‘This is football’ - Sandro Tonali’s contract admission should ring alarm bells for Newcastle United
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Newcastle United latest news: Sandro Tonali has spoken about his future at St James’ Park.
Sandro Tonali’s latest comments on his future at St James’ Park should serve as a reminder to Newcastle United that they must continue to progress, both on and off the pitch, if they are to keep their best players at the club.
Rapid progress since the takeover of the club has seen the Magpies twice qualify for Europe and lift a Carabao Cup. However, they now need to turn that progress into consistent success, which includes regularly qualifying for the Champions League.
The saga involving Alexander Isak during the summer showed that their best laid plans can be derailed and Ross Wilson, the club’s new sporting director, will be desperate to avoid any further issues with the club’s key players in the coming years. One of those is Tonali.
The Italian has emerged as one of the Premier League’s best midfield players and whilst his current contract on Tyneside has at least three and a half years left to run, plus the possibility of a year’s extension, continuing to be a success on the pitch and building the club off it will be the only way they are able to attract and keep players like Tonali at the club.
Sandro Tonali’s Newcastle United contract admission
As the lynchpin of Eddie Howe’s midfield three, Tonali is one of the very first names on the teamsheet every week and has been for around twelve months. It took a little bit of time for him to find his place in that midfield following his return to football after a ten-month ban, but he has barely put a foot wrong since solidifying his place in that midfield.
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Tonali is one of the key cogs of this Newcastle United team, but his recent comments on his future at the club may ring one or two alarm bells if their standards on the pitch slip: “This extension was three years ago after the ban. I don't know why everybody spoke about this.
“I signed after the ban for another year and I'm happy, not just for one more year here, but I'm happy for the people, for the fans, for every player, every member of the staff here in Newcastle.
“Every day I work to win every game. I work for every person in Newcastle.
“This is a tough question because in football you need to think year on year,” Tonali added. “I don’t want to say I want to stay here 10 years and in two years, three years, four years, five years I will go. I want to think, just for me, year on year.
“This is football. Last summer was tough for us, for Alex [Isak], but this is football.
“If you have an option for your life, for another team you need to think about everything. I don’t want to say, ‘Yes, I want to stay here for ten years’ but now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team.”
The Magpies and Tonali return to action on Sunday when they face Brentford in the Premier League at the Gtech Community Stadium.