Sandro Tonali has drawn parallels between Tottenham and Italy’s struggles, and has discussed the pressure of dealing with a huge price tag.Tonali came to Spurs with a huge reputation and price tag, becoming Tottenham’s most expensive signing in history, and also the highest-earner in the Lilywhites’ squad.As a result, critics have already been on the Italian’s back and, just over a month into the new season, some pundits are already questioning if Tonali was worth the money Tottenham paid for him.This includes the North London club’s former scout, Bryan King, who said recently: “I just look at the side and I think the money that they’ve spent, it seems to me as though they’ve got the second choice on the next batch of quality players that have been moved during the summer.“You know what I mean? I mean, look at the two main players that left Newcastle, Guimaraes and Tonali. Tonali cost £25m more than what Guimaraes did, and for me, Tonali isn’t the player that Guimaraes is. Guimaraes was the heart of Newcastle; Tonali wasn’t.”S. TonaliTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances5Average Rating7.01Goals0Assists0Key Passes4Pass Accuracy (%)89.00Tackles11Duels Won20Stats correct as of 29 September 2026.Credit: @thatfootballphotog / InstagramSandro Tonali reveals what Tottenham pressure is teaching about Italy’s strugglesThe Spurs midfielder was ripped to shreds by some Italian outlets following the Azzurri’s 2-0 loss to Belgium at home in their Nations League opener.Tonali has already come to the defence of his younger Italian teammates, admitting that they are not a star-studded team and need time to develop into a strong unit.The 26-year-old has now spoken about the pressures he is facing at Spurs following huge changes to the squad in the summer and suggested that the young players in the Italy squad would be facing similar pressureTonali said (via CalcioMercato): “Football is difficult these days, I’m experiencing it firsthand at Tottenham, with so many new players. We’re coming off a difficult period after failing to qualify for the World Cup, and we’re not in our best form, but we need to stay positive. And above all, take the pressure off the less experienced players, because wearing this jersey (Italy) isn’t easy.“It’s better for the more experienced ones to get the blame—you can blame me, perhaps—because the young players need to gain experience and be left alone. They suffer from negative situations because they read and listen more than we do. I know from experience: at 19, you’re not used to so much pressure. As for us, we’ll try to help them mature.Tonali insists he is not bothered by huge price tagWe have seen many big-name players fail to live up to the pressure that comes with big price tags in the past, and Spurs fans may fear that could also be playing on the Italian’s mind.However, Tonali has insisted that he has paid no attention to what is being said about the fee that he commanded in the summer.He added: “Mr. 116 million? It doesn’t bother me. I haven’t followed social media or newspapers in years, and that makes me feel really lighthearted. They can call us whatever they want, we just have to think about the good of Italy.”READ MORE: Bobby Zamora predicts where Tottenham will finish after Solanke starts to ‘thrive’The post ‘Experiencing it firsthand at Tottenham’ – Sandro Tonali on pressure of £100m price tag appeared first on Spurs Web.