Darren Eales now shares what Sandro Tonali really thinks about his Newcastle career so far

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Sandro Tonali needs to be like a new signing for Newcastle United this season.

The midfielder will be able to make his first appearance in what feels like an age for Newcastle later this month, having been ruled out following a lengthy ban due to betting breaches in October 2023.

Having only made 12 appearances during his first season with the club, the pressure is no doubt on the midfielder ahead of the new campaign.

While Tonali should be afforded at least some time to get back up to speed, Eddie Howe has spoken about how much he wants to replay the club after his ban.

Though there were certainly promising flashes before his ban, it’s not as if exactly everything was going to plan for Tonali at St James’ Park, albeit the midfield conundrum in the early part of last season was not totally his fault.

Still, and though nuance is important, few would doubt Tonali is under a relative amount of pressure this season. Given the financial climate, Newcastle can ill-afford an expensive flop.

Now, CEO Darren Eales has shared what Tonali really thinks about the matter.

What Sandro Tonali really thinks about his first season at Newcastle

Eales revealed that Tonali is looking at last season as if it doesn’t count, such was the limited nature of it.

Instead, full focus now goes into the campaign ahead.

“I think he accepts that last year doesn’t almost count, that season, because of what happened,” he said (via the Daily Mail).

“I think you can see just by the way he carries himself that he’s really focused for this season, and it’s a way for him to kick start his Newcastle United career.

“We know he’s a fantastic player. He works his socks off in training, which is difficult when you’re not playing games.

“It’s a cliche, but he’s going to be genuinely like a new signing, because this is his chance to launch his Newcastle United career. It’s exciting for him.”

Newcastle are putting a lot of faith in Sandro Tonali

Sporting director Paul Mitchell is believed to view Tonali’s return as something that will help the club save money this summer.

With the midfielder back in action soon, it seems to have been decided that a fresh signing there is not needed.

There’s certainly logic in that, particularly during a period in which Newcastle aren’t seemingly capable of spending huge amounts of money, but does carry a risk.

Should Tonali not work out then Newcastle’s midfield will need looking at again in the relatively near future.