Sandro Tonali is proof in quality over quantity as a policy

Tottenham Hotspur were criticized by many around the Premier League, including fans of clubs like Aresnal coping with their manager not getting the midfielder he wanted the most, for spending 100 million pounds on Sandro Tonali. Even Newcastle United supporters got in on the act when the Italian international struggled against them in a revenge game gone wrong on Matchday 2, with the Magpies winning 2-0.

Since then, though, Tonali has gotten better and better, and after shedding some adjustment and fitness issues, he is firing on all cylinders as arguably the best player in the Premier League in his role, matching Declan Rice at Arsenal stride for stride in terms of elite No. 6's. He's been way better than the more expensive Enzo Fernandez, and while Tottenham are playing great football as of late, it is now Newcastle who miss him badly and look to be in complete disarray.

It's always important to wait before reacting to a new signing, and right now, Roberto De Zerbi could not be happier with his decision to double down on signing one of his favorite players. His fellow Brescia native is living up to the 100 million pound price tag, and with how dominant he has been these last four weeks since Spurs have been undefeated after the September and October international break, many fans are joking that they would not mind paying an extra 100 million pounds to the people in St James's Park who were deriding Tonali only a month or two ago.

Under Daniel Levy, Tottenham Hotspur seemed to be signing quantity over quality. There is a laundry list of midfielders who were not bad players, but simply were not good enough to be starting for Spurs. Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, and so many others were lingering in the purgatory of being rotational players forced to start frequently, and even though Rodrigo Bentancur has been very good under Roberto De Zerbi, he, too, is nowhere near the level of player Sandro Tonali is.

Tonali gives Tottenham someone who defends at an elite level, reads the game better than anyone else, and truly dictates the play in and out of possession. He has made the rest of the ships rise with his tide, and that's not something you can say about most of the midfielders who have come through the club since Christian Eriksen left. Tottenham are getting more with signing top players regardless of how the fee looks on paper to the English punditry, and that approach is paying off for De Zerbi.