Ever since Sandro Tonali joined Newcastle United, the running joke has been his constant lack of smile, with many quick to joke that the Italian would much rather still be at AC Milan, rather than the Magpies.His debut display showed anything but an uncommitted player, however, with the Italian putting in an impressive first shift as a Newcastle player. We may not have got that big smile yet, but Eddie Howe certainly has reason to remain positive about his new arrival.With Champions League football to think about in the coming campaign, every player in Howe’s squad will have a job to do. And, given Tonali’s price tag of £55m, he, more so than others, will have the pressure on him to perform.Just 23, the midfielder has the chance to become a constant feature in a potential era to remember at St James’ Park.
Sandro Tonali impresses on Newcastle debut
And while not every new signing is having a great pre-season – check out Kai Havertz at Arsenal for instance – it appears the new NUFC man is settling in smoothly on the pitch.
As you can see from the video, Tonali’s performance, whilst not exactly flashy, was incredibly neat and tidy. Meanwhile, something to note was how physical the Italian was, which should see him settle into the intensity of Premier League football rather quickly.
He also played a part in the build-up to the first goal of the game, playing a fine first-touch pass to grab himself a pre-assist.
Newcastle ran out 2-1 winners at Ibrox against Rangers in what was Alan McGregor’s testimonial match. The Magpies initially took the lead through Miguel Almiron, before Sam Lammers equalised for the hosts after the break.
Securing the victory late on, Harrison Ashby found the back of the net in the 87th minute to hand Newcastle a solid second game of pre-season against the Scottish Premiership side.
Howe’s side started their pre-season against Gateshead, of course, winning 3-2 in a back-and-forth affair as they came back from two goals down.
The Newcastle manager commented on his side’s most recent display, saying: “Bits of the first half was outstanding, some really good football.
“Second half wasn’t as pretty and clean but there were a lot of changes, we managed to find a way to win again and that’s a great thing.”
What kind of player is Sandro Tonali?
Tonali is not a player that will necessarily leave you in awe. But he is a player that you’ll look back on as an important cog in a well-oiled machine, sitting at the base of a midfield three.
To get a better understanding of his talents, Football FanCast have done an in-depth profile on the player which you can read here.
The Italian’s arrival is particularly positive for Bruno Guimaraes, who will have a greater license to advance into a more offensive role next season, such is the discipline of Tonali.
Last season, the Brazilian was involved in 10 goals in all competitions, scoring five and assisting a further five. Suddenly, however, those numbers could increase even more if he is allowed to advance more often.
Tonali certainly has plenty of time to improve, too, given the fact that he’s just 23. And, with that, giving him time to settle wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing. After all, he’s not coming into a Newcastle side in desperate need of reinforcements.
After his debut performance, though, it’s clear that the Magpies have got themselves a player who is more than capable of stepping into England’s top flight, perhaps helping his new side to even greater heights than last season.
Here are some Twitter reactions after his eye-catching display.
