Why Tonali is the right man to complete Newcastle's midfield
Newcastle quickly turned to Sandro Tonali when it was clear that Nicolo Barella wasn't available. Inter may need to make some high-profile sales to help with their financial concerns, but the latter is untouchable. And so, the Magpies rapdily changed tact from the blue and black half of San Siro to the red and black side.
Tonali is said to have broken down in tears when he was informed he'd be leaving AC Milan this summer, such is his desire to remain with the Italian side, but at St. James' Park, he'll form part of a functional midfield alongside Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes. The 23-year-old enjoyed a commenable campaign for the Rossoneri as he laid on seven assists, that ranking eighth in Italy's top tier, to help yield a WhoScored rating of 6.91.
AC Milan endured a disappointing title defence, ultimately finishing 20 points behind eventual winners Napoli, but Tonali's performances evidently caught the eye, with the Magpies prepared to make the Italy U21 captain their marquee summer signing. One of Newcastle's biggest strengths last season was the functionality of their midfield. Joelinton and Guimaraes were the posterboys in the middle of the park, with Joe Willock or Sean Longstaff playing their part too.
The flexibility of the trio made Newcastle both difficult to break down and impossible to predict when on the ball. What stood out is that both Joelinton and Guimaraes were effective ball winners who carried out different duties when they did win possession. The former would drive Newcastle forward, finishing second for successful dribbles (53) of all players for Eddie Howe's side, while the latter maximised his eye for a defence splitting pass, finishing second for chances created (42).
It's impossible, then, to pigeon-hole the pair into specific roles, and to do so would do both a disservice. As such, Newcastle's desire to sign Tonali, even if not first choice, shouldn't come as a surprise. Like Joelinton and Guimaraes, the Italian is more than capable of robbing an opponent of possession, having finished the 2022/23 Serie A season with 64 tackles to his name, and returning the 20th best success rate (79%) of the 140 players to have attempted 50 or more tackles.
Tonali won't bring possession forward in the same manner as Joelinton, but rather seek to create for his teammates in a similar fashion to Guimaraes having made the eighth most key passes (62) in Italy's top tier last term. This is crucial in that it will ease the pressure on both the Brazilian and Kieran Trippier to operate as the primary creators for the Magpies, particularly the former.
Newcastle needed a player to help bridge the chasm between Trippier and Guimaraes in terms of key passes, which explained links with a move for James Maddison and Barella. Tonali, though, seems the best fit to ensure Newcastle not only remain combative in the midfield, but adds another creative performer to the side.
Speaking of combative, what made Newcastle's midfield tough to bypass is that the Brazilian duo were not afraid to get stuck in to disrupt opponents' play. Only Joao Palhinha (14) was booked more times than Joelinton (12) in the Premier League last season, while Guimaraes himself received seven yellow cards. Unsurprisingly, the pair ranked first (2) and second (1.4) respectively for fouls per game of all Newcastle players with the pair going to great lengths to ease pressure on the Magpies backline.
Similarly, only Rade Krunic (8) was booked more times than Tonali (7), who himself finished the campaign fourth for fouls per game (1) of all AC Milan players in Serie A last season. He should slot into this Newcastle midfield just fine.
Next season, then, fans can expect to see Joelinton and Tonali line up on the left and right, respectively, of Guimaraes, but that doesn't mean the trio will remain in a fixed position in the middle of the park. The interchangeability of the three central midfielders in Howe's XI is one of Newcastle's biggest strengths and Tonali will further compliment that quality to the Magpies.
Maybe Newcastle will have overspent on Tonali as and when the deal is announced, but following their return to the Champions League, they will have been aware that they needed to invest in key areas of the pitch in order to continue on their upward trajectory. Tonali may be upset at his impending AC Milan departure, but Newcastle fans will be crying tears of joy when the Italian arrives to complete their already impressive midfield.
