The one club that Sandro Tonali won’t be able to reject, this is Ross Wilson’s first headache at Newcastle
Newcastle United’s new sporting director Ross Wilson has a big headache to deal with regarding star midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Wilson made the move to St James’ Park from Nottingham Forest, ending a two year spell on Trentside.
The 41-year-old comes in as a replacement for Paul Mitchell, who stepped down from his role as sporting director in May.
Newcastle currently sit 11th in the Premier League after seven games of the new campaign, five points adrift of the Champions League places.
Sandro Tonali tipped to eventually move back to Italy
Over recent weeks, Tonali’s future at Newcastle has come into question, with a number of top clubs interested in the midfielder.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the Italian international is likely to remain with the Magpies for the time being.
However, speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Tonali will struggle to turn down Juventus if the Italian giants come in with a big offer.
Wyness added that the long-term future of Tonali, and other key Newcastle players, is going to be Wilson’s first big headache on Tyneside.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “The more I thought about Tonali, I think he may want to go back to Italy, but maybe he feels he owes Newcastle to a degree regarding the betting situation.
“They looked after him really well, stood by him, and his performances have been excellent at the start of the season. He’s getting back to where he was.
“So I came to the conclusion that he’s going to stay at Newcastle. I think they’d like him to stay there. But the lure of going home for an Italian, and I’ve seen it in players I’ve managed before, is pretty strong. When Juventus come calling for you and you’re an Italian, it’s a big pull.
“This is the first headache that Ross Wilson’s going to have. He’s going to have to do some long-term planning. He’s going to need replacements available for every position quickly and learn how to get them done if deals can be done.
“He’ll be playing three-dimensional chess already in his own head about what’s going to be happening with all these different what-ifs.
“I think if they did finish in a Champions League spot this year, which is not beyond the realms of possibility, then I think Tonali will be staying. That would probably be the key thing.”
Ross Wilson could boost Newcastle’s Elliot Anderson chances
Since Wilson’s move from Nottingham Forest, there has been a lot of talk regarding Elliot Anderson’s potential return to Newcastle.
Back in the summer of 2024, Anderson completed a switch from St James’ Park to Forest, and he has excelled on Trentside.
Wyness believes that if the Magpies managed to bring the England international back, then the supporters would be thrilled, and it would reflect well on Wilson.
He said: “Now there’s talk about Elliot Anderson coming back, which I think would be very well received by the Toon Army. Look, Wilson is a good operator. I think he’s a thoughtful guy. I think he will fit well into the situation.”
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