Arsenal Walk Away from Record-Breaking Tonali Deal – Here's Why
The Chronicle Live is earning its corn as the Sandro Tonali transfer saga edges closer and closer to completion.
“The Gunners did not entertain Tonali's £275,000 per week wage demands or the 10 per cent agent cut of what will be an astronomical fee.”
Tonali’s representatives (via agency GR Sports) offered him to Arsenal recently.
Arsenal walked away without pursuing it further, mainly due to £275,000-a-week wage demands roughly doubling his current £150k at Newcastle, plus a 10% agent commission on top of an already expensive transfer fee.
It is worth pointing out, once more, that a Tonali/Rice axis would probably be an extraordinary coup for Arsenal, as the players overlap each other quite beautifully; however, stumping up the cash to facilitate such a move is more of a Manchester City or perhaps Chelsea-style pipe dream.
Tonali has been linked with a move away from Newcastle this summer as the Bar Codes have PSR/financial pressures, but the personal terms are a major stumbling block for cost-conscious clubs like Arsenal. Yes, this also represents a risk for Tottenham, but they have discovered that Daniel Levy’s transfer model didn’t work.
Good news for Spurs, as Arsenal seem more focused on Bruno Guimarães as a more realistic alternative from the same club. These kinds of “offered but rejected” stories are common in the silly season, but the wage demand and agent details explain why it died quickly.
Arsenal are probably looking for a player who offers greater distinction than Rice, and almost certainly for less cash. Spurs don’t have a midfield that just won the Premier League; they have a squad that barely managed to finish 17th, twice on the bounce.
Arsenal have one of the highest wage bills in the Premier League for the 2025-26 season, typically ranking 2nd behind Manchester City, while operating more efficiently than many big-spending rivals. Tottenham are around 7th on that list.
Tonail’s Tonali’s elite work rate and stamina are attractive
He consistently ranks among the top midfielders for distance covered (often 12+ km per 90) and covers ground laterally and vertically. This makes him ideal for intense, high-line systems.
Sandro could play as the deep-lying No. 6, partnering or rotating with Declan Rice or Martin Zubimendi in a double pivot, or as a more advanced No. 8.
Arteta values this flexibility for rotation across competitions.
Tactical Fit for Spurs
Sandro Tonali would be an outstanding tactical fit for Tottenham Hotspur under Roberto De Zerbi, aligning closely with the Italian manager’s possession-oriented, high-intensity, and build-up-focused philosophy.
Tonali receives comfortably under pressure, uses quick touches to release the ball, and rarely turns it over. He excels at baiting presses, making short combinations, and progressing player. This would arguably be perfect for De Zerbi’s patterns, in which midfielders drop or rotate to create space.
Whatever moisture my powder had is quickly evaporating!
A team must learn to walk before it runs and unfortunately we've been crawling along for too long to attract top players. If we (Levy) hadn't spaffed hundreds of millions on duds and punts since Moura joined, Tonali would be a logical buy.
I ask the question, why would Tonali come to us? Wages are important but will he win any pots and pans in the next 5 years with us? Other clubs will surely come in for him.
If we get him, great. It will show intent and other players will see this and follow suit. We have to get one top player over the line, but we've lost out on too many because of many factors, the main one being we're rubbish!
Building a successful team takes time and I wonder if Tonali can see success around the corner because I can't. Get Tonali and 3 more like him and we're in business, but this could easily turn into last season's futile attempts to get MGW and Eze.