Spurs in talks to sign £60m star who’s more exciting than Tonali & Fernandes

Tottenham Hotspur have finally gone there. A £100m signing is on the way. Sandro Tonali is his name.

At long last, Spurs are behaving like a big club again. Not many sides in the world can afford to shell out a fee like that.

However, this is a huge sign of intent. Under Roberto De Zerbi, the Lilywhites are not here to muck around. Tonali is on the verge of arriving and it will mark the second time they have broken their transfer record in the same summer. Only a few days ago Mateus Fernandes arrived in a mega £85m deal.

All of a sudden, Tottenham have one of the best midfield partnerships in the Premier League. That makes a big change, don’t you think? Last season supporters had to witness the likes of Conor Gallagher and Yves Bissouma labour around the pitch.

What Tonali and Fernandes can offer to Spurs

It is safe to say that De Zerbi and Co have made an almighty splash in the transfer window to date with Fernandes and Tonali marking the biggest deals in the club’s history.

But, why were they so coveted and why were Spurs willing to break the bank to beat the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United to their signatures?

Well, in the case of Fernandes, they have brought in one of the best young midfielders not just in English football but in Europe.

Compared to U21 midfielders in Europe’s top leagues last term, the former West Ham star ranked first for defensive duels won, possession won and interceptions.

Despite his age – he is just 21 – he already looks like a seasoned Premier League player. When Fernandes was still at Southampton, former Saints player Jo Tessem said that he is “becoming an ultimate Premier League midfielder. He plays like a Premier League player. He passes like a Premier League player. He is quick like a Premier League player. He conducts himself so well in midfield.”

So, he’s a pretty decent signing, right? Tonali could be even better, notably already hailed by his agent Beppe Riso as “one of the best midfielders in the world.” He has shown as much at Newcastle in recent seasons.

He’s crisp in possession, strong in the duel and capable of progressing play forward, making just 0.2 fewer take-ons per 90 minutes than his new midfield colleague in north London.

All that said, De Zerbi and Co could still make an even more exciting signing this summer

Spurs in talks to sign big-money forward

With the defence and midfield already sorted, attention has now turned to the forward line with Tottenham officials hard at work behind the scenes to find their next Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

In Eli Junior Kroupi, one leading target up front, they could fine their next Kane and in a certain Rafael Leao, they could find their new Son.

Tottenham have been linked with making a move for the Portuguese winger in recent days and the latest on their pursuit broke on Sunday afternoon, revealing that not only have they held initial discussions with the player’s camp about a potential move but they have also been told that the player wants the move. Exciting indeed.

While a club-record fee would not be shelled out again, it has previously been outlined that it could take as much as £60m to prise him away from AC Milan.

So, why would he be such a phenomenal signing? Well, as Como scout Ben Mattinson has previously pointed out, Leao is “one of the best left-wingers in the world“.

Spurs certainly needed to rebuild their defence and midfield this summer but since Kane and Son left, what they have really missed is a talisman, a genuine superstar capable of doing magical things and getting them through a close game.

The likes of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke will help to tighten up the defensive line, something that desparately needs to happen. Tonali and Fernandes will improve ball-playing from the middle of the park too, but in their forward line, they need a gamechanger. Leao would be exactly that.

Finally set to move on from Milan, he has been chased by some of Europe’s elite for a while now ago but it could be Tottenham who benefit from his departure from the San Siro.

One of the most direct players in world football, Leao ranks among the best 4% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for expected threat in the build-up phases of play, as well as sitting among the finest 2% for progressive carries and the top 7% for final-third entries.

Combine that raw ability to get possession up the field quickly with his end product and you realise why he’s such an elite player. In each of the last five season, he’s scored over double figures. In four of the last five seasons, he’s also registered double figures for assists.

Back in 2022/23, he scored as many as 16. A year later, he ended the campaign with 15 and last term, he netted ten times. The fact is that Leao is one of the most dangerous wide players on the continent and in a De Zerbi team, a coach famed for progressive play, he would be the absolute perfect winger.

Tonali and Fernandes will improve things significantly but Leao has the potential to become the new superstar of this team, following in the footsteps of Kane and Son.