Sandro Tonali

[Scoot]

So is he in Newcastle yet?

[Coffee_Johnny]

Surely, he’ll head to the world party capital for the weekend. Hope it’s sunny for him. 

[OverThere]

I suppose the you tubers are all going to be camped outside of the ground to make their largely identical content of his arrival. Can't wait.

[Geordie Boyo]

4 hours ago, Scoot said:

So is he in Newcastle yet?

No, he’s resting and flying tomorrow for his medical. 
 

 

[Scoot]

6 minutes ago, Geordie Boyo said:

No, he’s resting and flying tomorrow for his medical. 
 

 

 

I was just joking about him being here already. Is that what's meant to be happening though, I'm tomorrow for a medical?

[Geordie Boyo]

3 minutes ago, Scoot said:

 

I was just joking about him being here already. Is that what's meant to be happening though, I'm tomorrow for a medical?

Nah, I was just joking around too, but I hope so 

[RodneyCisse]

Ideally he gets in today ahead of cloud and wind for the foreseeable.

[SteV]

Friday 3pm?

[Jack27]

 

me looking for Tonali on a plane to Newcastle

[bobbydazzla]

Medical done innit, they already flew out to Romania to give him a prostrate exam and collect a little jar of Harry Monk

 

Just the big unveiling left to do when he arrives here  

 

 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by bobbydazzla

[Chris_R]

Even after he arrives, it'll be a day or 2 before its announced because we always do the photos, interviews etc to accompany the announcement.

 

We don't seem remotely bothered about announcing things as soon as they're done, we're happy to wait a bit.

[Jack27]

Saying an announcement is likely on Monday

[Ben]

14 minutes ago, Jack27 said:

Saying an announcement is likely on Monday

Shit.... I hope the half time beheadings are not publicised too much cos the Makems will have a field day on that dopey forum 

[Gawalls]

5 hours ago, Geordie Boyo said:

No, he’s resting and flying tomorrow for his medical. 
 

 

God these medicals seem to get harder all of the time.

 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Gawalls

[Elbel1]

3 hours ago, bobbydazzla said:

Medical done innit, they already flew out to Romania to give him a prostrate exam and collect a little jar of Harry Monk

 

Just the big unveiling left to do when he arrives here  

 

 

 

 

 

That wasn't even a club doctor

Adam Pearsons next video is going to be all kinds of epic

[Cronky]

Interesting article from the Telegraph, if it's not been posted before.

 

How Newcastle United will land a player nobody thought they would be able to get
The club's recruitment team believe they will have an elite level player in Sandro Tonali – who has plenty of room to improve

Newcastle United will confirm the signing of Sandro Tonali later this week after a whirlwind of activity that has landed a player nobody thought they would be able to get.

It is a story of secret negotiations, a sprinkling of subterfuge and something bordering on giddy excitement as Newcastle realised they were able to sign a world-class midfielder for just £52 million – roughly half the price West Ham’s Declan Rice will move for.

Rice featured in early recruitment meetings as the club’s transfer committee convened, led by director of football Dan Ashworth, manager Eddie Howe and chief scout Steve Nickson. It also involved co-owner Amanda Staveley, her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi and fellow consortium representative Jamie Reuben, as well as Howe’s nephew Andy.

All would have loved to have signed the England international, but it rapidly became clear it was impossible. With an asking price of more than £100 million and wage demands well in excess of the £120,000 Newcastle pay captain Kieran Trippier, the club simply could not compete because of financial fair play rules.

They have spent £250 million net since the takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in October 2021.

The question posed was simple. “If we cannot sign Rice, who are the other players who compare to him?”

Newcastle scouted Germany’s Bundesliga and France Ligue 1 extensively and had various names on their shortlist. RB Leipzig’s Felix Nmecha and Nice’s Khephren Thuram featured prominently and would have been within budget.

Newcastle had held a long-standing interest in Leicester City’s James Maddison, failing with a £40 million bid in July 2022. They once again investigated whether it was a deal that could be done at the end of last season.

But with Leicester quoting an asking price of £60 million and doubts about whether the England international wanted to move to the North East, Newcastle decided they had far more pressing concerns and Tottenham stepped in to clinch a deal.

There were also concerns that playing Maddison and their mercurial French winger Allan Saint-Maximin in the same team would mean a loss of defensive solidity and leave them more vulnerable to counter-attacks. They needed a completely different sort of signing in midfield.

Nicolo Barella - The stealth and subterfuge that will lead Newcastle to sign Sandro Tonali and why they are so excited
The club have had to consider alternatives for Nicola Barella amid transfer fee gap and competition
Two players stood out - Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella and AC Milan’s Tonali. Both deals appealed, but there was a realisation they would be hard to pull off. A move for Barella came first, but preliminary talks confirmed the 26-year-old would cost around the same as Rice, both in terms of wages and fee.

By the time Telegraph Sport disclosed Newcastle’s interest, which was confirmed by multiple sources and followed up worldwide, the club were moving quickly. Newcastle had learnt that AC Milan were in far greater need of money than Inter and would, reluctantly, consider selling Tonali.

There was cautious optimism, but news of the talks could not leak or the deal would be dead before it had been given time to breathe. With a tentative approach for Nmecha already made, and with news of their interest in Barella whipping up a frenzy, Newcastle moved with speed but, crucially, stealth.

Like a magician pulling off an audacious trick, they had their distraction. Even when news leaked in Italy they were going to pay more than £65 million for the Italy under-21 international, Newcastle were unmoved. They recognised the game and were being put under pressure in public to raise their offer for Tonali.

Intensive talks continued and with personal terms agreed, which will put Tonali in the highest bracket of earners at St James’ Park alongside Trippier, Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle merely had to come to an agreement on the structure of the deal. Claims the deal was completed last week were inaccurate, but by Monday it was 99 per cent done at £52 million.

Newcastle’s recruitment team are thrilled and believe they have got a player who is already at an elite level, but who, at the age of 23, has plenty of room to improve.

As one senior source told Telegraph Sport. “He is a player we did not think in May would come, he was a player we feared was out of reach to us, but we’ve managed to get one of the best young midfield players in Europe who we believe will be just as good as Declan Rice over the next few years.

What will Tonali bring to the team?
Newcastle wanted “technicians” in the middle of the pitch, as well as athleticism and vision. Tonali will bring all of these things.

The Italian, according to Newcastle’s scouting reports, led by Andy Howe, will be able to take the ball under pressure and play through opposition lines. If teams sit back, which they are likely to do more and more against Newcastle, Tonali will help unlock tight defences.

He will be able to punish teams whether they try to press him or sit deep. He is also more than capable of forcing turnovers, often leading the press at AC Milan.

Intriguingly, Newcastle were not looking for a No 6 or a No 8 as had been assumed. Indeed, in conversations over the past few days there is something “retro” in the way Howe wants Newcastle’s midfield to play next season. You might even call it old fashioned.

In an era where there is all sorts of tags and descriptions for midfield players, Newcastle wanted in old money what would have simply been called a centre midfielder; an all-rounder.

The idea is Newcastle’s midfield will be fluid, not rigid. There will not be precise roles or positions, but rather a unit that works together in tandem, with each player shifting to different areas of the pitch, depending on the situation.

There is the hope that Tonali’s arrival will free up Bruno to have more of an impact in the final third, but Tonali will go forward and impact play in this area, too.

Freeing up is a loose term, but what it will give Newcastle is two ball players in the middle of the pitch, making it far harder for teams to shut them down. It brings a myriad of different options and Howe does not want his team to be too predictable in their patterns of play.

There is an acceptance Tonali needs to be stronger and fitter to play in a Howe team. He will need to work hard in his first pre-season.

The raw ingredients are there and in some areas of his game, he is the finished article. His passing range and accuracy is a huge appeal, as is his delivery from set-pieces. He will be encouraged to pass forward more often than he did in Italy, but that should make him even more dangerous.

[The Prophet]

The way that the tale verifies all of Luke Edwards exclusives is remarkable really.

 

Decent read though.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by The Prophet

[Gallowgate Toon]

1 minute ago, The Prophet said:

The way that the tale verifies all of Like Edwards exclusives is remarkable really.

 

Decent read though.

The bloke is absolutely shameless 

 

[Cronky]

Only seen him in clips, but if 'intensity' is the cornerstone in Eddie's strategy, then this lad has it in spades.

[Pata]

28 minutes ago, Cronky said:

Newcastle had learnt that AC Milan were in far greater need of money than Inter and would, reluctantly, consider selling Tonali.

 

Need a cage match between @Milanista and Edwards.

 

I think Inter clearly need the money more but have more ambitious/emotional owners. Milan's moneyball owners thought this was a good deal and greenlighted it to fund the team elsewhere.

[STM]

That article might be the most self serving piece of journalism I've ever seen. 

 

"Newcastle were interested in all the players Luke said and without Luke selflessness in writing about those targets, Milan wouldn't have fell into a deep hypnosis, allowing Newcastle to swoop for a player Luke had never previously mentioned. Now let Luke tell you about what position they intend to play him in."

[ponsaelius]

He's literally stitched an entire narrative together to make it seem like he wasn't wrong  

 

I don't even think Luke is out of the loop completely, he obviously gets some decent information and inside track from the club. But equally he will get stuff that's rubbish or will miss out on other info. That's fine and is the nature of journalism - he doesn't need to be spinning these yarns to cover his own back and protect his ego.

 

It amazes me that an article like that is allowed to get past an editor

[Papavasiliou]

11 hours ago, Pata said:

Need a cage match between @Milanista and Edwards.

 

I think Inter clearly need the money more but have more ambitious/emotional owners. Milan's moneyball owners thought this was a good deal and greenlighted it to fund the team elsewhere.

Inter's owner is being hamstrung by China's foreign investment rules.

 

They're losing money hand over fist and he's not allowed to pump enough in to keep them going without further outside investment.

[mattypnufc]

This cunt signed yet? 

[Mazzy]

1 minute ago, mattypnufc said:

This cunt signed yet? 

 

You haven't heard the news?