The Italian media has been relentless in their coverage of Sandro Tonali since his return to football after a ten-month suspension.
Tonali has been in sensational form for both Newcastle United and Italy, yet this hasn’t quelled the bizarre rumors in Italy about his supposed desire to return to Serie A.
There have been all sorts of fantastical claims, including one that suggested Newcastle would loan Tonali back to a Serie A club during the January transfer window.
Another ludicrous story floated the idea of a direct swap between Tonali and Juventus’ Douglas Luiz, who has underperformed significantly, barely featuring in the league.
Italian media has even gone as far as to claim that Tonali is unhappy at Newcastle, yearning for a return to Italy, despite his consistent statements expressing his happiness, gratitude, and commitment to Newcastle United and its fans.
Tonali’s agent, Beppe Riso, has now put these rumors to bed with a stark reality check for the Serie A clubs, Italian journalists, and fans. Speaking to La Repubblica, Riso made it clear that even if Newcastle were inexplicably willing to sell, no Italian club could afford Tonali.
Newcastle had paid AC Milan €58.9 million (about £50 million) for him in the summer of 2023, and since then, his value has arguably doubled, given his performances at just 24 years old.
Tonali’s current form places him as one of the Premier League’s top performers, second perhaps only to teammate Alexander Isak in terms of impact and value to Newcastle.
The idea of building the team around him, along with other young stars like Isak, Anthony Gordon, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall, and Tino Livramento, is thrilling for Newcastle fans.
Riso’s comments serve as a blunt reminder of the financial realities in football, highlighting the gulf in spending power between the Premier League and Serie A, and putting an end to the speculative and often baseless reporting surrounding Tonali’s future.
“Sandro is one of the best midfielders in the world.
“He now has a value that Italian clubs would struggle to be able to afford.
“I imagine a career for him far from Serie A.”
Callum Wilson breaks silence to provide big Newcastle United injury update after Birmingham win
Callum Wilson is back in action and scoring for Newcastle United after a season plagued by injuries.
He made his first start of the season in the FA Cup match against Birmingham City on Saturday, contributing to the team’s 3-2 victory by scoring one of Newcastle’s three goals. Prior to this game, Wilson had only made five appearances off the bench, having been sidelined by a hamstring injury in December, which was his second injury setback within a few months.
With no new signings in January and the departure of Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly thinning the squad, Wilson’s fitness is crucial for Newcastle United as they push through to the end of the season.
“I’ve worked hard to get into the position now to be able to start games again,” Wilson told the BBC a few moments after the cup win. “I didn’t want to come back too soon so that I was coming off the bench trying to get my fitness up.
“So I’m trying to just basically play as many games as I can now from now to the end of the season. Help the team, get some goals and things like that. Yeah it’s been frustrating to say the least, but hopefully on the other side of it now and can just contribute from here out.”
Newcastle have shown considerable patience with Callum Wilson, taking additional care behind the scenes to make sure he’s fully ready after his recent injuries.
However, there remains an element of hope and prayer, as Eddie Howe keeps his fingers crossed that the seasoned striker will be pivotal in the crucial final stages of the season.
“He is very confident about his body and has gone through recovery slightly differently this time,” the Newcastle boss said this week. “He has done a lot of work for this moment and he feels robust. In his eyes, he feels ready to start games. Fingers crossed his body responds in a positive way.”
Newcastle faced further injury woes during their win against Birmingham, with Dan Burn limping off in the second half. Anthony Gordon also missed the entire match due to a minor quad problem, which Eddie Howe is hopeful won’t be too severe.
