The future of Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali continues to be a big topic in Italy.
Former Sunderland manager Paulo Di Canio believes Sandro Tonali should join Inter Milan this summer.
Speaking to Italian media, the 57-year-old hailed the Newcastle United ace as his country’s best player. But using the Magpies as a stick to bash the Serie A, Di Canio noted how Tonali plays for a mid-table Premier League club.
Speculation surrounding Tonali’s future has dominated the news agenda at St James’ Park all season. His agent, Beppe Riso, has publicly suggested several times that a Newcastle exit appears likely.
Sandro Tonali’s shock World Cup exit
Tonali’s team claimed a decision on his future would be made after the World Cup. That plan backfired when Italy lost their play-off final on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The failure has stunned a nation that is preparing for its third consecutive World Cup omission. In Tonali’s credit, he was the only Italian to score in the shoot-out, with manager Gennaro Gattuso stepping down just days later.
Paulo Di Canio on Sandro Tonali
Ex-West Ham United striker Di Canio - whose famous knee slide as Sunderland manager 13 years ago still haunts Newcastle fans - has backed Tonali to join Inter. That is despite the midfielder holding a lifelong affinity towards their rivals, AC Milan.
When asked where Tonali should go, the former Black Cats boss could not resist a subtle swipe at Newcastle. He said: “(Tonali should join) Inter, who already have a true playmaker (Hakan Calhanoglu). He’s by far our (Italy’s) best outfield player, but where does he play? In the 10th-placed team in the English league.”
Di Canio also highlighted the poor state of Italian football - citing players who have failed to tear up the Premier League. He added: “If he (Chiesa) came back to Italy, it would take a couple of sprints, and we’d be saying, ‘My God, why wasn’t he playing at Liverpool?’
“Simple, because the Premier League is like the NBA, and we are Italian basketball. (Donyell) Malen at Aston Villa is the third backup. At Roma, he looked like an alien.
“Lautaro (Martinez) scored against Pisa and Lecce, and I hear people say he’s like (Harry) Kane… 49 goals across all competitions. How can you even say that?”
“We need someone like Conte, who already knows what we are talking about,” he said.
Di Canio went on to say that issues with Italian football do not only lie on the pitch: “To begin with, we in the media are not doing our job properly,” he argued.
“Many are obsessed with self-promotion and comment to end up on social media, forgetting that we’re gasping at the bottom.”
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