Newcastle United are yet to see a return on their Sandro Tonali investment.
The Magpies spent £55million on Sandro Tonali in the summer of 2023, with the midfielder becoming Newcastle’s second most expensive signing ever.
Bringing the Italian in from AC Milan was a statement of intent. Newcastle United signed a major European name from a Champions League rival, as Eddie Howe added an elite midfielder to his squad.
However, we are yet to see Tonali prove he is an elite midfielder on a consistent basis. He blew hot and cold as he settled into life in the North East, before his world was turned upside down as he was handed a 10-month suspension for betting.
Now Tonali is back, and he looks better than ever. Physically, he is an absolute machine. He has become a key player for his national team once again, but it has been much harder for him to impress in a Newcastle shirt.
Italian media claim Sandro Tonali wants to leave Newcastle
The 24-year-old has been in and out of the team, with the Italian media recently calling Tonali a reserve player for Newcastle.
Now the Italian media have taken things even further, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that Tonali wants to leave Newcastle United and return to Italy.
They state that ‘something is broken’, and that AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus are all interested.
However, Gazzetta dello Sport add that a permanent move would not be possible for financial reasons, so it would have to be a loan deal.
What Eddie Howe must do with Sandro Tonali
Given Newcastle’s PSR issues, there is simply no way they are going to loan Tonali out. If he is going to leave, he will leave permanently and thus allow Eddie Howe to reinvest in his squad.
In truth, there is an obvious solution to the Tonali situation, regardless of whether Gazzetta dello Sport’s story is true or not.
Howe simply needs to play Tonali on a regular basis, and Newcastle’s recent run of fixtures suggests that will happen.
He started two of Newcastle’s last three Premier League games, with Howe finally deciding to deploy Tonali as a number six on a consistent basis. The change had resulted in Tonali producing some of his best ever Toon performances, with the £55million man much more suited to the deeper role.
And the only reason he did not start on Saturday against Brentford was fatigue, after coming off with cramp just days earlier against Liverpool.
It would be a major surprise if Tonali did not return to the starting XI against Leicester City this weekend. He has proven that he should be a regular in this Newcastle team, and that is what he should be moving forwards.
If not, the noise about Tonali potentially being unhappy on Tyneside will only get louder.
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