Eddie Howe congratulates Sandro Tonali after Newcastle United's win over Brentford _(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA)_
EDDIE HOWE expects Sandro Tonali’s relationship with the [Newcastle United](http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/newcastle) fans to grow even stronger as a result of his match-winning display in last night’s Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Brentford.
Tonali scored the opening two goals as Newcastle claimed a 3-1 win over the Bees to reach the last four of the League Cup for the second time in three seasons.
The Italian has had a troubled time since moving to Tyneside from AC Milan for £55m in the summer of 2023, with a ten-month ban for betting offences preventing him from making much of an impact in his first season in England.
He retained the support of the Newcastle fanbase though, becoming something of a cult hero during his absence, and the ‘Sandro ole, ole, ole’ chants that rang around St James’ Park last night confirmed his status as a firm fans’ favourite.
“I think it’s brilliant to see,” said Howe. “He’s a big signing, and you want your big signings to do well. You want them to settle quickly.
“He’s been here a while, but he’s had very little football, so nights like this will build the connection between him and the supporters and make it even stronger. I’m just really pleased for him on a personal level.”
Prior to last night, Tonali had not scored in a Newcastle shirt since his debut against Aston Villa on the opening weekend of last season.
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The Italian has been moved to a deeper-lying midfield role in the last few weeks, and looks much more comfortable playing at the base of the Magpies’ midfield three.
The onus on him to come up with goals has reduced because of his positional switch, but his ball-striking ability means Howe will continue to encourage him to fire off shots from distance.
“He’s playing deeper at the moment, and has looked a lot more comfortable deeper on the pitch,” said the Newcastle boss. “Now, with that comes less of a responsibility to score really, when you’re playing in the deeper position that he is.
“For me, goals are an absolute bonus, but he’s got an absolutely unbelievable strike from distance, we’ve seen that regularly in training. He hits the ball cleaner than anyone I’ve seen really.
“He can score from distance, and we encourage him to get into those positions. Bruno (Guimaraes) is doing really well higher up the pitch as well, so the balance in midfield looks really good at the moment.”