'We're working' - Eddie Howe reveals Sandro Tonali truth amid Newcastle United struggles
Eddie Howe’s honest admission on Sandro Tonali’s Newcastle United form.
Eddie Howe admits that Sandro Tonali’s performances for Newcastle United have dipped this season.
The Magpies signed Tonali from AC Milan for £55million in 2023 but had to wait until the following year to see the midfielder in top form after he was hit with a 10-month betting ban.
After initially using Tonali in the No.8 role, Howe moved him into the No.6 position and that coincided with a huge upturn in results, as United won nine straight matches between December 2024 and January 2025.
That was a catalyst in what followed last season as Newcastle ended their 70-year domestic trophy drought by lifting the Carabao Cup last March, as well as qualifying for the Champions League for the second time in three seasons.
A tireless performer with a rocket of a right foot - typified by his goal in the 2-1 win over Brentford last April - saw him regarded by many as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, if not Europe.
Sandro Tonali short of his best - Eddie Howe admits
But in a campaign full of inconsistencies for Newcastle, Tonali has been one. Struggling performances away to Manchester United and Burnley over Christmas haven’t gone unnoticed by supporters, with Howe agreeing that the Italian is short of his best, at least on a consistent basis anyway.
Speaking to NewcastleWorld, Howe said: “Yeah, I think that's the key thing. I think the standards that he set last season, in particular, I thought he was absolutely magnificent, and him returning to the team gave us almost like a new signing, a new energy boost in there. He built really good relationships with the players around him and I think he was really, really effective in lots of different dimensions of the game.
“I think this season, for whatever reason, I don't think he's quite hit those levels that he did the season before. We're working with him to get him back to those levels.
“I think we've seen games where he's performed really well and even within games there's been moments and periods of the game where he's been absolutely at his best, but it's that consistency level for him as it is for the team that will be the thing we're focused on.”
Sandro Tonali’s contract situation
Newcastle supporters feared at the beginning of the season that it wouldn’t be long before Tonali attracted genuine transfer interest amid belief he was out of contract in 2028. But it has since been confirmed that Tonali is effectively under contract 2030, an extension he signed during his betting ban as a show of commitment.
However, that gratitude will not last forever and concerns were raised by an unconvincing answer he gave to the media last month.
When asked last if his long-term future will be at Newcastle, Tonali told reporters: “This is a tough question because in football you need to think year on year. 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 10 years’ but now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team.”