Eddie Howe's pre-Tottenham Hotspur press conference
Newcastle United news: The Magpies have been linked with a move for Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi.
Some sections of Italian media believe that Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi must leave the club to get regular first-team football again - with Newcastle United among the clubs linked with his signature.
Frattesi was briefly linked with a move to St James’ Park during the summer transfer window, but ultimately ended the window by remaining in Milan. However, Frattesi has not been a regular in the Inter midfield this season and has completed 90 minutes on just two occasions in all competitions.
The 26-year-old played just 17 minutes of Inter’s defeat to Napoli at the weekend and with a World Cup on the horizon next summer, may feel he has to move away from the Serie A club to force himself into Gennaro Gattuso’s plans. Sandro Tonali and Nico Barrella, a teammate of Frattesi at club level, have been Gattuso’s preferred midfield duo since he took charge of the Italian national team.
Speaking on Italian radio, former Serie A goalkeeper Fernando Orsi urged Frattesi to leave Inter Milan: “Frattesi made a choice by going to Inter, but he knew Barella was there. When Barella isn’t there, he plays; otherwise, he stays on the bench,” Orsi said.
“They even tried to play both of them with Barella at the top of the pitch, but it wasn’t a great choice.”
“Frattesi would play for any other Italian team other than Inter, and then he should ask himself a few questions.
“Leave Inter and go play, otherwise you’ll have a career in which you’ve earned a lot but played very little.”
Newcastle United’s midfield options
Whilst a midfield of Tonali and Frattesi may excite supporters, it is unlikely that it will be a duo they get to see at St James’ Park in the near future. Their signing of Jacob Ramsey in the summer, as well as the continued development of Lewis Miley, means that Eddie Howe has some very strong options in midfield and whilst it’s undoubted that Frattesi would add quality to that area of the pitch, regular first-team football would be far from guaranteed.
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The most likely way of seeing how Tonali and Frattesi would play together would be by watching the Azzurri in their upcoming international matches and then at next summer’s World Cup - if they even qualify for that tournament.
It has recently been confirmed, meanwhile, that Tonali has signed an extension to his contract with Newcastle United. Tonali joined the Magpies in 2023, signing a five-year deal upon moving to Tyneside.
It had been assumed, therefore, that his contract would come to an end in just over two years time. However, Tonali signed an extension to that deal during his 10-month ban from football, with an option for an extra year.
In theory, that means that Tonali has another four years at Newcastle United. News of Tonali’s contract extension came in the wake of a summer transfer window that was dominated by talk surrounding Alexander Isak being unsettled at the club after having a potential contract offer withdrawn by former sporting director Paul Mitchell.
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