This was a mighty summer for Tottenham Hotspur. Over £300m spent and a first £100m acquisition in the club’s history.
Sandro Tonali was the marquee arrival of the most ambitious transfer window in the club’s history. Yes, it was bigger than the year they sold Gareth Bale; it topped any summer Spurs had with Daniel Levy at the helm.
Truthfully, it needed to be. The Lilywhites nearly suffered relegation and under no circumstances were they going to be fearing that eventuality again next May.
Tonali was joined by a host of names, perhaps most notably £85m man Mateus Fernandes. The midfield pairing, however, have not totally convinced since Roberto De Zerbi brought them to north London.
How Tonali and Fernandes have started at Spurs
When Spurs beat the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United to the signing of Tonali, it sent shockwaves across the Premier League.
Hang on a minute. Tottenham, yes, Tottenham, were spending £100m. They were not only spending £100m but they were doing so to sign one of the best midfielders in the top flight.
Tonali, therefore, was expected to hit the ground running immediately. Proven in England, little adaptation would be required, right? Think again.
The Italian has not convinced too much just yet but there is a belief, quite rightly, that he will come good.
Against Brentford on the opening weekend he was completely outclassed by Brentford newbie Mamadou Sangare and it did not get much better against his former employers a week ago, playing Yoane Wissa onside for the second goal. That said, there were signs of an improvement in performance against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
For Fernandes, he has also struggled. He scored a screamer on debut against MK Dons in pre-season and has since been in and out of the team under De Zerbi.
|
Tonali & Fernandes vs Newcastle |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats |
Tonali |
Fernandes |
|
Mins played |
75 |
90 |
|
Touches |
41 |
69 |
|
Pass accuracy |
81% |
98% |
|
Shots |
1 |
1 |
|
Key passes |
2 |
3 |
|
Dribbles |
0 |
0 |
|
Duels won |
2/3 |
4/7 |
|
Sprints |
13 |
7 |
|
Carries |
15 |
18 |
He played just 45 minutes against the Bees and while he did play 90 minutes against Charlton and Newcastle, he featured for just seven minutes in the 0-0 draw with Forest. He even found time to pick up a yellow card in that one.
De Zerbi won’t panic about his headline additions just yet but it is worth exploring what else they have.
Tonali and Fernandes must watch out for Tottenham’s “future £100m” star
It says it all about how Tottenham have started the season that Rodrigo Bentancur has looked like their best midfielder.
He was comfortably their Player of the Match on Saturday in what was a dominating performance from a central area, making a whopping 17 defensive contributions, the most on the pitch.
But the Uruguayan isn’t the only player Tonali and Fernandes need to be worried about; a certain Archie Gray is still very much an important part of the furniture in N17.
This was an interesting summer for the 20-year-old. Newcastle reportedly explored a move for the youngster but he stayed at Spurs.
He’s made a big first impression on De Zerbi, so much so that he captained Tottenham in their opening game against Brentford.
That, of course, did not go according to plan, but Gray is so much more than what he showed on that afternoon. So are Spurs in general.
The fact is, that while Gray has deputised admirably at full-back and centre-back throughout his career in north London, he is a midfielder by trade, and a mighty fine one at that.
|
Archie Gray by position at Spurs |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
|
Centre-back |
20 |
|
Defensive midfield |
18 |
|
Central midfield |
15 |
|
Right-back |
14 |
|
Left-back |
7 |
|
Right midfield |
3 |
Earlier this year, The Athletic’s Duncan Alexander, speaking on the Totally Football Show podcast, even went as far as to say Gray is like watching a “young Declan Rice” in the middle of the park. Lest we forget, like Gray, Rice actually played in defence before becoming a real force.
Further viewed as a “future £100m” player by Como scout Ben Mattinson, that is certainly not an absurd viewpoint, particularly when you consider the price tags some of the division’s top midfielders moved for in the summer of 2026.
So, what’s Gray all about in that role? Well, like Rice, he’s an extremely hard worker. He’ll run himself into the ground for the cause. He’s also particularly progressive.
Midway through last term, in December 2025, the former Leeds man proved he could well be the solution to the lack of progression from the middle of the park.
By that point of the season, 5.8% of his passes were seen as progressive, more than both Joao Palhinha and Bentancur (4.2%). He also made more progressive carries per 90 minutes – moving with the ball at least five metres towards the opposition’s goal – than any midfielder at Spurs.
So, if Tonali and Fernandes don’t improve and settle in quickly, it might not be long before Gray leapfrogs them in the pecking order. After all, De Zerbi does rate him very highly.