Fans at St James’ Park are right to feel apprehensive about the Italian midfielder after the trauma of losing their star striker last summer
There was never any chance of Sandro Tonali leaving Newcastle United for Arsenal on transfer deadline day.
It was the definition of a non-starter, a move so fanciful the London club did not even bother to pick up the phone and ask about the midfielder’s availability, let alone an asking price.
Telegraph Sport spoke to multiple sources at Newcastle on Monday and the response was angry and emphatic. The story was described by various well-placed figures as “nonsense, complete rubbish” and “a total waste of time”.
But in many ways the damage has already been done. As reports circulated that Arsenal had only considered the possibility of signing the Italy international because he had been offered to them by an agent, it felt like a starting pistol had been fired on another transfer saga on Tyneside.
The wounds left by Alexander Isak’s acrimonious departure last summer are both visible on the team he left behind and painful for everyone concerned. Newcastle insisted for months that they would not be bullied into selling their star striker to Liverpool and maintained that stance even after the player went on strike in July and declared to manager Eddie Howe he would never play for the club again. They held that position until the final days of August, only to sell the Sweden international for £128m with fewer than 24 hours remaining in the window.
Isak’s future had been the source of intrigue for more than a year. He was linked with Chelsea and Arsenal long before Liverpool made their move. Constant talk of where he would go when he left Newcastle undoubtedly helped unsettle the player and fed into his negative mindset long before he demanded to leave.
It must feel to supporters like history is repeating itself with Tonali. The 25-year-old may not be leaving now, but there is, as the old saying goes, no smoke without fire. It is a story that will inevitably be revisited in the summer.
The fact somebody – and Tonali’s agent Giuseppe Riso strenuously denied he had spoken to Arsenal on Monday – had felt empowered to offer a player, effectively under contract to Newcastle until 2030, to a rival Premier League club, hints at a star who is already thinking about his next move.
No wonder there was a ripple of apprehension and some anger on Tyneside. Newcastle stood by Tonali when he was banned for 10 months for breaking gambling rules and, just like Isak, the supporters adore the Italian because of how well he has played for them since returning from that ban.
Sandro Tonali is just too good. 🤌🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/UYssk47HAa
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) January 25, 2025
But Newcastle could not hold on to Isak. He forced his way out, torching everything and everyone to get his own way and that sense of betrayal lingers. The thought of Tonali doing the same is bound to cause upset and concern.
It was also enough for Howe to seek a meeting with the player at the training ground on deadline day. Privately, Newcastle suspect someone is trying to engineer a move for Tonali and although his agent denied they were thinking about one this month, he carefully left the door ajar for one to happen in the summer if, of course, Newcastle were willing to sell. He even talked about a “valuation” for the player being set in March.
There are, as Isak has shown, many different ways to put pressure on a club to agree to sell. For now, Howe sounds convinced that Tonali’s situation is different. They have spoken at length, but the player also admitted earlier in the season that he cannot commit his long term future to the club because, well, let’s face it, he wants to keep his options open.
He can earn more money at Arsenal, or any of the other ‘Big Six’ clubs in England. If Newcastle do not qualify for the Champions League next season, he can use that as an excuse for wanting to look at other opportunities.
The fact this story appeared on the final day of the January window felt deliberate. It was, you suspect, designed to drum up interest in the former AC Milan player, a little nudge and wink to any of his potential suitors that he would be receptive to their interest.
That is how the transfer industry tends to work and over the course of the next five months, you assume other links to clubs will emerge. Arsenal, despite making no attempt to sign him in January, have already indicated he would be a potential player of interest.
Howe gave a strong response when asked about Tonali ahead of Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup semi final against Manchester City, but as well as he spoke, he knows it will not put out the fire.
Asked if he feared a repeat of the Isak saga, Howe replied: “I don’t think so, but lots of things happen without my knowledge. As far as I’m aware, we’ve got a player that’s an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person. He’s very happy here, he’s got a great relationship with me, his team-mates, he seems really, really happy within himself, so that would surprise me.
“But our best players will always be attracting glances from other clubs, that’s just the reality of football. We want to keep the group together, we want to keep being progressive and of course Sandro plays a part in that… all-encompassed, I don’t see an issue, but as I say, I’m not in control of everything.
“Sandro is absolutely fine. I had discussions with Sandro yesterday and he is totally focused on the here, the now and playing for us. There is absolutely no issue with Sandro himself. He is very happy and he is committed. I find it difficult to talk about things I don’t know too much about [if he was offered to Arsenal]. I can only talk about Sandro, the player and his mindset in the here and now having discussed things with him yesterday. If I knew everything about what is written and where it had come from, I would be wiser than you, which is not the case.”
We will just have to wait and see how the Italian responds if another club does look to sign him in the summer because it seems increasingly likely that Newcastle will receive interest in him.