Few things bring Arsenal supporters more joy than beating Tottenham to a major signing.
The Gunners did exactly that last summer when Spurs spent months pursuing Eberechi Eze, only for the Gunners to swoop in at the last moment and complete the deal themselves.
Tottenham believed they were closing in on the Crystal Palace star after making progress in negotiations with both the club and the player. Then Arsenal entered the race, struck agreements quickly and got the transfer over the line.
A year later, history could be about to repeat itself.
Fill the blanks, it’ll be __ years until Tottenham next finish above Arsenal.
Arsenal have the opportunity to hijack Tottenham’s move for Sandro Tonali
Sandro Tonali has emerged as one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe.
The Newcastle United star has rebuilt his reputation brilliantly and is now attracting interest from several elite clubs ahead of next summer.
Tottenham are among them.
Reports suggest Spurs are pushing hard to sign Tonali and view him as a priority target in midfield. They are prepared to spend heavily in an attempt to get a deal done.
However, there is one major problem for Roberto De Zerbi’s side. Newcastle believe Arsenal are the favourites to sign Tonali if he leaves St James’ Park.
That alone should concern Tottenham, but there is another interesting twist.
The Telegraph have claimed there is a ‘suspicion’ that news of Spurs’ interest may have been leaked in an effort to encourage Arsenal to accelerate their own pursuit.
If that is true, it suggests people close to the situation already believe Arsenal are the club Newcastle fear most in this race.
Given Andrea Berta’s admiration for Tonali and Arsenal’s need for another elite midfielder, it is not difficult to see why.
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Signing Sandro Tonali would embarrass Tottenham even more than the Eberechi Eze deal
As satisfying as the Eze saga was for Arsenal supporters, this would be on another level.
Eze was already an established Premier League star when Arsenal signed him, but Tonali is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football.
He is exactly the type of player who can transform a team and help them compete for the biggest trophies.
That is why Tottenham are so desperate to get him.
Imagine spending months identifying a player as your primary midfield target, only to watch your biggest rivals swoop in and take him away.
That is precisely what happened with Eze, and Spurs supporters have still not fully recovered from it.
If Arsenal were to do the same with Tonali, the humiliation would be even greater. Not only would Tottenham miss out on their dream signing, but they would also watch one of the best midfielders in Europe join the Premier League champions instead.
Whether Arsenal actually move remains to be seen, but if Berta decides Tonali is the man he wants, recent history suggests Tottenham supporters have every reason to be nervous.
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