Tottenham Hotspur have signed Tosin Adarabioyo from Chelsea on a permanent deal following the exit of Kevin Danso, who has joined Premier League side Sunderland on a loan-to-permanent deal on deadline day.
Spurs will pay an initial £7 million for the 28-year-old centre-back, with more to come through performance-related add-ons.
Adarabioyo, who previously played for Manchester City and Fulham, gives De Zerbi another experienced defender to choose from, joining Micky van de Ven, Jan Paul van Hecke, Ben Davies and Marcos Senesi.
Tottenham first looked into signing Adarabioyo on loan. But Premier League rules do not allow a club to borrow more than one player from the same Premier League team at once, so the small purchase has been completed to allow Spurs to loan another of De Zerbi’s “sons”
Spurs also agreed to a season-long loan with Chelsea for winger Mykhailo Mudryk, with an option to buy; believed to be around £75m
The £7 million fee is a low-risk deal for Tottenham, especially compared to the possible £25 million they will receive from Kevin Danso’s move to Sunderland.
Tosin Adarabioyo moved to Chelsea on a free transfer from Fulham in summer 2024, signing a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge. But he struggled to get regular Premier League starts while at Stamford Bridge.
Last season, he played 16 league games for Chelsea, starting in only eight. Even with limited time on the pitch, he brings plenty of Premier League experience to Tottenham, having played over 100 games for Fulham and Chelsea.
At 6ft 5in, Adarabioyo adds height and strength in the air to De Zerbi’s defence. He is also comfortable playing out from the back, which fits De Zerbi’s style of building possession from deep.
De Zerbi is said to have wanted Adarabioyo at Brighton when he was the head coach on the south coast; the two will now unite at Tottenham Hotspur.
Adarabioyo is the first senior player to move directly from Chelsea to Tottenham since goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini in 2009. Though this was a free transfer, we may need to go even further back for a paid transfer.
Tottenham Hotspur have replaced a departing defender, making a big profit from Kevin Danso’s move, with Adarabioyo now part of De Zerbi’s major summer rebuild as Spurs try to bounce back from a tough start to the new Premier League season.
