Sandro Tonali wanting to leave Newcastle United is no secret - but joining Tottenham Hotspur would seem bizarre.
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Even the most rose-tinted Newcastle United fan likely accepted that Sandro Tonali would leave this summer. As it stands, his hefty price tag - around £85million - appears the only hurdle keeping potential suitors at bay.
The team were struggling. Speculation was rife. His agent, Beppe Riso, had briefed journalists multiple times to pimp him out to every club in Europe.
But it was his comments in a mixed zone - following the 2-0 Champions League win over Athletic Bilbao at the back end of last year - that left a knot in your stomach. Those present can attest to the mood shift. It felt like the moment Tonali hinted that his future lay away from St James' Park.
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“This is a tough question because, you know, (in) football you need to think year for year,” he responded when asked if he will stay at Newcastle. I don’t want to say I want to stay here 10 years and in two years, three years, four years (or) five years I will go.
“I want to think, just for me, year for year. This is football. The 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.”
After the project-damaging Alexander Isak saga last year, Newcastle's hierarchy and supporters are perhaps more resigned to the reality of elite talent moving on. Anthony Gordon provided a perfect example. Could anyone begrudge the 25-year-old leaving a club that finished 12th to don the deep blue and garnet of Barcelona?
Likewise, if Tonali left in an amicable manner, the Magpies could wish him well after two - yes, not three - years of service. Arsenal and Manchester City were the destinations most frequently linked with the Italian earlier this year, while a return to Serie A appeared financially unrealistic.
However, Tottenham Hotspur are now the ones pushing for his signature - and that would not sit right. It is understood that Tonali views a move to London as attractive to his family.
But at what cost? On which footballing metric would a move to the club that finished 17th in consecutive seasons make logical sense?
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They are Newcastle's direct rivals - another club striving to establish itself beyond English football's established elite. That is precisely why this potential transfer would leave such a bizarre taste.
Is it a case of “anyone but Newcastle” for Tonali this summer? If so, what exactly have the Magpies done to him? This is a club that rallied behind him during his darkest hour - a gambling scandal that could have easily seen his career crumble on the scrapheap.
Isak’s exit evoked anger and a sense of betrayal. Gordon was given a reluctant blessing. For Tonali, if Tottenham were to be his next destination, disappointment would be the overriding emotion.