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Sandro Tonali

I don’t think we will sign Tonali BUT I do think we will sign a player that turns heads. I think it will be like when we signed Klinsmann. No one will expect it, then news will break that we are deep in negotiations and we’ll get it done. I think the owners realise how obviously brick last season was and will spend big to ensure it doesn’t happen again. And a big signing to get supporters back on board. That’s my view about it all. Maybe I’m just dreaming but then to dare to dream is to dare to live with optimism.
 
I'm just going to say 'bet we don't' before someone else with a less sunny disposition does...

This would be quite something and at least indicates real ambition

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Don't think he is a great signing personally. That may be doing him a disservice but I've followed his career quite closely as he was first seen as the heir to Pirlo but thier actually nothing alike.
Tonali to me is more the profile of the rest of our midfielders, not a dictator of play. He's better than what we have, but doesn't shift the needle enough towards what we need.
 
Don't think he is a great signing personally. That may be doing him a disservice but I've followed his career quite closely as he was first seen as the heir to Pirlo but thier actually nothing alike.
Tonali to me is more the profile of the rest of our midfielders, not a dictator of play. He's better than what we have, but doesn't shift the needle enough towards what we need.
I get what youre saying but there's a huge drop off from bentancur and Palhinha. I still feel we need a better ball carrier
 
Don't think he is a great signing personally. That may be doing him a disservice but I've followed his career quite closely as he was first seen as the heir to Pirlo but thier actually nothing alike.
Tonali to me is more the profile of the rest of our midfielders, not a dictator of play. He's better than what we have, but doesn't shift the needle enough towards what we need.
Fair play, I'm not going to pretend I have followed his career closely like you but from what I've seen of him in the PL he is class and would be a big step up from what we have.

That being said I can't see this happening as there will be bigger clubs fishing for him if available - would be a great sign were we able to get him in though....
 
It's not that he's not a very good player. As he was coming through following the same path like Pirlo and with him being his favourite player there was a assumption that their playing styles would be similar. Tonali is much more forwardly mobile, gets ahead of the play, plays shorter passes. He's a pure box to box midfielder.
 
It's not that he's not a very good player. As he was coming through following the same path like Pirlo and with him being his favourite player there was a assumption that their playing styles would be similar. Tonali is much more forwardly mobile, gets ahead of the play, plays shorter passes. He's a pure box to box midfielder.
Yes he's a box to box midfielder and would explain why we would sell Sarr who I love but hasn't kicked on and isn't in the same league as this guy. If we sold Sarr and got Tonali in would be great business and a good improvement to our first XI IMO....
 
Don't think he is a great signing personally. That may be doing him a disservice but I've followed his career quite closely as he was first seen as the heir to Pirlo but thier actually nothing alike.
Tonali to me is more the profile of the rest of our midfielders, not a dictator of play. He's better than what we have, but doesn't shift the needle enough towards what we need.
I kind of feel similarly but I haven't watched enough of him directly to say. What would your thoughts be if we got Tonali and maybe another player who is more singularly passing based?
 
I kind of feel similarly but I haven't watched enough of him directly to say. What would your thoughts be if we got Tonali and maybe another player who is more singularly passing based?

That would be ideal. Still creates some interesting issues.

Maddison/Xavi/Kulu
Tonali/Bergvall/Gallagher
Gray/Bentancur

Would be our spread of Sarr and Paliniha go.

Gray and Bentancur are interesting. Gray doesn't really show passing range to dominate games and Bentancur has a good short game. Neither are Registas though.

So we'd still be lacking a player who can control the game either with passing or dribbling.

Guimarães is actually the player that would be perfect for us as a Dembele clone. He would enable us to not have to buy two players in midfield. Similarly a Vitinha type player would have the same effect.
 
That would be ideal. Still creates some interesting issues.

Maddison/Xavi/Kulu
Tonali/Bergvall/Gallagher
Gray/Bentancur

Would be our spread of Sarr and Paliniha go.

Gray and Bentancur are interesting. Gray doesn't really show passing range to dominate games and Bentancur has a good short game. Neither are Registas though.

So we'd still be lacking a player who can control the game either with passing or dribbling.

Guimarães is actually the player that would be perfect for us as a Dembele clone. He would enable us to not have to buy two players in midfield. Similarly a Vitinha type player would have the same effect.
now do that again with bergvall
 
now do that again with bergvall

I don't think Bergvall starts next season. Which is at is should be. Him, Tel etc should be playing cup games and 2nd half of matches and being given a chance to develop.

One other thing about Tonali is that I would imagine there is quite a high chance we sign him. He left Milan purely for the money. Him and Milan were both aware he was about to be banned. In 3 years, he's missed a season, had a good season and an average/poor season.

Signing him points to us really going all in with a pressing side, looking to turnover the ball high up the pitch.
 
Its good there's options for our CM signing - Wharton, Stiller, Scott and now Tonali, even the Moroccan kid. Even where we are down the food chain, we've hopefully got a chance of one
 
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