Newcastle United transfers: Newcastle cannot let Sandro Tonali leave - yet.
Newcastle United news: Headlines, team updates, match previews and reports - all things NUFC
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Shields Gazette, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
Submitting...
Newcastle United would be betraying the dream sold to supporters and players alike if the next major deal they sanction this summer is the sale of Sandro Tonali.
We were told this summer would be different. After the frustration of the last 12 months, the message from the club was clear: lessons had been learned, the appointment of Ross Wilson as sporting director, working alongside Eddie Howe and the recruitment team, was supposed to bring structure, direction and momentum.
Instead, Newcastle find themselves wrestling with a growing identity crisis. The failed pursuit of Victor Munoz was another reminder of Newcastle's place in football's food chain.
Deals collapse, and players choose other clubs, particularly when Liverpool come calling. But agreeing a deal only to watch another club hijack it at the final moment was hardly the image Newcastle wanted to project.
NUFC’s Tonali threat
And now comes a far bigger threat. Tottenham Hotspur are pushing hard to sign Tonali, while Manchester City and Arsenal are monitoring the situation. In all likelihood, if a club comes close to Newcastle’s £100million valuation, the Italian is out the door.
It’s hard to argue against selling a player who doesn’t want to be here for a significant amount; it makes perfect business sense.
But selling Tonali now would represent something much bigger than a transfer fee. It would be another step away from the vision supporters were sold during the takeover and another step towards becoming a selling club once again.
Not Mike Ashley's Newcastle - just a more expensive version of it. Buy high. Sell higher.
There is nothing wrong with that model. In an era of financial restrictions, smart trading is essential. Every successful club buys and sells. The problem is timing.
The Gazette has launched a WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
Timing
After missing out on Europe, after already selling Anthony Gordon and after struggling to land priority targets, cashing in on another elite player before making a statement signing would send a damaging message.
It would tell supporters Newcastle are standing still while rivals move forward. Worse still, it would tell the dressing room the same thing.
Players such as Bruno Guimaraes bought into this project long before success arrived. He has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to on and off the pitch.
What must he be thinking if the club continues selling top talent while significant reinforcements fail to arrive? This is not what Newcastle were supposed to become.
This is a club that lifted the Carabao Cup, returned to the Champions League and looked ready to force its way into English football's elite.
Now there is a genuine danger of drifting back into the crowd. Another Premier League club making up the numbers rather than shaping the conversation.
Selling Tonali to Tottenham would be a statement, just not the statement Newcastle need.
The hierarchy must understand that actions speak louder than words. Talk of a 2030 ambition means little if first-choice targets keep slipping away and star players keep heading for the exit.
Subscribe to our Newcastle United newsletter for all the news straight to your inbox
NUFC must start acting like the serious club it claims it can be
The club must stop talking about what it hopes to become and start acting like the force it claims it can be. That begins with delivering a statement signing, not facilitating the departure of one.
Tonali can leave this summer, particularly if Manchester City or Arsenal come calling.
But selling him now, before Newcastle have demonstrated their own ambition in the market, would be a huge gamble with the credibility of the entire project.
If the next major announcement is Tonali's departure, supporters and even players will draw their own conclusions about where Newcastle United is heading.
It is time to stop being the black and white wallpaper and start becoming the picture again.