Eddie Howe gives update on Sandro Tonali with stance on Newcastle star's future
Eddie Howe has admitted Sandro Tonali has been left “absolutely devastated” as he faces a one year ban for betting offences.
The Newcastle boss has pledged to throw his arms around the Italian international who is at the centre of an illegal betting probe and breaking football rules. Howe says the club “will do what the club needs to do” in terms of legal action after being sold Tonali for £52m in June while not knowing he had historical gambling problems.
Tonali, 23, is awaiting his punishment from Italian authorities, after speaking to the Turin prosecutor and could learn his fate next week. Howe spoke for the first time about the crisis involving his star summer signing and said: “As a club we throw our arms around him, protect him and give him love and support. He has been emotional and handled himself with dignity.
"I see the person, I see the human, I see the pain and the distress. I say he’s a top lad and a top character. That’s why my thoughts are always with the player and making sure we look after him.”
Howe spoke at Newcastle’s training ground, with an advertising board branded with the Fun88 gambling website logo behind his seat. Asked if there was anger within the club that they’d spend £52m just three months ago on a “gambling addict”, Howe denied it was a huge embarrassment for the Saudi regime.
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But there are also big questions hanging over what Milan knew of Tonali's problems when they surprisingly sold their star local boy. Howe added: “Anger? I don’t think so. I don’t think we can look at it like that. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
"We can’t play that game. We make a decision based on football. Signing the players we think can make the team better and that is what we have done.
Sandro Tonali is facing the prospect of a lengthy ban if he is found to have breached betting rules (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)“I don’t think there is anger from the club. I think there is understanding for the situation we are in. Now we have to make a really tough situation the best we can, navigate our way out of it, support Sandro the best we can and get back to playing football.
But surely, Howe was asked in an, at times, tense press conference if the club had been “tricked along the line” by Milan, leading to a loss of face for the Saudi owners. Howe replied: “No.”
Newcastle will now await Tonali’s punishment, but Howe says he could play against Crystal Palace, with the Geordie crowd urged to get behind him. The future? Howe says Tonali will be at Newcastle “long term.”
He added: “We see him being part of our team for many years, and I know that’s the same back from his side to us. There are some things I feel you don’t have to say. We are committed to him long term.”
But somewhere along the line the “due diligence” research has failed to identify Tonali’s problem and Newcasle will pay a heavy price.
Asked why the club’s transfer team had not unearthed the problem, Howe said: “It’s a very difficult one. From our side Sandro is a top person and character. I have no doubts about him as a person. You don't know everything about every person.”
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