Newcastle United Eddie Howe press conference review: Pre Brentford
Sandro Tonali joined Newcastle United from AC Milan for £52million in 2023 and has been linked with a return to Italy ever since.
Sandro Tonali refused to rule out leaving Newcastle United in an honest post-match interview this week - but Eddie Howe is comfortable with the midfielder’s situation.
The 25-year-old midfielder is no stranger to transfer speculation surrounding his future. After an initial 10-month betting ban, the Italian has established himself as a key player in Howe’s Newcastle side and one of the best in his position in the Premier League.
After The Magpies saw last season’s top scorer Alexander Isak leave to join Liverpool on deadline day for £130million, there is understandable trepidation about the club being able to keep hold of its key players moving forward.
Sandro Tonali’s honest assessment of his NUFC future
Following Isak’s departure, Tonali is arguably Newcastle’s most valuable player given his age, profile and ability.
And when asked about his future at Newcastle, Tonali did little to calm things down as he gave a very honest response.
“This is a tough question because in football you need to think year on year.
“I don’t want to say ‘I want to stay here 10 years’ and in two years, three years, four years, five years I will go. I want to think, just for me, year on year.
“This is football. Last summer was tough for us, for Alex [Isak], but this is football.
“If you have an option for your life, for another team you need to think about everything. I don’t want to say, ‘Yes, I want to stay here for 10 years’ but now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team.”
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Eddie Howe ‘comfortable’ with Sandro Tonali’s situation
Tonali’s quotes were put to Howe in his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Brentford.
“I'm always comfortable with honesty,” Howe smiled. “None of us can make any massive statements about the future, because life is so unpredictable and football certainly is at the sharp end of that. It's so unpredictable.
“So, I think Sandro has been very, very honest. He's happy and I think that's the key thing, when he said he's enjoying his football.
“And when I see him every day, I see a player that is happy and feels fulfilled. Happy in the team that he's in, happy with his teammates, happy with the environment. He loves it here in Newcastle.
“So, our challenge is to keep providing him that environment and, of course, his job is to keep playing well and he's certainly been impressive this season.”
Tonali is under contract at Newcastle until 2029 with an option of a further year. A contract extension was agreed during Tonali’s initial ban during the 2023/24 season but eventually leaked in the media last month.
Given Newcastle’s intent to keep hold of the player, any exit for Tonali would likey have to be initiated by the player himself.
Newcastle won the Carabao Cup and qualified for the Champions League, yet it was still not enough to stop Isak forcing through a move to Liverpool by refusing to train and play in his final months on Tyneside.
“I don't think it's our job to necessarily keep any player happy in terms of where we finish in the league,” Howe added. “The players themselves, me included, have to find a way to be successful with the team that we have.
“But I think off the pitch and in the environment, that's where we have to provide the environment that all the players enjoy and they want to be part of, with a team spirit that's an incredible thing to be around.
“So I hope you see the difference between the two things. The players themselves have to find, again, together with me and all the coaching staff, we have to find a way to be successful.
“Of course, we want to try and keep our best players. The only way we're going to do that, as I said earlier, is about what we deliver behind the scenes.
“But in a sense, the players have to show that they're these world-class players on a consistent basis as well. There's a lot of pressure on them to make sure they're showcasing that rather than the talk of players leaving -I don't think that's healthy for us.
“So we're on a journey together and this season is yet to be clear what our destination is. And that's where we're still in the early stages. We've still got a chance for this to be a very, very special season for us.”
Newcastle United’s season so far
Newcastle head to Brentford on Sunday looking to pick up their first domestic away win since April and bounce back from a disappointing 3-1 defeat at West Ham United that left the side wallowing in 13th place in the table after 10 games.
But with 28 games left to play and 84 points up for grabs, Newcastle still have time to turn things around, as they did last season.
While the league form has been inconsistent, Newcastle have excelled in the cup competitions so far as they currently sit 6th in the Champions League group phase out of 36 teams following three successive wins in the competition.
Howe’s side have also progressed to a fourth successive Carabao Cup quarter-final as they look to retain the trophy they won back in March to end a 70-year wait for a domestic honour.
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