EPL: Why I joined Tottenham Hotspur – Tonali

Sandro Tonali has explained why he chose to join Tottenham, revealing that his relationship with manager Roberto de Zerbi and their shared connection to Brescia played a major role in his decision.

The Italian midfielder completed a club-record £100m move to Spurs after leaving Newcastle, despite interest from clubs with stronger recent records.

Tonali said a meeting with De Zerbi quickly convinced him that Tottenham was the right destination.

The midfielder revealed that he only needed 10 minutes after their initial conversation to make up his mind about the transfer.

A key part of their discussion was Brescia, the club both men have a strong connection with. De Zerbi grew up supporting Brescia and later played for the club, while Tonali began his football career there.

As reported by BBC Sport on Thursday, Tonali was quoted as saying, “We spoke about Brescia, about the difficult situation facing our club,” Tonali said, referring to the struggles of his boyhood team after their relegation to Italy’s third tier.

The Tottenham manager had previously tried to sign Tonali during his time at Sassuolo, creating a relationship that the midfielder described as a “mini-connection” over the years.

De Zerbi contacted a mutual friend last season to find out whether Tonali would be interested in moving to Tottenham and was told the player was open to the possibility.

After Spurs secured Premier League survival, De Zerbi contacted Tonali about a potential move, and the midfielder responded shortly afterwards.

The pair later held further talks at Tonali’s home near Brescia, where the player said he gained a clear understanding of his new manager’s plans and ambitions.

“Brescia is so small. I had two weeks there and met him two or three times,” Tonali said.

Tottenham’s record-breaking signing now hopes to help the club improve after a difficult previous season and believes De Zerbi’s vision was a key reason behind his decision to move to north London.