Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has been linked with a move away from St James Park in recent weeks.
Despite ongoing links with a move to Serie A giants Juventus, it was talk of interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal that dominated the headlines on transfer deadline day as speculation suggested the midfielder had been offered to the Gunners. Newcastle moved swiftly to deny the rumours suggesting a move to North London was on the cards and Magpies boss Eddie Howe gave an insight into discussions he had held with Tonali ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg visit to Manchester City.
Tonali will remain a key part of Howe’s side for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brentford - but the build-up to the game has brought further talk of what could lie ahead for the midfielder as he continues to attract interest from elsewhere.
Italian outlet TuttoSport reported Tonali’s agent Guiseppe Riso as saying: “Newcastle are having a hard time letting go of Sandro and he wants to lead the club to the Champions League. These transfer discussions will take place later. We’ll see how the season ends and then we’ll decide what to do. There’s no preference at the moment. It’s still early. What we’re saying today won’t apply tomorrow. Newcastle couldn’t let him go now, and there’s no point in moving, especially since Sandro is very attached to the club. We’ll evaluate and decide what to do in the summer.”
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 linkto join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
What has Eddie Howe said about Sandro Tonali’s future at Newcastle United?
Sandro Tonali (left) and Newcastle United manager Eddie Howeplaceholder image
Sandro Tonali (left) and Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe | Getty Images
Speaking ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg defeat against Manchester City, the Magpies boss said: "His only focus was on Manchester City and trying to win that game so there's absolutely no issue with Sandro himself. He's very happy and committed so 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 player, and his mindset here and now. Having discussed things with him yesterday, he's absolutely fine."
"Our best players are always going to attract glances from other clubs. That's just the reality of football. We want to keep the group together. We want to keep progressing and, of course, Sandro plays a part in that in trying to hit his best levels and play as well as he can to help the team. All encompassed, I don't see an issue but I'm not in control of everything."
How important is Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United?
Sandro Tonali.placeholder image
Sandro Tonali. | Getty Images.
The former AC Milan midfielder enjoyed a positive start to his Newcastle United career when he scored six minutes into his debut in a 5-1 home win against Aston Villa. However, his first season on Tyneside was brought to an end by a lengthy ban for falling foul of betting regulations. Tonali’s maiden campaign was brought to an end with a 1-0 home defeat against Borussia Dortmund, by which time he had not added to his goal tally or provided an assist. In terms of Premier League points, the Magpies were averaging 1.63 points from the eight games featuring the Italian.
Howe’s side claimed 44 points from the 29 games during Tonali’s suspension during the remainder of the campaign and that’s an average of 1.52 points per game. In total since joining the Magpies, Tonali has scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 93 appearances in all competitions and that is an average of a goal contribution in every 6.2 games. Across his entire career on Tyneside, the Magpies average 1.55 points per game when Tonali has been absent and that compares to 1.59 when the Italian has made an appearance in a Premier League game.
Continue Reading