Tottenham insider backs De Zerbi to land Dembele 2.0 after Tonali deal | OneFootball

Tottenham insider John Wenham has likened a Spurs midfield target to former star man Mousa Dembele, and feels they’ll get him and Sandro Tonali.

Tottenham are showing serious ambition in manager Roberto De Zerbi’s first summer in charge. They have so far signed three defenders – Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Jan Paul van Hecke – and they’ve since moved on to some quality midfielders.

Mateus Fernandes and Tonali are both linked, and landing both could cost Spurs around £185million.

Wenham feels both will join, as he explained he sees a lot of a former Tottenham star in the former.

He told Tottenham News: “I think it’s been made clear that Roberto de Zerbi wants both. He wants Tonali as the kind of sitter in the midfield to dictate the play, pick up the ball from the goalkeeper and start our moves.

“And he wants Fernandes as somebody with the ability to sit deep, but also drive forward with the ball. It’s an unusual comparison, but as I’ve started to watch more videos of Mateus Fernandes, the way he moves with the ball is a bit similar to how Mousa Dembele operated for Tottenham.

“Obviously they’re a very different size, physique, aesthetics, I get that, but the way they carry the ball and transition the ball from the deep part of the pitch forward is quite similar to Mousa Dembele’s style at Tottenham.

“You see these stats of five goals, five assists and you kind of think he’s an attacking midfielder, Fernandes, but the more I’ve looked into it and the more videos I’ve watched, I can actually see he starts off very deep in the game and then he brings the ball forward with his ability. I think Tottenham are going to get both.”

Fernandes ready for Spurs move

Our friends at TEAMtalk have suggested that Spurs do indeed want to land two quality midfielders, with Fernandes and Tonali topping their list.

They are pressing ahead hard on a move for the West Ham man, and the midfielder himself is ready to make the move across London.

Indeed, sources state he has given a full green light for Tottenham to come after him, accepting their full proposal on personal details.

They are now in advanced discussions with West Ham over a club-record deal for Fernandes.

There is also a sense that Tottenham are willing to go big for Tonali, with reports suggesting they’re preparing a huge bid for the Italian.

They’re ready to go up to £100million and feel that will be enough to secure Tonali’s services.