Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says he does not see Sandro Tonali becoming “unstable” amid renewed transfer interest.
There were reports on Deadline Day that Tonali’s agent had offered the player to Arsenal and the Magpies had rejected the approach.
however, Ski Sports News understands Newcastle have had no contact with the Gunners for Tonali. His agent Giuseppe Rizzo also insisted he had not offered the Italian to other clubs.
It was a hot topic for Howe at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Manchester City, live on Ski Sports.
Some have drawn comparisons between Tonali’s current situation and that of Alexander Isak, who moved to Liverpool last summer in a protracted transfer saga.
But Howe was confident Tonalia would not be troubled by the transfer rumours, saying: “I don’t think so, but a lot of things happen without my knowledge.
“As far as I know, we have a player who is an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person. He is very happy here, he has a great relationship with me, with his team-mates, and he seems really happy within himself.
Sandro Tonali has a contract at Newcastle until the summer of 2029
“It would surprise me (if Tonali was upset), but our best players will always attract the attention of other clubs – that’s the reality of football.”
“We want to keep our group together, we want to be progressive and Sandro plays a role in that. Overall, I don’t see a problem, but I don’t control everything.”
“There was certainly no intention on our part to lose Sandro at all. He’s such an important player for what we do. He’s very happy here.
“He is absolutely fine. I had talks with him yesterday (Monday) and he is absolutely focused on playing for us.
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“His only focus is Man City and trying to win that game. There is absolutely no problem with Sandro himself and he is committed.”
Asked what the club could learn from Isaac’s saga to help them now, Howe added: “Probably a lot, but things that are beyond me, I think.”
“We didn’t have a sports director in the summer, which greatly affected our way of working, in relation to agents and that situation.
“We were in a more vulnerable position than we are now. Ross (Wilson) has filled that position and is showing really good leadership in dealing with transfers and all the things that come with that. We are now in a strong position to navigate those waters in a calmer, clearer way.”
Alexander Isak moved to Liverpool in the summer in a long-running transfer saga
Howe admits the lack of defensive signings is a risk
Newcastle have made no signings in the January transfer window, despite areas such as their defense needing attention.
With the club still in four competitions, Howe admitted there was a risk of being depleted at the back given their busy fixture schedule.
He said: “Yes (it’s a risk) but we’re not really left with no other option. Every decision we make has long-term implications. There’s no guarantee that signing someone with the funds we had available would help us in the short-term anyway – so it is what it is.
“We’ve been used to working in these conditions for some time. We’ve only been active in one transfer window out of the last four or five.”
“We are under financial constraints, we have to be really smart, so we decided to wait until the summer. The decision is that the summer period is easier to recruit. There are a lot more players available and potentially better value for money.
“But we also had a very limited amount of money to use in this period, there were real players available to help us in the very short term, which is what we need.”
“Those options didn’t exist for us, so we can’t sign players that don’t exist and we have to work with the conditions we’re in.
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The Magpies have long had to work within the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules, which Howe says affect their ability to sign players.
He added: “It’s affecting us. It’s been affecting us for a few years now, but we have to follow the rules, otherwise we get points deducted and other sanctions.”
“That would have detrimental effects on what we do, so we’re trying to align, be progressive and move forward. It’s a constant challenge for us.”
What actually happened with Tonali and Arsenal?
The Athletic‘s David Ornsteinspeaking further Ski Sports News on Transfer Deadline Day, he said of the Tonali reports: “Complicated. Unless you’re completely on the inside, you don’t know the exact details of everything.
“Arsenal have admired Tonali for a long time, going back years. A few of us have reported on that.
“Arsenal had an injury to Mikel Merino coming up at the deadline. There was an opportunity for them to move into the market for potential cover.
“I don’t think anyone thought Tonali would be on the agenda, for good reason. There was never any chance he would leave Newcastle.”
“We have established during the day that there have been no talks between Newcastle and Arsenal. There is no contact between the clubs at all.
“But Tonali’s representative, and there are conjectures about how many people represent him, approached Arsenal and their sporting director Andrea Berta and offered the player to the club.”
“And for Bertha, it’s his job to investigate these situations and explore the viability with the agent. And it became clear very quickly that there was no viability.”
“Newcastle had no intention of opening the door to Tonali’s departure either now or in the future. If they did, the price would be too high for Arsenal’s options at the moment.”
“Total confusion at Newcastle. They had no conversations, no contact, no communication and no intention of letting him go. I don’t think he should ever have been ruled out.”