After picking up UEFA’s man of the match award following last night’s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League, Sandro Tonali spoke to the local media at St James’ Park.
Those quotes have only just filtered out and they’ve left some Newcastle fans a little bit concerned, as the Italian gives a pretty honest viewpoint on what’s next for his career.
Tonali was reluctant to commit when asked if he’s planning for a long-term stay on Tyneside, insisting he’ll take things “year on year” and would have to “think about everything” if a big offer came in.
The Italian also made reference to our “tough” summer and Alexander Isak’s exit, but did state that he’s not thinking about any other team.
“This is a tough question because in football you need to think year on year. I don’t want to say I want to stay here 10 years and in two years, three years, four years, five years I will go.
“I want to think, just for me, year on 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. I don’t want to say ‘Yes, I want to stay here 10 years’ but now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team.”
Discussing news of his extension that was signed following his 10-month ban for gambling, Tonali was surprised to see it only hit the headlines just now, yet happy to give back to the club and fans after their continued support.
Tonali’s ‘new’ deal keeps him contracted until 2029, with the option of a further 12 months, although it is not clear if Ross Wilson will hold further talks with the midfielder to offer him a pay rise that reflects his recent rise:
“This extension was three years ago after the ban. I don’t know why (in the) last week everybody spoke about this. I signed after the ban for another year.
“And I’m happy, not just for one more year here, but I’m happy for the people, for the fans, for every player, every member of the staff here in Newcastle.”
In some ways, Tonali’s comments will concern fans and create fears that another high-profile exit could occur in 2026.
However, I’d argue that we shouldn’t be massively shocked, as any world class player is unlikely to promise a long-term or rule out any future exit when his currently club are 13th in the Premier League and at risk of missing out on Champions League football for 2025/26.