Newcastle United latest news: Sandro Tonali was linked with a shock deadline day move to Arsenal.
An injury to Mikel Merino has left the Gunners light in midfield and reports in the early hours of deadline day had suggested that Tonali was a potential target for Mikel Arteta’s side. Those reports, which emanated from Germany, were quickly quashed with Newcastle United having no intention of allowing the Italian to leave the club.
As mid-afternoon rolled around, though, further reports surfaced that Tonali had been offered to Arsenal via his agents, although again, those reports were then countered and shot down by representatives of the player. Tonali, meanwhile, spent deadline day with his teammates preparing for Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
David Ornstein drops fresh Sandro Tonali transfer claim
As deadline day in England came to a close, The Athletic’s David Ornstein spoke to Sky Sports about the situation surrounding Tonali that had emerged over the course of the day and what the future could look like for the Italian international, his representatives, and the two clubs, Newcastle United and Arsenal, involved in a bizarre set of events: “[It was] a complicated one,” Ornstein said.
“Unless you're fully on the inside, you don't know the exact ins and outs of it all. Arsenal have had an admiration of Tonali for a long time, dating back years. A few of us had reported on it.
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“Arsenal had the injury to Mikel Merino coming into the deadline. There was a possibility they would move in the market for potential cover.
“I don't think anyone thought Sandro Tonali would be on the agenda, with good reason. There was never any chance of him leaving Newcastle.
“We established across the course of the day that there were absolutely no talks between Newcastle and Arsenal. No club-to-club contact at all.
“But a representative of Sandro Tonali, and there is some conjecture about how many people represent him, reached out to Arsenal and their sporting director Andrea Berta and offered the player to the club. And for Berta, it's his job to explore these situations and look into viability with the agent. And it became clear very quickly that there was no viability.
“Newcastle had no intention of opening any doors to Tonali leaving either now or in the future. If they did, the price would be way too high for Arsenal's capabilities at this moment in time.
“Complete perplexion at Newcastle. They had no talks, no contact, no communication and no intent of letting him go. I don't think it was ever on to be off.”
Ultimately, Tonali remained a Newcastle United player past Monday’s 7pm deadline and will continue to be a key cog in Eddie Howe’s side between now and the end of the campaign. Whether Arsenal, who are currently striving to win their first Premier League title in over two decades, reignite their reported interest in Tonali when the summer transfer window opens at the end of the campaign remains to be seen.
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