Eddie Howe believes Sandro Tonali is on a mission to repay Newcastle’s trust as the Italy midfielder prepares to return from a 10-month suspension at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
Tonali’s ban for breaches of Italian betting regulations derailed Newcastle’s season and Howe is hoping the midfielder, the club’s marquee £53m signing from Milan last summer, will swiftly make up for lost time, starting with the Carabao Cup tie.
“I don’t know if debt is the right word but Sandro will naturally feel he wants to repay everyone here for the trust we’ve shown in him when we signed him,” said the Newcastle manager, who has offered Tonali support during the suspension. “We’ve tried to support the human rather than treating him as a footballer, first and foremost.
“I’ve seen enough of Sandro [in training] all these months to back his ability. I still love the player.”
The 24-year-old will continue to make regular trips to Italy for counselling and receive help from Newcastle’s club psychologist, Dr Ian Mitchell, but Howe turned slightly equivocal when asked how he could prevent Tonali from gambling in future.
“That’s a complex question,” the manager said. “I don’t want to go into Sandro’s individual situation because that’s his private life and situation that he will continue to work on. But he is getting care from the club. That will be a continuous thing for Sandro and communication is vital in this respect. His football career is resumed and hopefully that is a stimulus in itself to help him.”
Howe has been impressed by Tonali’s reaction to the ban. “He’s a very strong guy, he’s handled this situation so well. He’s shown real strength, dignity, integrity. Because he’s been isolated at times it hasn’t always been easy for him. He’s had some low moments and some lonely moments where the team has been playing.
“I think we’ll get a different player back, a stronger player mentally, someone who will enjoy his football and probably appreciate every moment because it has been taken away from him for a long period of time.
“Sandro’s not outwardly expressive. He’ll be calm, cool and collected tomorrow but I’m sure that, inside, he can’t wait to wear that shirt again. Playing again will be a tremendous release for him.”
Medical professionals distinguish between gambling addicts and problem gamblers but, when asked which group Tonali belonged to, Howe demurred: “I’m not going to go there.”
He was more forthcoming when it came to the midfielder’s adjustment to life in north-east England. “Sandro’s really well liked by his teammates,” Howe said.
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“I’ve seen him form really strong friendships, a really good social network. He has people he can rely on to talk to and really good role models. That’s so important for your future success. Certainly he looks at home here now.”
In an ideal world, Howe ideally wants to introduce Tonali to at least three new teammates before the transfer window closes on Friday but, although hopeful of signing the Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, he envisages only one outfield signing.
While a right-sided centre-half is the overriding priority and negotiations continue for England’s Marc Guéhi with Crystal Palace, who are believed to be seriously considering accepting a fifth bid from Newcastle, Howe’s hopes of acquiring a right‑winger appear to have been dashed. “Probably not, no,” he said about the likelihood of recruiting two outfielders. “But we hope we can still do something.”
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