Sandro Tonali – All you need to know about this Chelsea target
According to The Sun, Chelsea are prepared to splash £20million to beat the likes of Juventus, AC Milan and Roma to sign 18-year-old midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Tonali currently plies his trade in the Serie B with Brescia and has already provided 3 assists in seven games. Maurizio Sarri has been a long-term admirer of Tonali and wanted him at Napoli but it looks like Chelsea are ready to dish out the amount. (h/t The Sun)
The 18-year-old teenage sensation has been a regular for Italy at the U19 level. As the big clubs come sniffing around to snap up the youngster, let us get a deeper insight into one of the most promising young talents in Italian football – Brescia’s Sandro Tonali.
Background
Born in Italy, Tonali played for Piacenza at youth levels before moving on to Brescia’s academy, where he finally settled down. He made his professional debut in the Serie B for his boyhood club in August 2017, aged 17, and made a total of 19 appearances in his first season as a professional.
He has established himself as a regular starter this season.
Style of Play
Primarily a central defensive midfielder, Tonali can also play as a central midfielder in a more advanced role. However, he is at his best when deployed in a deep position from where he operates as a deep-lying playmaker.
Blessed with an excellent technique and quick reflexes, Tonali combines both his attributes to cut out the attacks with crucial interceptions from a deep position in the midfield. He is not the most physical player on the pitch but tends to make up for it with his superior technique which not only allows him to run comfortably with the ball at his feet but also lets him shield the ball well. Furthermore, he is also a good dribbler.
He has the ability to create that extra yard of space for himself by taking quick turns and uses his remarkable vision to play his teammates into open spaces. He is a good passer of the ball and keeps things ticking in the midfield with his effective ball distribution skills.
His vision, technique and game-reading abilities place him above rest of the players of his age.
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What does the future hold?
Tonali has already established himself as a regular for Italy at the U19 levels and if he continues his development in the right path, a call-up to the senior team won’t be far away.
He is unlikely to stay at Brescia for too long with Chelsea, AC Milan, Juventus and Roma all interested in him and it won’t be a surprise to see him plying his trade for an elite club.
