In his pre-match press conference, Eddie Howe issued an update on Sandro Tonali’s progress, his future in the starting line-up and responded to questions on Palace captain and transfer target Marc Guehi.
After his rocky start to life in the North East, Tonali has struggled to nail down a regular place in Howe’s starting XI, though the boss claims that it’s not for a lack of effort or performances in training.
However, the boss stated that he’s been ‘really pleased with his contribution this week’ and that he’s currently ‘fighting for a place’ in the team, with many suggesting he should be ahead of Sean Longstaff in the pecking order.
“He’s been good and has trained really well, especially this week,” Howe said. “I’ve been really pleased with his contribution. He did really well when came on at Nottingham Forest, in a moment when that game was in the balance at 1-1.
“He played a big part in moving that game towards us (3-1 win). So he’s fighting for a place and is doing himself no harm with how he’s performing in training.”
Howe was also asked by The Mail’s Craig Hope if Tonali and Bruno can play in midfield together, saying: “Anything is possible, of course they can. They are two outstanding players. It’s up to me to try and find a solution that works for both players and one that sees their qualities within the team.
“You can put any player into the team and any combination of players into the team, but it’s got to be to the team’s benefit. It has to be right for both players to showcase their attributes. So, hopefully we can do that.”
Finally, Howe was then questioned on Guehi, who we made multiple attempts to sign over the summer. He acknowledged that the Eagles centr-back is ‘a very good player’ and ‘someone we respect’, but accepted it is ‘very difficult to comment’ on.
“It is very difficult to comment too deeply (on Guehi). Marc is somebody we respect. He is a very good player. I’d like to think we know about everyone. That is regardless of the player and opponent.”
After a tricky start to the season, hopefully Guehi isn’t back to his best when he faces up against Alexander Isak and England teammate Anthony Gordon later on today.