Sandro Tonali & Mateus Fernandes Scout Report At Tottenham Hotspur 2026/2027: A New Midfield For Roberto De Zerbi Tactics – Player Analysis
With the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi late into the 2025/2026 season, Tottenham Hotspur successfully avoided Premier League relegation.
Now, the target for them would be to climb to a significantly higher spot after consecutive 17th-place finishes.
While the FIFA World Cup grabs all the attention this summer, Spurs have already started their rebuild, getting two new midfield recruits in Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United and Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United.
Both of them featured significantly in the Premier League last season with 31 and 35 starts, respectively.
Being of slightly different profiles, both can be expected to play together.
In this Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes scout report, we will examine the problems that these signings address, while also highlighting their respective playing styles.
Tottenham Hotspur Key Issues
Progression From The Defensive Third
Although Spurs had a group of technical midfielders, they lacked control and struggled with clean progression.
A defensive midfielder like João Palhinha is a specialist in breaking up opposition play, but not the best when it comes to dictating possession.
Sandro Tonali’s profile suits this case, especially for a coach like De Zerbi.
Firstly, the Italian frequently drops between the centre-backs to control possession for his side, while the advanced midfielders stay behind the first line of pressure.
His positioning in these areas also addresses safe possession after regaining the ball.
On top of this, the Italian is fantastic at orienting his body well to find progressive passes.
