Sandro Tonali insists he wanted 'the best deal' for Newcastle as midfielder explains why Tottenham move was ideal for career and happiness

Tonali completed his move to Tottenham in a staggering £100m transfer from Newcastle this summer. The 26-year-old Italy international decided to call time on his three-year spell at St James' Park in search of a fresh challenge under De Zerbi. Amid news of Eddie Howe's departure as Magpies manager, Tonali emphasised his personal commitment to ensuring Newcastle received maximum value for his transfer.

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In an interview with the Daily Mail in Sydney, Tonali stressed his desire to secure the best possible deal for Newcastle after everything the club had done for his career: "The first thing was to get the best deal for Newcastle.

"I met there some of the best people for football. They love football. They live for football. When I decided to move, I said to my agent and to Ross Wilson that I wanted the best deal for Newcastle because they deserve everything. This is football. Sometimes you have to understand how everything can change in your life in five minutes."

He then explained how Newcastle’s £100m price tag ruled out a potential return to Serie A due to the financial limitations of Italian clubs, ultimately leading him to choose Spurs: "We stayed three years in Newcastle and after three years, we spoke all together, me and my family. It was impossible for the money.

"For the salary, you can speak all the time, but if you don’t find the money for the transfer, you don’t have the chance to move. England was our solution and we found the best solution in England for me, for my career, for my football, for my happiness, for my family. I spoke with two teams. I understood after 10, 15 minutes that Tottenham would be my next team."

Tonali, who was also targeted by Manchester City, highlighted the crucial role De Zerbi played and the conviction shown by Spurs in persuading him and his family: "After the last season, I spoke with my wife. We wanted to change our life. Not just for the city. We wanted to change everything.

"We spoke with two clubs. When we spoke with Tottenham, we decided to sign for this team. They spoke with 100 per cent passion, 100 per cent seriousness. For this city, for my life outside of football for my family, OK, it’s like 10 per cent.

"Roberto and the director made the difference to the deal. I spoke after two minutes with my wife and my family and I said, 'Probably it will be one of my best decisions of my career'. She told me, 'You have 100 per cent the control over this decision'."

The midfielder added the vision De Zerbi shared to motivate the Spurs squad ahead of the upcoming campaign: "Roberto said the project will be tough but will be perfect for me, for you, for the city, an we can do one of the best seasons because we have big players. We just have to put a lot of work in."

Alongside landing Tonali, Spurs also splashed out £85m to bring in Mateus Fernandes from West Ham to complete their midfield overhaul. Addressing his new status as a £100m player, Tonali insisted he is ready to embrace the pressure: "You have to understand that this is football. The price is different now to 10 years ago.

"I know I have a lot of pressure but I know I’m a football player, I know my responsibilities, I know this team, I know the people here. I have to play like I’m a normal player, a normal Tottenham player, with passion, putting my energy in every day. It’s not £1m, £10m, or £100m. You just have to be a passionate player for this gaffer."

Tonali previously spent a decade in Italy with Brescia, De Zerbi's hometown, where the two shared a special connection. Reflecting on his early impressions of working under De Zerbi, Tonali revealed: "We spoke about him, about his work, about the passion that he puts into every single moment with the team for this work and I think now, after two weeks, I know everything is real."

He concluded by comparing Howe's management style at Newcastle with the tactical approach De Zerbi is implementing at Tottenham: "All gaffers are different. I passed three years with Eddie and he was fantastic, especially for me. But now I’ve found a different gaffer who works a lot on the pitch, a lot with the tactics, a lot with the ball. We love to play with the ball because we are a big team with big players."