Spurs could sign £80m Tottenham fan who’s a mix of Tonali and Fernandes

It was only in February that former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou told the Overlap pocast that Spurs were not a big club.

Slamming their recruitment strategy, the Aussie revealed that he was “looking at Pedro Neto, Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo at the time and Marc Guehi.”

“If we’re going to go from fifth to challenging, that’s what the other big clubs would do in that moment,” Ange concluded.

What happened next? Well, Spurs finished consecutive seasons in 17th place and are now on their fourth manager in the space of a year after Postecoglou, Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor were all given the boot.

Under Roberto De Zerbi, a switch has been flicked. The Lilywhites have taken their former manager’s advice and have signed a batch of proven Premier League players. The additions of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, in particular, have been seriously impressive.

Why Spurs needed to improve their midfield

There were so many issues at Tottenham last season that it’s nigh on impossible to list them all. Whether it be an awful defensive record or the wretched number of injuries they suffered from, it felt like Spurs were doomed from the start.

They also faced plenty of problems in midfield, something that not even Conor Gallagher could correct when he joined in the winter.

The fact is that the crop of players they have in that position have been far too one dimensional. First and foremost, though, some haven’t even come close to being good enough.

Yves Bissouma has finally left this summer after a rather indifferent time of it in north London while Lucas Bergvall could also depart. Premier League sides are already exploring his situation after the arrivals of Tonali and Fernandes.

What they really missed, however, was progression. They missed midfielders who could punch passes through the lines and get their team up the pitch. They missed players capable of playing a high press.

Indeed, last season, the likes of Pape-Matar Sarr, Archie Gray, Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur were all far too laboured. They really lacked any sort of direct nature.

Tonali and Fernandes would solve that. They made far more forward passes per 90 minutes. Crucially, they also turned over and won back possession on a far more regular basis than any of their new teammates.

In a De Zerbi side that relies on quick transitions and progressive play, it tells you all you need to know about why he wanted to bring the two big-money midfielders to Spurs this summer.

However, could they add another midfielder to their ranks?

£80m Premier League star could add even more to Spurs

If you thought Tonali and Fernandes would be the end of it, think again. Spurs are ready to throw even more cash at this window and have earmarked Bournemouth’s Alex Scott as a potential opportunity if he leaves the Cherries.

Valued at around £80m, Alasdair Gold took to YouTube to provide the latest on Tottenham’s transfer business. Gold commented: “Junior Kroupi we know is a player of huge interest to a lot of clubs, not just Tottenham. He is a terrific talent but the feeling coming out of Bournemouth is that he is not for a sale and they’ve been making similar noises about Alex Scott. Spurs are admirers of him. I would love them to go for Alex Scott and he may pick them being a Tottenham fan.”

We must admit, it feels unlikely that Spurs will add a third midfielder but in Scott, they could sign De Zerbi’s perfect midfield player. He’s something of a hybrid between Fernandes and Tonali and would fit the style of play perfectly.

Like their new £100m man, he’s crisp in control of the ball and is uber composed in possession. Like Fernandes, he’s an immensely hard worker and a fabulous ball carrier. As of February 2026 when the data was recorded, no Premier League player had covered more high-speed running distance out of possession than Scott with 10.90km.

The 23-year-old completed just over 84% of his passes last term, sandwiching himself between Spurs’ new midfield recruits for that metric while he also won back possession in the final third on 0.41 occasions per 90, more than any of Tottenham’s midfielders in 2025/26.

At the same time, Scott showcased that, when it comes to defensive work, he’s actually better than the club’s record purchases.

Last term, the Bournemouth star made 6.14 ball recoveries and produced 12.18 defensive contributions per 90 minutes. In contrast, Tonali managed 5.20 and 9.10 while Fernandes averaged 5.42 and 10.95 respectively.

On that evidence, it really does feel as though Scott is the perfect blend of both of them. He can do the dirty work but he’s also not afraid to get forward. He completed 0.91 successful dribbles last term to the Italian’s 0.67 and to the Portuguese’s 0.83.

With De Zerbi looking for more dynamism and progression out of his midfield next term, these three would tick every box possible.

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