Tonali has committed his future to Newcastle in what is a huge boost to the club
Sean McCormick is a football writer covering Newcastle United for ChronicleLive. After starting his career covering North East sport, he has had a spell working as an editor on the Manchester Evening News. He also writes about darts and boxing. He joined us in 2016.
Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United
Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali(Image: 2025 Newcastle United)
View Image
News of Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali signing a 'secret' contract extension at the club hit the public domain on Wednesday lunchtime in what is a huge boost to the club.
The Italy international has been instrumental in the club's success since signing from AC Milan back in the summer of 2023 and he has quietly become the Magpies' most important player.
The 25-year-old was originally thought to be under contract until the summer of 2028 and after the way Alexander Isak's exit panned out, it was considered one of new sporting director Ross Wilson's most important jobs to get his future at St James' park tied up quickly.
But it has now been revealed that Tonali signed a contract extension until the summer of 2029, which has the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months, while Dan Ashworth was still the club's sporting director.
Content Image
Content Image
The move was a show of faith from both sides after he was handed a 10-month ban by Italian authorities for breaking betting rules and it has proven to be a shrewd move with Tonali recently being described as the best midfielder in the Premier League by Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.
He is hugely popular with Newcastle supporters and his importance to the team has never been lost on head coach Eddie Howe.
He said: "The thing that sets Sandro apart from anyone else was he could do all of those things technically and tactically, and looked really good, but it's his athleticism as well, his ability to run.
"We've seen that in recent games from a defensive viewpoint now more than an attacking viewpoint, where he's sprinting to put out fires for us, nicking balls, intercepting balls, using his athleticism to track runners.
"He's been excellent in that respect and think that's really helped the team."
Author avatar
Author avatar
Tonali's contract extension also pours further scorn on Italian media reports linking him with a move to Juventus and a return to Italy. There were doubts over how Juventus could afford a move for a player with three years left on his contract and who has made great strides since joining Newcastle for £55million two years ago.
Now that contract effectively runs until 2030, there is no way any Italian side have the required finances to facilitate a move. If Tonali was to leave Newcastle, it would theoretically have to be for a team that can afford to pay in excess of £100million and that only leaves an exclusive list of clubs.
Tonali is happy at Newcastle and Newcastle are ecstatic to have him. This new contract should be the trigger to build their future success around him.