Why Spurs want to re-sign £30m midfield “monster” after Tonali & Fernandes

At last, Tottenham Hotspur are starting to behave like the big boys. It’s been a long time coming yet after back to back 17th-place Premier League finishes, times are changing.

Spurs know they need to switch up their attitude and so far under Roberto De Zerbi, the Lilywhites have improved their squad significantly.

The jewel in the crown would not only be Mateus Fernandes but Sandro Tonali. On Tuesday, it was revealed that they had agreed an £85m fee with West Ham to lure him from east to north London.

Yet, Tonali is also on the agenda too and looks set to move in a remarkable £100m swoop. It would mean Spurs will have broken their transfer record twice in one summer. Not bad, eh?

That being said, a third midfielder could also arrive.

£30m star wants to re-join Spurs

If you told supporters they would end up spending the best part of £185m on two players come the end of last season, you’d have been laughed out of town.

Yet, the winds of change are among us. Spurs are switching up their strategy and have suddenly realised that to compete with the elite sides, they need to spend big and hand out colossal wages in the process.

It is something they have been scared to do in the past. Ange Postecoglou even outlined that when appearing on Gary Neville’s The Overlap back in February. “When you look at their expenditure and particularly their wage structure, they’re not a big club,” the Aussie said.

“I saw that because, when we were trying to sign players, we weren’t in the market for those players.”

Well, Ange, it appears as though they have listened. Spurs are reportedly offering Tonali a contract of £200k-per-week to join the club. They could even spend another £30m or so to re-sign Joao Palhinha.

Indeed, not content with just two midfielders, The Daily Mail reveal that while the deadline has passed to sign the Portuguese for £30m from Bayern Munich after his loan deal, De Zerbi wants to bring him back.

The player is also said to be keen on returning to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

Why Joao Palhinha would complement Tonali and Fernandes

It is safe to say it would be pretty jaw-dropping if Tottenham were able to get both Tonali and Fernandes this summer.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes claimed last October that Tonali is “the best midfielder in the Premier League” and while that may be something of a stretch too far, the Italian is certainly an elite player.

Fernandes, meanwhile, is one of the best up and coming midfielders in English football right now. Last season, among U21 midfielders in Europe’s top leagues, he ranked first for defensive duels won, possession won and interceptions.

While Tonali is not yet confirmed, it would be very special to see him link up with the former West Ham man in midfield. It would also be a treat to see them all feature in the same side as Palhinha.

Depending on how conservative or not De Zerbi wants to be, you could field Palhinha at the base, with Tonali and Fernandes ahead of them. Fernandes could even play as a number 10 with the other two sitting next to each other in a double pivot.

Whatever the system, whatever the tactics, they would complement each other brilliantly. In Fernandes, they would have the legs, the engine to improve the midfield. He was among the top ten midfielders in the Premier League last season for kilometeres run.

As for Tonali, you’d have the class and composure, a player who is tidy on the ball and capable of progressing it forward. In Palhinha, you would have the muscle and the brawn.

Described as a “defensive monster” by recruitment analyst Marcus Bring, no player made more tackles (4.51) per 90 than Palhinha in the entire Spurs squad last season. In fact, no player in the whole league completed more tackles. Furthermore, he won 6.43 ground duels per 90, again the most of any player in the side.

With that sort of defensive coverage, he would no doubt be perfect for Tonali and Fernandes. The former is not a natural holding midfielder. He’s something of a Martin Zubimendi, someone who will dictate the tempo of a game rather than disrupt the rhythm of the opposition.

The latter is something of an inbetween. He’s capable of winning duels but he’s also progressive, capable of carrying the ball long distances without being tackled.

As a result, to bring a natural defensive midfielder into the fray like Palhinha would be a huge boon to both of these elite midfield players. All of a sudden, De Zerbi would arguably have one of the best trios in the Premier League at his disposal.