"The results are negative, the football is positive"… Tonali's transfer fee 92.5 million pounds, Tottenham 20th

Tonali, who joined Tottenham for the club's highest transfer fee ever, spoke on September 27 during national team duty. Of a bottom-placed side with 2 draws and 3 losses in its first 5 matches, he said the "football is positive."

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-line summary

During national team duty on September 27, Tonali assessed Tottenham by saying, "The results are negative, the football is positive."
Tottenham recorded 2 draws and 3 losses in their first 5 matches, scoring 2 goals and conceding 8, and finished Round 5 in 20th place.
Tonali's transfer fee was reported as a base 92.5 million pounds, rising to a maximum of 100 million pounds with add-ons.

September 27 was the day before Italy's match against Türkiye. Sandro Tonali (26), on national team duty, brought up his club Tottenham. By AS's count, Tottenham finished Round 5 at the bottom of the 20 teams. The diagnosis from the most expensive player in club history was unexpected: the results are bad, but the football is good.

Original Tonali remarks came during national team camp on September 27

Cronache di reported that Tonali said that day, "Our club's current situation is negative in terms of results but positive in terms of football." The remark came during national team duty, not right after a club match. The English outlet Evening Standard also reported similar remarks in English the next day, on the 28th.

Tonali did not hide the problems. According to the Evening Standard, he admitted that the team creates chances but fails to turn them into goals. However, he explained that the squad has not lost its motivation. The Italian outlet il Napolista reported that he said the national team's "young players should be relieved of pressure and the experienced players should take more responsibility."

Tottenham: 2 draws and 3 losses in the first 5 matches, no goals in 4 straight matches

The gap between the "positive" assessment and the actual numbers is large. Tottenham opened the season with a 0-3 away loss at Brentford on August 22. The opponent in a 0-2 home loss on August 29 was Newcastle, Tonali's former club. The first goal came only in the fifth match, but that match was also a 2-3 defeat.

Date	Opponent	Venue	Score	Result
August 22	Brentford	Away	0-3	Loss
August 29	Newcastle	Home	0-2	Loss
September 5	Nottingham Forest	Away	0-0	Draw
September 12	Everton	Home	0-0	Draw
September 19	Aston Villa	Home	2-3	Loss

The 5-match total is 2 goals scored, 8 conceded. Averaged per match, they scored 0.4 goals and conceded 1.6. By AS's count, at the end of Round 5 (as of 2026.09.22) Tottenham had 2 points and a goal difference of -6, placing them 20th. 19th-placed Fulham also had 2 points but were ahead on a goal difference of -3. Tonali's own league record is 0 goals in 5 matches.

Tonali's transfer fee 92.5 million pounds, 100 million pounds including add-ons

Tottenham officially announced the signing of Tonali on July 6 but did not disclose the fee. According to Sky Sports, the base transfer fee is 92.5 million pounds. Adding 7.5 million pounds in conditional payments brings it to a maximum of 100 million pounds. Multiple outlets judged this to be the highest fee in club history.

Rank	Player	Previous club	Figure listed by Sports Mole (pounds, revised 2026.09.02)
1	Sandro Tonali	Newcastle	92.2 million
2	Matheus Fernandes	West Ham	84.5 million
3	Savinho	Manchester City	75 million

Sports Mole lists Tonali's fee as 92.2 million pounds, 300,000 pounds lower than Sky Sports. Sky Sports reported the fee for second-placed Fernandes as 85 million pounds. By Sports Mole's figures, the gap between Tonali and second place is 7.7 million pounds.

Tonali moved to Newcastle in 2023 for 55 million pounds. In October that year he received a 10-month suspension for betting violations. He returned in August 2024 and helped win the EFL Cup. In 3 years, the fee has risen to about 1.7 times the base amount.

"Positive" is Tonali's own assessment of the team's play, not an objective verdict on results. The transfer fee and all-time ranking are also figures from media reports, not official club announcements. Official video and a full transcript have not been obtained, so verification of the original wording remains outstanding.

Over 5 matches, Tottenham scored 2 goals and finished Round 5 in 20th place without a win. His words on September 27 briefly capture Tottenham's position after the first 5 matches. "In terms of results it is negative, but in terms of football it is positive."

Related official sites

Tottenham official Sandro Tonali profile — Tonali's official player information and match records
Premier League official standings — Tottenham's current league position and points
Tottenham Hotspur official website — Match results and original manager interviews
Italian Football Federation official website — Italy national team schedule and call-up list

Featured image · Archive photo · Not a photo from the current match covered in this article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Hzh), CC BY-SA 4.0