Mamadou Sangare: How Brentford's new midfield star can stop Tottenham's £185m rebuild | OneFootball

It is club-record signing vs club-record signings in Premier League opener

Tottenham will rock up to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening armed with £185million worth of new central midfield talent.

Eye-watering sums have been spent on a midfield rebuild in Roberto De Zerbi’s image, with the Spurs boss playing a pivotal role in the deals to bring Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes to north London.

The early signs have been promising, with Spurs’ new double pivot showing glimpses of quality during pre-season. But the real test comes this weekend, with Brentford boasting a centrepiece signing of their own in the middle of the park.

Mamadou Sangare, a club-record £41m arrival from Lens, will be the man tasked with putting the pinch on two of the Premier League’s most press-resistant midfielders in what looks set to be a tantalising matchup.

Brentford went all out to get Sangare from under the nose of his former boss, Pierre Sage, who wanted to take the Mali international with him to Crystal Palace.

It was their relentless pursuit that seemed to speak to Sangare’s personality. “Addicted to getting better”, according to Rapid Vienna’s sporting director Markus Katzer, the 24-year-old bites at the heels of his opponents.

If he does not get the ball the first time round, he will snap straight back into another challenge until he comes out on top - no outfield player in Ligue 1 made more ball recoveries than Sangare last season.

Sangare is not a one-dimensional player, either. He finds solutions in tight spaces, can carry the ball up field and make telling contributions in the final third.

As with any player, though, there are of course limitations. An erratic disciplinary record highlights an occasional overzealousness in pursuit of the ball, and he has openly admitted his concentration can elude him. These are the shortcomings Spurs will need to capitalise on if they are to gain control on Saturday.

Physically, Brentford’s squad are in a good spot. They spent a week at a training camp in Portugal focusing solely on their physical preparation and intentionally did not schedule any friendlies until their return to London.

Double sessions at the Portuguese Football Federation's National Training Centre combined time on the pitch and gym work, with summer signing Jannik Schuster describing the training camp as far more intense than anything he had experienced at his former club, Red Bull Salzburg.

Now, Sangare did not arrive at Brentford until after they had returned from Portugal. Yet his dominant performance in the Bees’ 7-0 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt suggests he has had no problem adapting to the team’s intensity over the last couple of weeks.

While not the cleanest in possession, Sangare’s energy suffocated an admittedly under-strength Frankfurt side, and he capped an impressive unofficial debut with a goal from the edge of the box.

Across the capital, Spurs’ club-record signing, Tonali, also enjoyed a strong first outing at his new home.

The Italian, whose swivel and drive set in motion Richarlison’s opening goal, played with grace but also tenacity as Spurs swept aside Hoffenheim 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs will hope that Fernandes can overcome the calf issue he has struggled with in pre-season to take some of the pressure off Tonali, but regardless, a fascinating battle awaits this weekend.

With both teams vying for European qualification this season, their prospects look set to be defined by the success of their statement midfield signings.

There is also a message in there about the identity of both clubs right now. Where Spurs opted for control and composure as they look to restore calm after crisis, Brentford signed a disruptor to help break the glass ceiling and secure their place in Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

Saturday evening should provide a mental, physical and ideological battle to whet the appetite and perhaps offer a small glimpse of what lies ahead for both teams this season.