Why the “captain” of Tottenham will suffer if Tonali and Fernandes sign

It’s safe to say that the last year has been an absolute rollercoaster at Tottenham Hotspur.

Thomas Frank was hired last year and since then, they have had two more managers. The reign of Igor Tudor was a complete disaster, which almost ended in reprisals.

However, Roberto De Zerbi answered Spurs’ call and relieved them of the unthinkable. He has now been given the freedom to go wild in the transfer market but very few would deny the quality of the signings so far.

Once with Brighton and Hove Albion, defender Jan Paul van Hecke has been signed by the Italian, but he has also helped bring the likes of Marcos Senesi and Andy Roberton to north London.

Next on the agenda is to do well in the transfer market. £100m-rated Sandro Tonali and £85m-rated Mateus Fernandes could disrupt the club’s record transfer signings.

Why Spurs want to sign Tonali and Fernandes

Last season there were many problems at Spurs, but one type of midfield was the biggest obstacle, especially when James Maddison was deprived of many minutes due to tearing his ACL.

Tudor and Co tried to straighten things out with the winter addition of Conor Gallagher. However, despite being named the team’s highest paid player, he did not set the world alight.

Like most of Tottenham’s midfielders, he lacked the ability to drive the game forward. While you can’t doubt Gallagher’s commitment, he lacked pace, lacked drive and lacked the ability to develop the ball between the lines.

The same can be said for his colleagues in the form of Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray.

Therefore, it was seen as a major weakness going into the summer window. It explains the links between Newcastle’s Tonali and West Ham’s Fernandes.

The former has long been regarded as a top player in the engine room, highly praised by his agent Beppe Riso as “one of the best players in the world”. With an asking price of £100m, it’s hard to argue with that claim.

At 26 years old, the Italian is reaching his peak while Fernandes, 21, is a mere spring chicken in comparison. By getting both, Spurs will have a good balance.

Compared to midfielders aged 21 or under in Europe’s top seven leagues in 2025/26, Fernandes ranked first for tackles, ball wins and defensive goals while ranking second for most passes. There’s a reason he’s been compared to Declan Rice.

That said, despite their possible arrival, it wouldn’t represent good news for one of Tottenham’s brightest talents.

What Tonali and Fernandes have to say about the future Spurs captain

Spurs haven’t got much right in the transfer market in recent years but to their credit, they have done well when it comes to getting top talent from Europe.

In recent years, the Lilywhites have secured the signing of Luka Vuskovic, one of the best defenders yet to come while they have two promising midfielders in Lucas Bergvall and Gray as well.

Since signing for Leeds in a £30m deal, the Englishman has threatened to prove his potential but has been largely inconsistent.

That said, there are several reasons for that. While the 20-year-old plays regularly at right-back for Leeds and has also played there for Tottenham, he is a midfielder by trade and hasn’t played there often enough.

As a result, Gray has struggled to build momentum in a Spurs shirt. That doesn’t stop a certain Harry Redknapp from releasing the talented youngster as the club’s “future captain” but sadly, that looks unlikely to happen once Tonali and Fernandes sign.

The former Leeds man was already vulnerable before those links. Indeed, after the arrival of De Zerbi, Gray did not kick the ball.

The young England international has been an unused substitute in four of the last five league games, not playing a single minute against Wolves, Aston Villa, Leeds and Chelsea. Clearly not trusted by De Zerbi at the most stressful time of the season, one has to wonder what’s next for Gray.

Once hailed as a “young Declan Rice” by The Athletic’s Duncan Alexander, he has sadly struggled to kick on.

There’s no doubt that Gray’s versatility is a boon to any manager but he fails to keep up with the hype and it’s clear that De Zerbi doesn’t like him much.

He’s fighting for game time in the business phase of the season and things won’t get any easier when two marquee signings are made in midfield. It sounds extreme but any hopes he had of being the first ream seem to be over.