Nightmare Tottenham debut was a wake-up call for Sandro Tonali ahead of Newcastle reunion

When Tottenham parted ways with the first nine figure transfer fee in the club’s history to sign Sandro Tonali , the perception was that he would be the poster boy for a new exciting era under Roberto De Zerbi .

The man for the big moments, a leader on and off the pitch and the central cog of Spurs ’ well-oiled, newly-monied march back towards European qualification.

That mirage was shattered rather comprehensively on the first weekend of the season as Brentford’s Mamadou Sangare ran rings round the former Newcastle midfielder and left Spurs breathless .

That is not, however, to say that Tonali is not worth the £100million Spurs spent on him. His qualities are more subtle, less tangible and less headline-grabbing than his price tag suggests.

A disrupted pre-season has left Tonali needing to catch up physically. But at his best, the Italian can be the foundation Spurs need in the middle of the park. A tempo setter, dynamic and destructive in equal measure.

“Sandro Tonali’s value (£100m) is that value because he is one of the most important midfielders in the Premier League ,” De Zerbi said.

Brentford was a reality check, and De Zerbi hopes it will act as a wake-up call as Tonali prepares to reunite with Newcastle at the weekend.

Sandro Tonali had a competitive debut to forget as Tottenham were well beaten by Brentford Getty Magpies manager Matthias Jaissle says there will be extra motivation for his side, but De Zerbi is insistent that Tonali and his team-mates have a lot more to give after a humbling defeat to Brentford.

“We have the quality enough right now to win the (Newcastle) game and to play much better because it's normal to play better than we did in Brentford.”

De Zerbi will back his players to the end, and says Tonali has defied his expectations despite a relationship that stretches back to when Tonali was finding his feet as a youth player at Brescia.

Neat in possession, thoughtful and versatile, De Zerbi has been impressed with the 26-year-old since he arrived in north London and sees Tonali both as a No8 and a No6 in his 4-2-3-1 system.

“Sandro sincerely is much better than I thought before I worked with him,” De Zerbi continued.

“I already said many times, smart guy, smart player, very clean with the ball.

“Maybe can seem one player more of quantity and less quality. It’s not true.