Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali would offer 'better balance' by moving into the holding midfield role as he is currently restricting a St James' Park teammate's influence on games, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has told GIVEMESPORT.
The Italy international was among the fresh faces to join the Magpies during the summer transfer window, with head coach Eddie Howe spending more than £130million as he looked to freshen up his squad ahead of Champions League action returning to Tyneside.
Newcastle latest news - Sandro Tonali
According to Sky Sports, Newcastle managed to prise Tonali away from Serie A giants AC Milan when they put an offer worth £55million on the table just a matter of days after the summer window officially opened for business.
The report suggests the central midfielder, who is due to link-up with his national side for European Championship qualifiers against North Macedonia and Ukraine after being included in Azzurri boss Luciano Spalletti's first squad, had been identified as one of Howe's primary targets.
Tonali penned a five-year contract worth £210,000-per-week when he sealed the move to St James' Park, and he has already made himself one of the first names on the team-sheet.
The 23-year-old has started all four of Newcastle's clashes since the Premier League campaign got underway last month, although he has been substituted on every occasion.
Tonali was particularly eye-catching on his debut, finding the back of the net and being handed a 7.5 match rating by Sofascore as his new employers swept Aston Villa aside.
His arrival on Tyneside came after presenter HLTCO told GIVEMESPORT that Newcastle were pulling off an 'eyebrow-raising deal'.
Newcastle United - Summer Signings | Fee |
|---|---|
Harvey Barnes - Leicester City | £39m |
Sandro Tonali - AC Milan | £55m |
Yankuba Minteh - Odense Boldklub | Undisclosed |
Tino Livramento - Southampton | £32m |
Lewis Hall - Chelsea | Loan |
All fees via Sky Sports |
What has Keith Downie said about Tonali?
Downie is shocked that Howe has chosen against deploying Tonali in the holding midfield role during the early stages of his Newcastle career.
The Sky Sports reporter believes the Magpies would improve if the former Brescia man is pushed further back because, as it stands, Bruno Guimaraes has struggled to thrive in front of the back four.
Downie told GIVEMESPORT: "I must say I'm pretty surprised that they've bought Tonali and they're not playing him in the holding midfield position. There will obviously be a reason for that, and he does look good in that No.8 position.
"Obviously, he got the goal against Aston Villa, and he has done a lot of good things in attacking positions, but I personally feel there would be better balance if Tonali played in the holding role and Bruno Guimaraes is allowed to get further forward.
"To me, he looks a bit restricted in that position. He got caught in possession a couple of times against Liverpool and it was the same against Aston Villa as well.
"I just feel, further up the pitch, he has got more reason to express himself than he does in that shielding role. Let's see what happens over time, but I have been surprised by Sandro Tonali's position in the team since he arrived."
What next for Newcastle?
According to the Independent, Howe admitted that Newcastle's defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion was a 'warning' that they cannot take their eye off the ball domestically after qualifying for the Champions League.
Although Callum Wilson came off the bench to score his 40th goal in a Magpies shirt, it proved to be no more than a consolation as Evan Ferguson's hat-trick handed the hosts a 3-1 victory.
The latest setback means Newcastle have lost three matches on the bounce, while they have gone into the international break just two points clear of the Premier League's relegation zone.
But having been drawn in a Champions League group which also contains Tonali's former side AC Milan, along with Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, Howe's charges have plenty to look forward to.