'Without a doubt' - Newcastle United 'new signing' claim after FA green light

Sandro Tonali is set to return to action for Newcastle United in August after the Football Association refrained from extending his 10-month betting ban.

The FA fined the Italian £20,000 and issued a two-month suspended ban which will allow him to return from August 27 provided he does not commit any further breaches of betting rules. After signing for Newcastle from AC Milan for £52million last summer, Tonali was found to have placed 50 bets on matches, including four on his side to win.

Tonali’s ban limited him to just 12 appearances in his first season at Newcastle as he continues to train with the first team behind the scenes. He is set to return to playing in the opening weeks of the 2024-25 campaign.

When asked if Tonali would feel like a ‘new signing’ upon his return, Howe admitted: “Without a doubt. It will be a huge thing for us.

“We’ve had him in our training numbers all year and there are times when you’re looking at what you can do with the team and where you can take the team and you accidentally put him in the team and you go ‘oh no I can’t!’

“It’s been a huge frustration to have a top-quality player that you can’t use. I know what he can do and the difference he’ll have made this year but it wasn’t to be.

“But I think for us, and for him, from this situation good comes of it, that he's able to learn and develop to the English style and ultimately could be something that he looks back on in a few years time and goes ‘actually you know what that helped me settle into England’.”