Sandro Tonali

[Curva Sud Milano]

50 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

Bruno is indeed very far from them. In front. 

 

Even here in Milano some people think Leao is a great player...fortunately they are few. 

[oldtype]

Based on current form I'm not sure Arsenal would be interested in paying the kind of money required to sign him, and the fact that they didn't even bother contacting us would seem to confirm that.
 

Obviously I hope he goes back to being the player we know he could be, but I'm not all that concerned about a big money move this summer.

 

 

Edited February 3 by oldtype

[Magpie Mover]

3 hours ago, HayDen Traces said:

He's often Italy's standout player. 

Maybe here is, but that's an exceptionally low bar these days.

[wong989]

12 minutes ago, Curva Sud Milano said:

 

Even here in Milano some people think Leao is a great player...fortunately they are few. 

Was always surprised Bayern didnt break the bank for him. After Robben and Ribery they’ve been content with wingers who think they’re at that level…can’t have players in the squad, especially key players who think about winning all the time, not if your gunna win big trophies. 

[wong989]

Pretty sure Tonali looks much worse because of our style. Hes not a technician. Hes far more Gattuso with more box threat. Hes always looked best when we play high tempo football. The football has been insipid and anaemic since we started this possession style football with less pressing. Tonali should be for breaking up play, pressing, short passes and crashing the box. Hes not a never will be a playmaker , our midfield have absolutely no connection with each other and it’s been like that for ages .

[Kid Icarus]

9 hours ago, Curva Sud Milano said:

 

 

Well...I thought only a few of you thought this way, but I was wrong.

Twitter isn't real life. In fact I'd bet that most the time it's an indicator that real life has the opposite view to whatever is on there.

[TRon]

7 hours ago, oldtype said:

Based on current form I'm not sure Arsenal would be interested in paying the kind of money required to sign him, and the fact that they didn't even bother contacting us would seem to confirm that.
 

Obviously I hope he goes back to being the player we know he could be, but I'm not all that concerned about a big money move this summer.

 

 

 

 

Although you could argue that given they have gone more direct this season, a player like Tonali might fit their style better than previous seasons. 

[kenlau88210]

9 hours ago, wong989 said:

Pretty sure Tonali looks much worse because of our style. Hes not a technician. Hes far more Gattuso with more box threat. Hes always looked best when we play high tempo football. The football has been insipid and anaemic since we started this possession style football with less pressing. Tonali should be for breaking up play, pressing, short passes and crashing the box. Hes not a never will be a playmaker , our midfield have absolutely no connection with each other and it’s been like that for ages .

 

I think Tonali is our best number 6 currently, but his best position is probably number 8, the LCM role he plays for Italy. I like Miley as number 6, I think he can play to his strengths in that role with his composure, ball retention, and pretty good defensive attributes. Hopefully, we can see more of the trio combo Miley-Bruno-Tonali moving forward.

[Maggies]

11 hours ago, Curva Sud Milano said:

Maybe it's just my impression but it seems to me that his center of gravity on the pitch is about ten meters further back than last season... it's also true that up until November his performances were more than good, only in the last two months have  become worse.

I agree with this. The team in general seem ten metres further back than what I would like. 
 

Probably due to not being as aggressive on the press, plus needing to accommodate Big Nick who comes deeper.

[Sir Joel Inton]

20 hours ago, SUPERTOON said:

Let’s not forget if we do, then the players take a lot of the responsibility. 

 

You say that but numerous players have been relegated from this division and fallen upwards into CL teams. 

[Adam P]

15 hours ago, Curva Sud Milano said:

Maybe it's just my impression but it seems to me that his center of gravity on the pitch is about ten meters further back than last season... it's also true that up until November his performances were more than good, only in the last two months have  become worse.

 

Took my German mate to Parc des Princes last week, first time he has watched us live. And i quote 'you are 10m too far back'. He was complaining about how we were using Woltemdade not Tonali but he made the exact same point. 

[The Prophet]

From club mouthpiece, Mark Douglas:

 

"Claims that Tonali’s agent offered him to Arsenal were dismissed as “total bollocks”, with sources going further on Tuesday to suggest he’s told Newcastle he’s happy at the club and a sale in the summer isn’t on the agenda.

 

But there has to be a sense of realism too – there’s noise around him in recruitment circles. Chelsea has been mooted as another club interested in the Italy international. If Newcastle don’t return to the Champions League, they might be vulnerable."

 

 

Edited February 3 by The Prophet

[joeyt]

Been absolutely chod all season

[Vinny Green Balls]

19 hours ago, Curva Sud Milano said:

 

 

 

 

Jesus Christ guys....you have a short memory !!

you don't know the half of it.

[Vinny Green Balls]

17 hours ago, Fak said:

 

What does the 8788 mean at the end of your username?

obviously some nazi reference

[Sima]

Chelsea

[Paully]

Hopey’s latest article 

 

Lost amid claim and counter-claim, faux excitement and words like ‘rubbish’, ‘wild’ and ‘nonsense’, was the germ of a story whose first page was turned on deadline day: Sandro Tonali and his future at Newcastle United.

A report, from Germany, claimed that Arsenal had approached Newcastle. They had not. It was also said that the move was rejected. It would have been, had there been anything to reject. Cue mass denial. Nothing to see here.

Except, there most likely was. Daily Mail Sport was told of ‘an agent making mischief’. OK, but why? Agents don’t make mischief like a kid in a classroom. They make moves, like a dark force in a dressing-room. They test fault lines.

Later in the day, the agent most closely associated with Tonali, Giuseppe Riso, denied any contact with Arsenal. Sources on Tyneside believe him. There are, though, several who orbit around the Italian, some closer than others. ‘We never had any conversation with Arsenal,’ Riso told Sky Italia. ‘Newcastle were never going to let Tonali leave in January. There’s absolutely nothing to it.’

Cue mass denial. Nothing to see here. Except, there most likely was.   

‘We will see around March about Sandro’s valuation, but only if Newcastle decide to open doors,’ added Riso.

There you had it, a footnote comment perhaps, but it marked page one of a story to be told in the coming months. In truth, the prologue was written by Tonali himself in November. He had answered a question about his future honestly. But in doing so, he cast doubt upon it.

‘This is a tough question because in football you need to think year on year,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to say, “I want to stay here 10 years”, and in two, three, four, five years I will go. I want to think, just for me, year on year. Last summer was tough for us, for Alex (Isak), but this is football. If you have an option for your life, for another team, you need to think about everything. But now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team.’   

So, why would Tonali want to leave Newcastle? For the record, he is not unhappy. There is great appreciation for the support of Eddie Howe and the club during a 10-month betting ban served within the first year of his arrival in 2022. He appreciates, too, his improvement made as a player. Relationships with staff, team-mates and supporters are strong.

Unlike Isak, who went on strike to force his move to Liverpool last summer, there is no resentment over perceived broken promises. But, like Isak, there is sporting ambition. Tonali, it is said, is not alone in harbouring some doubt over the speed, direction and delivery of the project he signed up to at a Saudi-owned club. 

Profit and Sustainability rules are a constraint beyond the club’s control, to a degree. A ruinous summer spent without a chief executive or sporting director was not. Players aren’t stupid. It did not signal competent or considerate stewardship.

There has been reassurance since with the arrival of David Hopkinson and Ross Wilson in those roles, and the latter has developed a good understanding with Tonali’s camp, the relevant one, at least. No one inside or around Newcastle is expecting a repeat of the toxicity and trauma of the Isak saga, not least because of Tonali’s eternal gratitude for the care during his suspension.

Does that mean an offer won’t be brought to Newcastle’s door? Well, no. Failure to make the Champions League this season will sharpen interest elsewhere. By extension, Tonali may feel, at 26 years old, that the time is right for a new chapter. He is a Champions League player of the highest calibre, a gladiatorial midfielder of power and poise.

But that means two things - it is a very small pool of clubs who could give him the platform he desires and deserves, and an even smaller pool who could afford to take him there. He is, in effect, contracted to Newcastle until 2030. During his ban, the club extended to 2029 and added a further one-year option in their favour. He is well paid. It all leaves Newcastle holding a very strong hand.   

But, as Riso said, the situation - and Newcastle’s valuation - will be revisited in March. There will be a price, too. No player is priceless - see Isak. Insiders at St James’ Park accept that, in a PSR world, for a club to move up and move on, some players have to move out, even if reluctantly. If Tonali expresses a want to go and a package is presented that satisfies fee, wages and agent demands, then it will not be dismissed out of hand. The days of planting ‘Not For Sale’ signs no longer exist because of the need to navigate financial restrictions.

Crucially, though, Newcastle are better placed to deal with such an eventuality. I was embedded in the Isak drama last summer, and never was there not a sense of chaos and confusion, of damage being inflicted on Howe, his players and their preparations. The legacy of that has them in 10th position in the Premier League.

In the summer, we didn’t have a sporting director, which massively impacted our way of working in terms of dealing with agents and dealing with that situation,’ said Howe on Tuesday when pressed about echoes of Tonali and Isak. ’We were in a more vulnerable position than we are now. Ross has filled that position and is showing really good leadership, dealing with transfers and all the things that entails. We’re in a stronger position now to navigate those waters in a much calmer, clearer way.’

Arsenal? Manchester City? Liverpool? Barcelona? Real Madrid? Paris Saint-Germain? There you have that shallow pond of potential suitors. As one source said: ‘For there to be a sale, there needs to be a buyer.’ Tonali joined Newcastle for £52million from AC Milan. At his best, he is worth close to double that, especially given his watertight contract.

For now, says Howe after speaking to Tonali on Monday, the player is committed to reversing Newcastle’s 2-0 deficit in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Manchester City on Wednesday night. On the pitch, he is capable of bending such narratives. He was central to the romance of last season’s victory in the same competition.

But, off it, the pages are starting to turn on a less triumphant tale. There is no inevitable ending, but the not knowing makes this story one of intrigue. There is, most likely, something to see.

[Holloway]

No wonder he's struggling if his centre of gravity is 10 metres behind him

[Curva Sud Milano]

2 hours ago, Holloway said:

No wonder he's struggling if his centre of gravity is 10 metres behind him

 

I love sarcasm..

[JT24]

3 hours ago, Paully said:

Tonali, it is said, is not alone in harbouring some doubt over the speed, direction and delivery of the project he signed up to at a Saudi-owned club. 

Take your time, though, PIF.

[Casey]

Gambling malarkey aside, it probs does do a number on ya joining this club.

 

I imagine it's sold as up-and-coming, backed by the richest of the rich, aiming to win the league in the next 5 years™. New stadium, new practice facilities, likely increased wages and the adoration of a football-obsessed city that will love you.

 

Few years in, usual shite at Benton, stadium is nonexistent, DoFs as resilient as Liz Truss, can barely recruit talent unless it's 8th on the list and at exorbitant prices.

 

Trying to be objective here, though I can clearly see saying all of the above makes me look nowt but negative.

 

I do love this club, just want us to do better from the top-doon. I won't blame players for moving on, unless they act like the rat.

 

 

Edited February 3 by Casey

[LaurentRobert]

Now being linked to Chelsea and Manure. The whole thing stinks. 

 

After last summer I've mentally accepted that Tino and Tonali will be gone in the summer. If that doesn't happen it'll just be a massive bonus.

[Ben]

Miley is better anyway 

[Ketsbaia]

Just a few English teams, plus Real and PSG can afford him.

 

Chelsea don't buy £90m+ 26-year-olds anymore, Arsenal have quite a few midfielders, and there'll probably be managerial changes at Man Utd, Liverpool and Man City.

 

That's an optimistic way of assessing the landscape.

[TheBrownBottle]

3 hours ago, JT24 said:

Take your time, though, PIF.

Hasn’t he heard Hopkinson saying how big we’re going to be?