Agbonlahor Tears Into Tonali's "Bonkers" Newcastle Exit: "He's Gone for the Money, Full Stop"

Sandro Tonali's £100million switch from Newcastle to Tottenham has landed him in hot water with former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor, who's having precisely none of the midfielder's flowery talk about the Spurs faithful and their stadium atmosphere.

The Italy international became Spurs' record signing—their second in as many days—and couldn't resist waxing lyrical about the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium experience during his unveiling. He'd faced the place before with AC Milan in the Champions League and Newcastle, he explained, and found the atmosphere "great" with the ground "full" each time.

Presenter Jeff Stelling couldn't resist the obvious dig: "He could have done that as a Newcastle player."

Quite. And that's where Agbonlahor stepped in with both boots swinging.

"Atmosphere? Do me a favour," the former Aston Villa man fired back on talkSPORT. "I went to the game last season—Spurs against Aston Villa. The quietest stadium I've probably ever been to. Zero atmosphere."

The real reason for Tonali's departure south, Agbonlahor reckoned, was altogether more straightforward. "You've gone for the big bucks; you've gone for the money that Newcastle probably wouldn't give you," he said bluntly. "To leave Newcastle to go to Spurs is a crazy decision. Let's just call it as it is."

Tonali wasn't flying solo in receiving Agbonlahor's treatment either. The pundit also trained his sights on fellow summer arrivals Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, both of whom pitched up on free transfers. "Senesi, same. You've gone there on a free transfer for the money. Andy Robertson, you've gone there for the money. So has Tonali for the money."

There was one mitigating factor Agbonlahor grudgingly acknowledged: Roberto De Zerbi's presence as manager. "Italian manager in De Zerbi, I'll give him that," he conceded, though he remained unconvinced that it swayed the decision. "Really, Jeff, he's gone for the big, big bucks. Spurs have got money to spend. As a Spurs fan, would I want players coming for the money? That seems to be happening."

Tottenham have already bolstered their squad this summer with signings including Jan Paul van Hecke, Martin Dubravka, and Mateus Fernandes, but the north London outfit isn't finished shopping. A new left winger and striker remain on the wish list, with AC Milan's Rafael Leao emerging as a prime target for the flank vacated when Son Heung-min departed last year.