When Newcastle signed Sandro Tonali for £55 million in 2023, they recruited one of the hottest players in Italian football.
Bringing the Italy international to Tyneside, dubbed the 'new Andrea Pirlo', was a major coup and a signal of intent that reflected the club's growing ambition. Tonali's transfer coincided with the club's preparations for their first appearance in the Champions League in twenty years.
Often new signings are given a grace period to put to bed, but when Tonali crashed out of his first goal at Newcastle in the opening match against Aston Villa, he seemed to have settled into his new home at St James' Park.
Unfortunately, the 440 minutes he played in his debut season would only be a taste of what was to come. A 10-month ban for betting breaches meant Newcastle were without Tonali from October 2023 until the opening month of this season.
Newcastle, who had achieved their highest Premier League finish of fourth the season before, limped to seventh in his absence. They also crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage and failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals in both domestic cup competitions.
But now Tonali is back and belatedly finding a home at Newcastle.
Patience after 10 months in the dark
Tonali describes the 10 months he spent suspended as a “low” period during his career, but he had the support of his teammates to get him through the difficult period.
“The first month was difficult,” Tonali told Sky Sports News after scoring twice as Newcastle beat Brentford to reach the Carabao Cup semi-final.
“But I found a great team and great people off the field. The low times were a little bit difficult, but from January to August was the time [felt] a little faster. I was happy, I'm happy now.”
Scoring his double, Tonali found the back of the net for the first time since his goalscoring debut in August 2023. Although the goals marked a supposed turning point in his personal fortunes, Tonali struggled despite returning at the start of this season. to free up a space on the side. Amid Newcastle's early season inconsistency, Tonali's return did not go to plan.
Until mid-December, Tonali was scoreless in the six Premier League games he had started. Newcastle only picked up four points in those games and suffered defeats to Chelsea and Brighton, while also giving up a lead to Crystal Palace in that time.
Despite struggling for both form and rhythm in the starting spot at Newcastle, with Sean Longstaff preferred by Eddie Howe, Tonali, who was subbed off by the Magpies boss, was greeted with boos.
Finding balance in midfield
Tonali has settled into a new role in Newcastle's midfield. At the start of the season, Bruno Guimaraes operated as the deepest midfielder, while Tonali occupied an area higher up the pitch.
The pair have now found a working medium, with Guimaraes now playing further forward, mainly on the right as a number 8, while Tonali plays as a number 6.
“We are very complimentary,” Guimaraes told Sky Sports News.
“It's an advantage for the team. We never hold our position, we always try to rotate our positions to avoid getting marked, so I think the gaffer found a way to benefit the team with our position.
“Sometimes I'm the No. 8, sometimes he's the No. 6 or sometimes I'm the No. 6. We both have the same playing style.”
Howe has rushed and changed his midfield this season, looking for the golden balance between covering the back four and supporting the attack.
Faced with the play in central midfield, Tonali gives the likes of Guimaraes and Joelinton the chance to influence future matches with an added sense of security, as reflected in their performances against Brentford in the Carabao Cup, Leicester and Ipswich.
The Newcastle boss shares Guimaraes' sentiment on his strengthening midfield and Tonali's performances.
“I'm excited about how the three players in midfield look,” he said after Newcastle beat Leicester 4-0 to end a winless run.
“We are starting to see the best of Sandro Tonali. I thought his athletic performance was very good and he is just very intelligent with the ball and makes good decisions.”
It's still early days and tougher tests lie ahead, but Newcastle's new midfield, backed by Tonali, could just give Eddie Howe's side the platform to continue their battle for the status quo at the top to disrupt the Premier League, to resume.
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