Thread by @nufcsanjay

THREAD🧵: Sandro Tonali - Newcastle United’s New Midfield Maestro 🇮🇹

#NUFC have gone big in the transfer market again, this time with Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali for £60m. Why is he so highly rated, and why have we moved for him?

Firstly, this is another real statement signing. Much like Bruno Guimarães, and then Alexander Isak, this is a transfer which sends out a signal.

A signal that we’re willing and able to go out and sign some of the top players on the planet.

Sandro Tonali has been a hotly-tipped name in Italian football for many years already - he became a regular in Serie B for Brescia at 17, and hit the ground running at that level. He helped get them promoted the next season, before his first taste of top-flight football at 19.

His role during his Brescia days was as the lone no. 6 in a 4-3-1-2, and became adept at shielding his defence, and dropping between the CBs to orchestrate Brescia’s build-up phase. An excellent season was then followed by a move to his boyhood Milan.

Tonali’s first season (20/21) at AC Milan wasn’t the smoothest for him.

He didn’t quite live up to the ‘wonderkid’ expectation, and the transition in terms of pressure, team style of play, and his own role - from lone no. 6 to playing in a double pivot - was proving difficult.

This is where I want to touch on an important subplot of Tonali’s career so far, which provides a big indicator of why we might’ve been so keen on him.

Part of his struggles in 20/21 was physically - but through his own hard work, he addressed that.

He came into the 21/22 season on the back of a physical transformation, having bulked up his upper body, and looking like a much more imposing footballer. That part of his game is no longer an issue, and that’s hugely important for us.

As we know, physicality is crucial for Howe - and Tonali’s ground coverage, strength in duels, and recovery speed make him suitable for that.

It’s also a testament to his own character and self-improvement, and that’s also a massively encouraging sign for a 23 year-old.

Tonali is as smooth as it gets with the ball. He’s very press resistant - often using his body position and first touch to evade pressure. Similarly, he’s able to carry the ball quickly away from opponents, and has the locomotion to allow him to do so.

He’s ambitious with the ball, and looks to progress when he can.

He’s able to break lines with his passing, and the general weight and direction of his passes is consistent. He doesn’t take too many touches, but rather tries to play vertically.

He’s able to switch play pretty well from right-to-left, which is another important trait in this #NUFC system.

We look to drag teams towards our right flank, before quickly switching play to the isolated left side.

Tonali’s final ball is strong too, and that’s what makes him even more apt for us if he’s playing as a right-sided no. 8.

He’ll look to slide passes in behind, and again often weights them well, and possesses the quality against deeper defences too.

Another important point is his movement. He’s transitioned from a 6 to an 8 over the last couple of years, and his awareness and fitness to make underlapping runs to attack the area has been vital. Tonali is so similar to Longstaff in that respect.

His technical quality makes him tidy in tight spaces, which is such an underrated attribute.

Players like him and Bruno Guimarães who can use their body to wriggle out of pressure or draw fouls is so key in allowing the rhythm of the game to favour you.

As some #NUFC fans would’ve noticed yesterday, Tonali is pretty good in dead-ball situations too.

He was a regular corner and indirect set-piece taker for AC Milan, and often generates good pace and movement on his deliveries.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given his wonderful technical levels, his ball-striking is strong as well. He’ll get plenty of touches in around the area for us, so having a player with the ability to take chances will be an important gain for #NUFC.

On top of all this quality with the ball, Tonali has plenty of bite without it too. He’s a battler out of possession and isn’t afraid to do the dirty work. He’s a committed tackler, and is happy to throw himself about. #NUFC fans will love that about him.

He has the recovery speed to make important tackles in defensive transitions, and generally positions his body well to get a foot in to intervene. His upper body strength is also sufficient to shrug players off in duels.

Again, another Tonali trait which is key for #NUFC is his ability to press. He’s a tireless player - often topping ground coverage stats for AC Milan - but his experience under Pioli has given him the intelligence to press at the right times.

Intangibles are always important with player recruitment, and Tonali has loads of positive ones. He’s a natural leader, who regularly organises the players around him, and he’s a winner.

With two titles to his name already, Tonali knows how to be a part of a successful team.

Obviously, every player has weaknesses, and Tonali is no different. Having said that, when you’re paying £60m for a player, those weaknesses are small, or can be mitigated easily.

His aerial win % was 40% last season, placing him in the 24th percentile. Longstaff’s isn’t great either (40th percentile), but in terms of set-piece matchups, and the possibility of having Burn in the side less, Tonali perhaps doesn’t help out in that way.

A slight area of concern with Tonali is his ball retention. He sometimes forces things too much, and hence his pass completion is low.

It’s part of his skillset, but as we look to dominate more games, maybe he’ll need to look after it a little more.

Lastly, he’ll need time to adapt. As much as he’s physically capable, it always takes time to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, and I’m not sure how strong his English communication is either.

Small things, but they need factoring in.

Positionally, I think his role will be as the right-sided no. 8 in our 4-3-3. I believe he’ll rotate a lot throughout games with Bruno in a similar way to how Longstaff does, but with a lot more quality with the ball in deeper areas than the Englishman has.

For AC Milan he occasionally drops deep to distribute, but mostly takes up an auxiliary role further forward when Ismael Bennacer is the one to drop in. It’s a dynamic similar to Bruno x Longstaff, which will soon be Bruno x Tonali.

In the event that Bruno is injured, he gives us an option who can fit that role at the base of the midfield, while also possessing a similar level of technical quality and press resistance as the Brazilian. I suspect that’ll be vital in the long run for us.

Overall though, what a signing. Especially considering how closely affiliated Tonali is with AC Milan. To prise him away from such a big club who he’s supported his whole life is a testament to the rise that #NUFC are on.

Sandro Tonali is an all-action midfielder who fits our required profile very well. I never expected us to spend this much on a midfielder, but I’m so glad we’re choosing to do it on Tonali.

It’s a big fee, but I think he merits it. I cannot wait to see how he does at #NUFC.