Sport
After a tough summer for Newcastle United, with no certified first team upgrades brought in, for the first time since the Saudi Arabian-backed takeover of the club, questions have been asked about the direction of travel. But there has been one huge reason for positivity at St James’ Park: the return of Sandro Tonali.
The Italian midfielder has been banned since October after being found guilty of betting offences. Missing him became a huge issue for Newcastle; after qualifying for the Champions League the season prior, the Magpies’ biggest summer outlay in 2023 was on Tonali. It was seen as a huge coup to attract one of Europe’s best midfielders from AC Milan, who they would go on to face in Europe, and the sort of signing that could really transform the club on the pitch. They haven’t added any players on that level since, and being without him for so long made life difficult for manager Eddie Howe as Newcastle failed to qualify for any UEFA competition.
But in a win against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup last month saw Tonali’s long-awaited return to a football pitch. Surprisingly, Howe started him; the Newcastle head coach is known for taking time to integrate and re-integrate players into his team, but perhaps Tonali was a different case. While he hadn’t been allowed to play in official matches for the duration of his ban, he had crucially been allowed to train with his teammates, which helped him acclimatise to Newcastle and England generally. So he was ready and raring to; fit, albeit not match fit.
There has been no upside to what has happened with Tonali. But if there was anything that could prove positive in the long-run, it was that he would return in a much better place than his last appearance for Newcastle. Although he began his career with the club excellently, scoring on his debut in a 5-1 rout against Aston Villa, it soon became clear that there were some teething issues. He was understandably adjusting to the rigours and physicality of the Premier League, as well as learning a new language. All imports go through the same things, but now Tonali has done that, he looks all the better for it.
He was brought in to shift focus and responsibility in Newcastle’s midfield with his intensity and energy. While he offers similar traits to Bruno Guimaraes in a slightly different way, the hope was they would dovetail alongside the more powerful or dynamic presences of Joelinton or Joe Willock. One of the defining factors of Newcastle’s post-takeover era has been the regular over reliance on Guimaraes; proven bt the fact they have never won without him. Though he’s stepped up every time he’s been asked, Tonali was meant to shoulder some of the burden and allow Guimaraes to rest when needed.
Yet, they struggled to gel at the start of the campaign; defeat at Brighton in August being a low point. Although there were definite signs of improvement before he was banned, Sean Longstaff then replaced him, often playing through injury, with Willock and Joelinton also sidelined. The midfield productivity suffered badly as a result, and so did the team’s identity as a whole.
But now Tonali is back and he looks like he could give Newcastle a much-needed lift. This season was supposed to be the one with all the pressure; following relegation escapes, unexpected Champions League qualification and injury crises, this was the time the team was supposed to kick on. But the signings didn’t come and neither did the momentum.
Although he can’t do it all by himself, supporters will hope Tonali will at least help continue an upward trajectory.
