Tonali reveals De Zerbi's personal role in sealing £100m Tottenham move over Manchester City

Sandro Tonali has credited Roberto De Zerbi’s personal persuasion — and a family decision to leave the north-east — as the defining reasons he chose Tottenham Hotspur over reported interest from Manchester City, with the Italian midfielder set to complete a reported £100m move from Newcastle United.

Speaking to Sky Italia at Milan Linate Airport, Tonali was candid about the manager’s influence: “De Zerbi did a great job. He was a huge factor in all this. He did it not only as a Brescia native and a friend, but he did it by truly demonstrating that he has a lot of work behind him and he’s committed to it.”

The Brescia bond

The connection between the two men runs deeper than football tactics. De Zerbi was born in Brescia, while Tonali came through the youth academy at Brescia Calcio before his move to AC Milan — a shared regional identity that clearly carried weight in their conversations.

Tonali also pointed to a significant personal turning point: the birth of his first child during his third season at Newcastle. “It was a life choice with my family, because we’ve been in Newcastle for the last three years and last year, our life changed because our child was born,” he said. “So we decided to change our life a bit, and De Zerbi made a big difference.”

On his departure from Newcastle, Tonali was measured but warm: “Newcastle wanted the best for me and we wanted the best deal for them. We’re all happy, and I’m ready for the new challenge.”

A project built from scratch

Tonali was clear-eyed about the scale of the task awaiting him at Spurs, who have endured back-to-back difficult seasons. “The start will not be easy, especially since they’re coming off two difficult seasons,” he acknowledged. “We’ll try to make sure everything is new and everything is positive.”

With the 2026 World Cup still ongoing at the time of his departure, Tonali noted that Tottenham’s squad will not be fully assembled for some weeks. “The World Cup is going on now, so the team will be put together in a month or so,” he said, adding that he plans to take things step by step — medical, signing, pre-season training camp — before making any bigger judgements on the season ahead.

De Zerbi, appointed Tottenham head coach ahead of the 2025-26 season, is now building his squad in earnest, and landing Tonali — one of the most sought-after midfielders in European football — represents a significant early statement of intent.