Sandro Tonali opens up on pressure being Tottenham's record buy
To The Lane And Back · Rohan Sengupta · 2026-08-29T14:53:12+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Club-record Tottenham signing Sandro Tonali is facing an early reunion with Newcastle United.
Sandro Tonali endured an underwhelming Tottenham Hotspur debut following his £100m move from Newcastle United in the summer, with Spurs’ midfield being overrun by Brentford last weekend.
A disrupted pre-season has left the Italian international needing to catch up physically and get on the same wavelength of his teammates. The central midfielder was not a part of Spurs’ squad that beat Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the Carabao Cup second round on Wednesday evening, and his absence concerned plenty of fans on social media.
Roberto De Zerbi clarified that Sandro Tonali and Marcos Senesi spent a day doing some fitness work at Hotspur Way, which is why they were rested against Charlton Athletic. The Spurs boss also confirmed that the 26-year-old will be in his first XI against Newcastle United at home on Saturday evening.
Sandro Tonali opens up on pressure of being Tottenham’s record signing
Tonali is facing an early reunion with his former club, Newcastle United. The expectations of the midfielder are lofty given the amount paid by the North Londoners to lure him away from St James’ Park. However, the Brescia-born talent has made it clear that he does not feel much pressure.
Ahead of the game against Newcastle, Tonali was asked whether he feels any pressure following his big-money move to Spurs. To which he told Sky Sports:
“Honestly, no. For me it was worse when I joined in from Brescia to AC because I was really young. The pressure here is different; the pressure here is from the last two seasons, and I want to help all the players to play the best football for us, not just in games but in every training because we have to train well to win every game.
“And for now, I don’t feel this pressure. I don’t feel this pressure because I think it’s early, but at the same time I think the football now is different. You know, every season is higher; every year is not worse, but it’s more.”
Tonali has a point to prove vs. Newcastle
The game against Newcastle gives Tonali the perfect setting to showcase his best in a Tottenham shirt. There will be different emotions in the midfielder facing his former club, and his determination to prove himself will be sky-high, especially after the criticism he received post-Brentford fixture.
He has been working extremely hard this week to get back into top fitness levels and condition. A night off against Charlton would have helped Tonali to reset himself and enter the field on Saturday with fresh energy. It will be Tonali’s first home game as a Tottenham player, and our fans in the stadium will be in full voice chanting his name.