Tottenham Hotspur had offered £80 million for the Italian midfielder but Newcastle United rejected the offer.
Spurs hope Sandro Tonali will be part of a major summer overhaul (Image: Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
There are many roles on the soccer pitch that cannot be determined by statistics. Sandro Tonali occupies one of them in a relatively deep central midfield position.
It would therefore be unfair to use basic numbers to suggest that his recent season at Newcastle United was not his best. However, these numbers are very grim.
He did not score in the Premier League and contributed just two assists. He was booked four times. He was part of the Newcastle team that finished 12th, but won only 14 of their 38 games.
Tonali is a good player, that’s for sure. Three years ago it cost more than £55 million. And it’s no wonder Newcastle and manager Eddie Howe want to keep him around.
They have shown tremendous confidence in him and have supported him through the 10-month suspension he received for breaching betting regulations. It is understandable that they would turn down any initial bid from any suitor. That’s how negotiation works. No one accepts the first offer.
However, Spurs are very realistic given their £80m valuation for the 26-year-old Italian. And if Newcastle are able to sign Tonali for £100m, it would be proof that the Premier League transfer market is hotter than ever.
Newcastle will likely name Elliott Anderson to support their nine-figure valuation. He is set to be sold to Nottingham Forest for £35m in the summer of 2024 and is set to join Manchester City in a deal that is likely to be close to £130m. Over two seasons at Forest, Anderson scored six goals and provided 10 assists in the Premier League.
Elliott Anderson is expected to join Manchester City for a record-breaking fee (Image: 2026 Getty Images)
He’s an integral part of the England team and obviously a very good player. But he was also an integral part of Forest’s team, which finished 16th in the Premier League last season.
Clearly, the emphasis is on central, combative midfielders. Matheus Fernandes has only been at the club for just a year after joining from Southampton for £38m, but it is clear he will leave West Ham following their relegation to the Championship. He currently appears to be worth around £80 million.
Fernandes performed decently enough in West Ham’s hopeless campaign, but why has his value more than doubled? The player has now been relegated at two clubs in two seasons.
The cost of players in the Premier League is becoming ridiculous. Jan Paul van Hecke played very well for the Netherlands at the World Cup, defeating Sweden 5-1. However, he only had one year left on his Brighton contract and Spurs still paid him over £50m.
Matheus Fernandes has played for two relegated teams in the past two seasons (Image: MB Media/Getty Images)
That’s what the Germans called “stupid British money.” There appears to be one outlier this summer.
Manchester United are set to accept £40m from a Premier League club other than Liverpool or Manchester City for Marcus Rashford. In the current market context, that’s difficult to understand. Almost as difficult to understand as Barcelona’s decision not to trigger the 28-year-old England attacker’s £26 million buyout clause at the end of his loan contract.
But whatever the reason, Rashford seems to be an exceptional case. That’s because, if the much-hyped signings of Tonali, Anderson and Fernandes are to be paid, the summer period promises to be an astonishing spending spree even by Premier League standards.
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