out of the door at St James’ Park, they have now lost Howe now also. Tonali can only speak for himself, and he explains it was simply time for a change after three seasons and speaking with his family.
Sandro Tonali needed only a few minutes to convince him that Tottenham was his ideal Premier League destination
While sitting inside a makeshift boardroom set up inside Tottenham’s team hotel near the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Tonali explains how it was an easy decision to choose Spurs over others interested.
The £100m asking price that Newcastle placed on him influenced his options as he and his family were initially interested in returning to Italy. But they soon realised those in Serie A could not afford his services.
‘We stayed three years in Newcastle and after three years, we spoke all together, me and my family,’ Tonali says. ‘It was impossible for the money (to return to Italy). For the salary, you can speak all the time, but if you don’t find the money for the transfer, you don’t have the chance to move.
‘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.’
Manchester City were believed to be the other club in for Tonali, who has won 32 caps for the Italian national team at 26 years old. He is rather liking the Little Italy connection developing within Tottenham now as he tells us: ‘After the last season, I spoke with my wife. We wanted to change our life. Not just for the city. We wanted to change everything. 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 per cent seriousness. For this city, for my life outside of football for my family, OK, it’s like 10 per cent. Roberto and the director made the difference to the deal.
‘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 told me, “You have 100 per cent the control over this decision”. I wanted to speak with her because it’s our life.
‘Roberto said the project will be tough but will be perfect for me, for you, for the city, an we can do one of the best seasons because we have big players. We just have to put a lot of work in.’
Alongside Tonali, Spurs have also spent £85m on signing Mateus Fernandes on West Ham, to complete their midfield. On officially being a £100m footballer, Tonali says: ‘You have to understand that this is football. The price is different now to 10 years ago. I know I have a lot of pressure but I know I’m a football player, I know my responsibilities, I know this team, I know the people here. I have to play like I’m a normal player, a normal Tottenham player, with passion, putting my energy in every day. It’s not £1m, £10m, or £100m. You just have to be a passionate player for this gaffer.’
Tonali previously spent a decade in Italy with Brescia, De Zerbi’s hometown. He and the Spurs boss have this ‘mini connection’, as Tonali describes it, and they previously met up there. ‘We spoke about him, about his work, about the passion that he puts into every single moment with the team for this work and I think now, after two weeks, I know everything is real,’ Tonali adds. ‘All gaffers are different. I passed three years with Eddie and he was fantastic, especially for me. But now I’ve found a different gaffer who works a lot on the pitch, a lot with the tactics, a lot with the ball. We love to play with the ball because we are a big team with big players.’
