Tottenham may have paid more than the odds to sign Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, but their early summer spending shows they mean real transfer business and are starting to look like a serious football club again.
Could Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs’ big spending finally bring Harry Kane back in 2027?
The other night, while Harry Kane was telling us about his heroics in Atlanta, news broke that Newcastle United had accepted an offer from Tottenham Hotspur for Sandro Tonali. By the time Kane puts on his match boots again, there’s a good chance Spurs will have signed another player.
They’re not kidding. It goes without saying that the fee for Tonali (£92.5m, with potential for further options of £7.5m) is outrageous, just as the £85m spent on Matheus Fernandes is clearly excessive.
Granted, there is a clear premium attached to a central midfielder with his defensive and combative nature, but £85 million still seems too much for a player who helped his team get relegated in successive seasons, as Fernandes did with Southampton and then West Ham. A player who had a decent performance in Newcastle’s mediocre season but contributed zero Premier League goals and two Premier League assists could also face a nine-figure fee. He qualified for four Premier League games.
Sure, scoring and assisting may not be Tonali’s main job, but don’t expect too much from the midfielder to be involved in the goals a little more. However, with Manchester City paying Elliott Anderson a flat fee of £116m, the tax on these grafters is clearly high.
It’s too expensive for Manchester United, who were hesitant about Fernandes’ transfer fee, but it’s not too expensive for Spurs. And their overspending is becoming a remarkable statement of intent.
Let’s not forget that we spent £52 million on a player called Jan Paul van Hecke, who had just one year left on his Brighton contract. And while Spurs acquired Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson on free transfers, they lured them with big salaries.
Spurs are thought to have agreed a £92.5m transfer fee for Tonali, plus a personal package of £275,000-a-week. Perhaps the existing wage system has been dismantled.
Sandro Tonali joins Spurs for a fee that could reach £100m (Image: Getty)
So back to Kane. Obviously, Kane won’t be returning to Spurs any time soon. Barcelona appear to be a potential destination if he leaves Bayern Munich this summer, but his German employers appear confident the England captain will sign a new contract.
Kane’s current contract with Munich runs until the summer of 2027. That’s why Spurs should make a call to Kane’s officials. Seriously.
Even if Kane is happy to remain at Bayern – and he has every reason to be happy at Bayern – he will be thinking ahead about his next move. And if this splurge for Spurs, along with their extravagant spending on wages, will pay dividends this season, why shouldn’t they be in the market to bring Kane home next summer?
Harry Kane’s contract with Bayern Munich ends in summer 2027
A lot of things need to get right, but that’s a tall order considering they finished 17th last season.
Roberto De Zerbi needs to be in the Champions League with Spurs and Spurs have to be realistic contenders for the Premier League, which is exactly what is expected to happen now that they are making a big splash in the transfer market.
They will also have to meet the wage demands of players who can currently write their own checks. But Spurs currently have significant financial strength and can afford to fund him.
It’s anyone’s guess whether Kane will return to England and add a Premier League goalscoring record to his name. But if he does, perhaps the idea of him doing it with the Spurs wouldn’t be so far-fetched.
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