Newcastle United latest news: Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Sandro Tonali’s future at St James’ Park amid deadline day transfer links.
Sandro Tonali was at the centre of a storm, albeit very, very briefly, on deadline day.
Newcastle United didn’t sign a single player during the winter transfer window, instead opting to keep their powder dry for the summer and hope that their current crop of players can make this campaign a successful one. A quiet deadline day on Tyneside threatened to be overshadowed, though, when reports of an exit for Tonali emerged from Sky Sport Germany.
However, they were quickly shot down by their sister station Sky Sports in the United Kingdom with Newcastle United having no intention of selling the Italian international. Claims that Tonali had been offered to Arsenal by his agent were rebuffed by his representatives and whilst, ultimately, he remained on Tyneside, all this speculation and rumour had made headlines and brought into sharp focus not just Tonali’s future at Newcastle United, but a handful of his teammates as well.
In the days following the closure of the winter transfer window, Fabrizio Romano gave an update on Tonali’s situation at St James’ Park. On YouTube, Romano said: “There has been a lot of confusion around Sandro Tonali, but his agent, Giuseppe Rizzo, was very clear in the last 24 hours that the player was not offered to Arsenal.
“It would have been completely unrealistic to try to sign a player of Tonali’s level in the final 24 hours of the market, especially considering how long similar deals normally take. For the summer, however, Tonali is a name to watch. Arsenal remain interested, and there is also strong interest from Juventus and other top clubs in England.
“The next key step will be discussions with Newcastle United between February and April, because any decision will depend on the club’s position and future plans.”
Eddie Howe on Sandro Tonali’s Newcastle United future
As mentioned, talk of a potential exit for Tonali dominated the winter transfer window deadline day. Whilst Crystal Palace did their best to add some spice and excitement into the final day of the window, generally Premier League clubs were quiet across the board.
With such little movement elsewhere, talk of Tonali’s exit, no matter how frivolous, was always going to make headlines. Eddie Howe, though, was quick to shut down any talk of the midfielder wanting out of the club or being disrupted by speculation surrounding his future.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
“Sandro's absolutely fine,” Howe said on Tuesday morning. “I had discussions with Sandro yesterday [Monday].
“He's absolutely focused on the here, the now, playing for us. His only focus, talking to him yesterday, was Manchester City and trying to win that game.
“So there's absolutely no issue with Sandro himself. He's very happy and he's committed.
“I find it difficult to talk about things I don't know too much about. I can only talk about Sandro as the person and the player and his mindset here and now, having discussed things with him yesterday. He's absolutely fine.”
Tonali and Newcastle United now have a Premier League game against Brentford on Saturday evening (5:30pm kick-off) to prepare for before they travel to the capital to face Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
Continue Reading