At last, Newcastle United have confirmed the signing of Sandro Tonali.
After a slight delay, the Italy international is officially a Newcastle player as Eddie Howe lauds his new midfielder.
Tonali is the second signing the club have made this summer after Yankuba Minteh but the first who can realistically be expected to make an impact in the first-team.
Still, quite how the impact looks is up for debate.
While the 23-year-old was playing for one of Europe’s most high-profile clubs in the form of AC Milan, you could forgive those Newcastle supporters who don’t regularly cast a keen eye over Serie A for not knowing about every aspect of Tonali’s game.
Fortunately, then, Italian football expert Mina Rzouki provided some insight.
Italian football expert explains Sandro Tonali’s best position
Given the comparisons between Tonali and a certain Andrea Pirlo over the years, it would be tempting to think Newcastle are getting a deep-lying playmaker.
Still, speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily), Rzouki was keen to downplay those kind of comparisons.
When asked about his best position, Rzouki added: “It’s an interesting one because I think what he is, is a tactical genius.
“He can really do so many different roles if you just give him the instructions he’s very good at just following those and playing to what the team needs.
“He’s very good at observing what the opponent is going to do and adjusting to that style to be the player that the team needs.
“Now across Milan’s games, if they needed somebody to attack from the front or defend from the front Tonali would be able to heed those instructions and change the way that Milan looked according to what his position was at the time.
“He has played further forward and managed to score braces, he’s also been a player that you put further back to win the tackles.
“He has always said himself that he’s been compared to Andrea Pirlo but really that is more to do with the fact that he has long flowing hair when he was at Brescia, the same team as Pirlo. But he’s modelled his game around Genaro Gattuso so he’s all about winning back possession, all about recycling that possession
“He’s got a good passing range, somebody you play in your midfield to really just cover ground, win back possession, recycle and really get the team to launch forward again.
“I think that, for me, is his best role and I think the role that suits most teams right now. It’s one that you just don’t find at the moment so you do need to pay a premium and for somebody that has the ability to play so many roles, I think he’s one for the future.”
Newcastle are getting something of an all-rounder then
With Bruno Guimaraes also able to operate in a deeper position as well as further forward, it seems Newcastle have a multi-functional midfield.
Howe’s team play a high-energy style and having two such options in the middle of the park can only be a good thing.
Guimaraes was the only midfielder brought in during the PIF era prior to Tonali and, finally, it seems as if he will have some help in anchoring the team there.
With Sean Longstaff, Joe Willock and Joelinton also available there, Howe suddenly has options.
Seemingly with a broad skillset and with time to grow and develop, Tonali gives Newcastle some much-needed flexibility.
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