Eddie Howe was full of praise for his new signing after an eye-catching, goal-scoring debut from the Italian
With Newcastle muscling into the top four last season, there was no time for Eddie Howe to fly to Milan to watch Sandro Tonali in person, but he saw enough on his laptop to assure him of what the Italian would bring to Tyneside. In Howe’s own words, he fell in love with the player.
Heroes of St James’ Park are not limited to having No 9 on their shirt and in Tonali they have a new idol. Their £55 million arrival from AC Milan was eye-catching on his debut, floppy-haired and all-action. His early goal grabbed headlines but it was the way he controlled the game that impressed Howe.
Supporters of a certain vintage will remember Paul Gascoigne in a Newcastle shirt, while the closest modern-day comparison would be Luka Modric’s early days at Tottenham Hotspur when the Croatian would retain the ball with two or three opponents surrounding him.
His attributes? “Always wanting the ball in every moment,” said Howe. “Being prepared to accept the ball off both feet. He has very high football intelligence. When you watch him play he is always scanning and taking the right position. I think he will help us play some really good football this year.”