Introducing Tonali, 'the next Pirlo' wanted by Sarri and Allegri

Nikita Fesyukov
14 ott 2018

At the age of 18, Sandro Tonali is a player who attracts great interest from European's elite, despite only being at the beginning of his career. But who exactly is the Brescia talent and why clubs should do everything possible secure his services?

He made his professional debut for the Serie B side in August 2017 at the age of 17 against Avellino. In his debut season for Brescia, he collected 19 appearances, scoring 2 goals and assisting another 2.

However, it was not in the second tier of Italian football that he attracted attention, rather at the U-19 European Championship this summer, where he showed some stellar performances in Italy's path to the final of the competition. The Azzurrini ended up losing against Portugal 3-4 in extra time.

This season Tonali is one of the pillars of Brescia. He has started all 7 matches for the team in Serie B, assisting 3 goals in the process. Even due to this, he is reportedly a target of the Italian elite, as well as some foreign clubs.

Arrigo Sarri and Massimiliano Allegri are said to be big admirers of the midfielder, but alongside Chelsea and Juventus, Milan, Inter and Roma are also intrigued by the idea of adding the youngster to their teams.

Many in Italy see Tonali as the heir of Andrea Pirlo, considering the same positions they occupy on the pitch as well as the playing style of a deep-lying playmaker. Moreover, both players are Brescia youth products, adding up to the similarities and comparisons.

For now, it is obviously somewhat far-fetched to speak of a 'new Pirlo' at this point, but what is sure is that there is a great similarity between the two and it is only up to Tonali now to try and replicate the former Juventus, Milan and Inter midfielder's career.

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