Arsenal have been linked with a deadline day move for Sandro Tonali
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe with Sandro Tonali
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe with Sandro Tonali(Image: 2025 James Gill - Danehouse)
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Newcastle United have rubbished claims that Arsenal have made a deadline day move to sign midfielder Sandro Tonali.
A report from Sky in Germany claimed the Gunners were keen to make a late move for the Italian international after Mikel Merino picked up an injury but sources at Newcastle claimed there was no truth to those suggestions.
Nonetheless, it should focus minds at Newcastle over the next steps when it comes to Tonali's future. It was revealed back in October Tonali had signed an extension to his contract until the summer of 2029 with Newcastle having an option to extend that by a further year.
That obviously puts Newcastle in a strong position when it comes to the 25-year-old's future and despite a recent drop-off in performances, he remains one of Newcastle's most important players.
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He also has his best years ahead of him and the Magpies will want to avoid a repeat of the Alexander Isak transfer saga which is still hanging over them this season.
When asked if he wanted Tonali to sign an improved contract at Newcastle back in October, after the aforementioned contract extension was revealed publicly, Howe firmly threw the gauntlet down to the club's decision makers - namely, sporting director Ross Wilson.
"Yeah, that will be one for Ross Wilson, the new sporting director," Howe said. "All new contracts, players’ contract lengths, will be looked at by him. Obviously I will have a discussion on all of those things but we haven’t talked at length about that."
When Wilson met reporters back in December, he was pleased to find out Tonali's contract situation was 'significantly better' than what he was expecting before admitting it was 'no secret' he wanted to extend the contracts of Tino Livramento and Sven Botman.
Botman's new deal was Wilson's first big win in the role he assumed in October but progress on Livramento's future, amid heavy links with Manchester City, is ongoing.
But Newcastle cannot afford any complacency when it comes to Tonali's situation. As they continue to bemoan PSR restrictions when it comes to potential incomings, it makes retaining the club's top talent even more important.
Tonali, who was described as the Premier League's best midfielder by Paul Scholes earlier this season, certainly falls into that category.
Newcastle are in a good position to laugh off Arsenal interest today. It will be more difficult to do so in the summer, particularly if they miss out on Champions League qualification.
They need to make sure they protect themselves by either offering him a new deal on better terms or ensure they have robust contingency plans in place if the worst comes to the worst and he leaves the club.
It will be one of the first major tests of Wilson's tenure and it will be interesting to see how it plays out over the coming months.