Newcastle Toons
Fansided

AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali joins Newcastle United to grow midfield

By Cade Cracas

CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA - JUNE 22: Sandro Tonali of Italy during the UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023 Group D match between France and Italy at Cluj Arena, 22 June 2023, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA - JUNE 22: Sandro Tonali of Italy during the UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023 Group D match between France and Italy at Cluj Arena, 22 June 2023, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Newcastle United has started their 2023 summer offseason with a bang as they improve their midfield in preparation for an upcoming competitive Champions League run.

On July 3, it was announced that the Magpies had signed AC Milan’s standout midfielder Sandro Tonali to a five-year contract. While few financial details have been released, the contract is rumored to be over €70 million.

STADIO GIUSEPPE MEAZZA, MILAN, ITALY – 2023/06/04: Sandro Tonali of AC Milan in action during the Serie A football match between AC Milan and Hellas Verona FC. AC Milan won 3-1 over Hellas Verona FC. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
STADIO GIUSEPPE MEAZZA, MILAN, ITALY – 2023/06/04: Sandro Tonali of AC Milan in action during the Serie A football match between AC Milan and Hellas Verona FC. AC Milan won 3-1 over Hellas Verona FC. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images) /

Since the beginning of the long-awaited offseason, it was rumored that Newcastle would make giant leaps as they attempted to improve the squad after an impressive 2022-23 Premier League campaign. 

The acquisition of Sandro Tonali is one that is going to drastically influence the midfield play moving forward, and open the door for the opportunities for Manager Eddie Howe.

He is often regarded as one of the world’s most versatile midfielders, playing in more games than any other AC Milan player last season. By the end of the season, he had played over 4,000 minutes for the club.

During that time he showcased tremendous defensive capabilities, while also being a reliable piece on the offensive side of things. He was utilized constantly as a central midfielder, while also being a threat as a defensive midfielder.

This type of play frees up the opportunity for Howe to give Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes more freedom to push forward and help on the offensive side of things.

For a team that struggled at times with creativity, this is exactly what they needed.

MILAN, ITALY – MAY 16: Henrix Mxit’aryan of FC Internazionale and Sandro Tonali (R) of AC Milan in action during the UEFA Champions League semi final leg 2 football match FC Internazionale vs AC Milan at San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy on May 16, 2023 (Photo by Piero Cruciatti/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
MILAN, ITALY – MAY 16: Henrix Mxit’aryan of FC Internazionale and Sandro Tonali (R) of AC Milan in action during the UEFA Champions League semi final leg 2 football match FC Internazionale vs AC Milan at San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy on May 16, 2023 (Photo by Piero Cruciatti/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) /

Not only did they bring in a star player on the pitch, but off the pitch he’s shown maturity and loyalty.

“First of all, I want to thank Newcastle United because they are giving me a huge opportunity for my career,” Tonali said earlier this week in an interview. “I want to repay the trust on the pitch, giving it my all, as I always have.”

Tonali looks to immediately help establish a winning mentality within the Magpies locker room. On his hand, it was said that he has a tattoo of the word ‘impossible’ with a red rash to erase the letters ‘i’ and ‘m’.

“Nothing is impossible. This is my message,” he said.

Expect nothing less than perfection from the recent transfer as he looks to immediately make an impact both on and off the field.

Newcastle Toons
Newcastle Toons /

Want your voice heard? Join the Newcastle Toons team!

Write for us!