Sandro Tonali is already proving Roberto De Zerbi right and Daniel Levy wrong

Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali is the crown jewel of a talented incoming class of Spurs transfers, and he represents a much, much needed change in philosophy at N17 of signing elite players and fully backing managers on who their top picks are. Because it is no secret that Roberto De Zerbi badly wanted Spurs to sign his fellow Brescia native to upgrade the technical quality, leadership, and tactical fit of the XI.

Already in the preseason, Tonali is absolutely bossing games and showing the full extent of what he can do in the 2026/27 Premier League season as Spurs seek to slalom back up the table. Tonali has been exquisite in possession, cool and collected, whlie looking like a real captain in stature. And defensively, it is difficult to poke holes in either his positioning or the robustness by which he actively attempts to win possession for his team.

For years, Daniel Levy shied away from bringing in 100 million pound talents like Sandro Tonali with world class upside, not wanting to pay the financial price or gamble on an expensive signing. Levy's idea was that Spurs had to sign players for modest fees who they could then sell for more later if they could not just keep them. That was how he wanted to build the squad, rather than go for the best possible players to actually win.

Sandro Tonali is a premium player at a premium price

Roberto De Zerbi wants to win and win now. He does not want to waste time on signing budget players at crucial positions, and he is banking on signing players like Tonali at premium fees as worth it because of what they can end up bringing to the table in the long run.

In Tonali's case, he can help Tottenham Hotspur both win now and in the future. He is already showing that ability to raise the tide of the other players and the floor of Tottenham, which was indeed dangerously low after back to back seasons in 17th place in the Premier League, and that is something that is very much worth 100 million pounds, especially if going back up to the top five helps the club generate that much in Premier League prize shares - and coveted Champions League money.

It's early days, but Tonali is on a path to proving Daniel Levy very wrong for years of stingy transfer strategy and Roberto De Zerbi very right for investing in elite talent for the squad.