Tottenham confirm €115m capture of Newcastle's Sandro Tonali

SPURS SIGNING: Sandro Tonali wil move from Tyneside to north London and join Roberto de Zerbi's Tottenham revolution. Pic: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Tottenham have confirmed the signing of Newcastle's Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, with the fee in the region of €115m, it is understood. The club announced Tonali's signing with a video narrated by England midfielder James Maddison.

He said: "It's going to be a nice feeling being on the receiving end of your passes, instead of your tackles."

And added: "Welcome to the Spurs family, it's a responsibility, it's a privilege and more than that it's an honour. This is yours now too."

Tonali leaves Newcastle after three seasons in the black and white.

An agreement between the two Premier League rivals for the signature of the midfielder was reached last week  with Spurs paying an initial £92.5m and a further £7.5m in add-ons.

“I’m very happy to be here. When I arrived at the club today, it felt fantastic. People said about there being four or five clubs – there was only one,” Tonali told the official club website. "I spoke to the head coach for close to two hours about the club, the fans, the stadium and our football. It was like magic because I knew immediately that I had to sign for Tottenham.

“I’ve played against Tottenham a few times and always found a great atmosphere made by great fans. I can’t wait to start the season.”

Meanwhile Nottingham Forest have appointed former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner as their new head coach.

The 51-year-old guided Palace to their first ever major silverware, the 2025 FA Cup, following it up with triumph in the Community Shield, then in May cemented his legacy after the Eagles lifted the Conference League trophy.

Previously, the Austrian steered Eintracht Frankfurt to victory in the 2021-22 Europa League, their first major European trophy in more than four decades.

Glasner said: “I’m delighted to join Nottingham Forest as head coach. From my very first conversations with the owner and the leadership team, it was evident to me that they have a clear vision for this football club and complete trust and belief in me and my staff to build a strong future together over the long term.

“That trust and shared commitment, together with the potential that I see within the squad, were key factors for me and I am excited about what we can achieve together.

“Nottingham Forest is a club with incredible prestige and history, a two-time European Champion with one of the most passionate fan bases in football.

“Our aim is to build a team that can help take the club to the next level in the years ahead and that our supporters can be proud of.” Glasner succeeds Vitor Pereira, who on Wednesday said he was taken by “complete surprise and without any warning” by the news that his time at the City Ground had come to an end.

The Austrian had previously been linked to AC Milan, a role then filled by former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, and, more recently, the vacant Germany head coach role after Julian Nagelsmann stepped down following their frustrating World Cup exit.

Glasner’s appointment came as a surprise when he began to emerge as the Forest frontrunner, due to the history between his former and new employers and percieved desire to play in Europe.

Palace thought they had qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup, but a multi-club ownership conflict – due to former co-owner John Textor’s involvement with Lyon – resulted in the Eagles getting demoted to UEFA’s third-tier European competition.

Nottingham Forest were the benefactors of the Eagles competition downgrade, taking the Europa League place, and were respondents in Palace’s subsequent failed legal appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Palace chairman Steve Parish seemed to have suggested that Forest played a role in that demotion.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis said: “In our discussions with Oliver, it was clear that we share the same vision, the same ambition and the same relentless desire to succeed. He has consistently demonstrated throughout his career that he can build outstanding teams and deliver success against the strongest competition.

“It has always been our goal to establish Nottingham Forest once again among the leading clubs in England and Europe. Our ambition is not simply to compete – our ambition is to win, to challenge for major honours and to create a football club that our supporters can be proud of for many years to come.”