They have all seen it. There has been an edge to Sandro Tonali in training. A realisation that a return to competitive action is within sight for the suspended Newcastle United midfielder. Just ask Eddie Howe.
“He’s getting closer and I think we can see that in his general demeanour,” the Newcastle boss told ChronicleLive. “He feels very much part of the group, which he has been anyway, but I think there is more of a definitive action in him now because he knows he is competing for a place again.
“Of course, there will be a short time where he won’t be available, but then he will be and it will be like signing a new player all over again.”
The countdown is on. Tonali is pencilled in to make his return for Newcastle against Spurs at St James’ Park in 40 days after serving a worldwide ban for betting breaches that sent shockwaves throughout the club and, indeed, the footballing world back in October.
It was a bombshell no one saw coming – just a few months after Tonali’s £55m move from AC Milan went through – and the midfielder is fiercely determined to repay the faith shown in him by both the club and supporters after voluntarily taking a substantial pay cut during his suspension because, in Howe’s own words, he ‘felt the guilt’.
That was clear when Tonali admitted to placing between 40 and 50 football bets after joining Newcastle, including four on the Magpies to win, and the FA confirmed that it was ‘highly unlikely’ that it would have ever become aware of his ‘misconduct but for his admissions’.
An independent regulatory commission heard the episode had a ‘profound effect’ on Tonali and is ‘something he does not want to experience again’. That has been the message Tonali has passed on in talks he has given in his homeland as part of the conditions of his suspension and the Italy international travelled back to speak at Virtus Verona, Caldiero Terme and Legnago Salus just last month.
Closer to home, Tonali’s co-operation with the FA’s separate investigation meant that the midfielder was handed a suspended two-month ban, rather than effectively an extension of the original 10-month suspension from his time in Italy, and he has also been able to train with his team-mates throughout. That was by no means a given after Ivan Toney was previously unable to do so during the first half of his eight-month ban for breaching betting rules at Brentford.
Tonali, in contrast, felt part of the squad even just as a training player and was able to take part in intense, competitive sessions alongside team-mates like Tino Livramento rather than working alone.
“Even last season, coming in every week, you could see he was always working really hard,” Livramento told ChronicleLive. “He’s been a top pro. He’s still been in and around the group. He’s been someone you can talk to and is a funny guy. It will be good to see him back doing what he loves.”
That passion for the game clearly remains and the coaching staff have spent time with Tonali to identify areas to work on to ensure the midfielder comes back stronger, faster and, ultimately, better this season. It was as much about keeping Tonali engaged as it was about making sure he stayed physically fit.
There was a fear that, otherwise, if Tonali was just doing random training that was not specialised, then he could potentially drift mentally, but the 24-year-old has benefited from extra individual sessions while continuing to support and push his team-mates in group sessions at Benton. As the ban went on, staff felt Tonali’s performances in training were better than even before the suspension because the Italy international really started to settle into his new surroundings and felt the weight lift off his shoulders a little.
It is not an easy adjustment, after all. Dan Burn once told ChronicleLive that it takes new signings ‘time to get up to speed’ at Newcastle because you’ve got to ‘think quite a bit and it’s not just something you can step into’. Another arrival from last summer, Lewis Hall, for instance, endured some ‘dark days’ as he settled in, but the 19-year-old knew he still had a chance of playing.
“It’s been really difficult for Sandro,” Hall told ChronicleLive. “I talk about me and my setbacks, but it has been a lot harder for him.
“I know the extent of what he has had to deal with and he’s dealt with it quite well. He’s not just moved from the opposite end of the country, but a completely different country.
“It must not be easy for him at all, but he’s come back to pre-season and really worked hard and has got the quality that we all know he has. All the lads can’t wait for him to be back and helping the team.”
In a strange way, this period out of the game has given Tonali time to settle away from the cameras after moving away from Italy for the first time brought with it immense challenges on and off the field. Tonali understandably found the language barrier particularly difficult – it goes without saying that there are no similarities between English and Italian – and the new signing quickly enlisted the help of teacher Simonetta Italiano.
Tonali’s new team-mates tried to involve him in those early weeks, but the midfielder readily admitted that he felt ‘lost’ at first while also trying to adjust to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. “His expectation was, ‘Oh my God. How am I going to learn a new language so quickly?'” Italiano told ChronicleLive.
Tonali, who had English lessons every day for a fortnight before the start of pre-season last summer, embarked on an intensive course that even saw Italiano stay on Tyneside for two weeks and do everyday things with Tonali like travelling into training, having a coffee or going for a walk. They would then have an hour or two of more formal lessons later that day.
Tonali has religiously kept those classes up over Zoom ever since and his English has improved, helping the Italian to express himself, take on detail and become a well-liked figure in the dressing room. Sean Longstaff, for one, said Tonali was ‘a top player first and foremost, but actually a better guy’.
Italiano, meanwhile, who has taught Carlo Ancelotti, Maurizio Sarri, Fabio Capello and Stefano Pioli over the years, even called the ‘very motivated’ Tonali her ‘star pupil’. “In 17 years, I’ve had good students, but I’ve never had anyone respond like this,” she added.
