Newcastle United suddenly will not be without Sandro Tonali for much longer.
The Italian midfielder has been unavailable since the end of October, after being handed a 10-month ban after being investigated by the Italian Football Federation for betting.
The suspension has rocked Newcastle United’s season, with Eddie Howe unable to call upon his marquee signing from last summer. Sandro Tonali became the Magpies’ second most expensive signing ever at £55million, but has only been able to play 12 times so far.
The 23-year-old is currently banned until August 27th, which means he will be available to play again after the first couple of weeks of the 2024/25 Premier League season. He will probably miss the first couple of Newcastle United games, but will then be eligible for selection.
Whether Sandro Tonali’s ban will be extended by the FA
That is assuming he is not handed a further ban from the FA. It recently emerged that the FA were also investigating Tonali for betting, with the midfielder facing 50 charges between August 12th and October 12th.
This led to fears that Tonali could receive an additional ban, but reports at the time suggested that any FA suspension would run concurrently with his initial ban.
That was good news, and an update from the Athletic’s Chris Waugh suggests that the feeling remains the same.
As part of a Q&A for the Athletic, Waugh stated what Newcastle insider’s have told him about Tonali’s current situation.
“Newcastle insiders remain hopeful they [the FA] will not [suspend Tonali further], or at least that any suspension will be backdated and run concurrently with his present one,” he wrote.
Whether Sandro Tonali can play for Newcastle United in Australia
That is positive, but it will still be a while before fans can see Tonali play again.
That is despite Newcastle having a couple of friendlies next month, as they prepare to head to Australia for some end of season exhibition games.
It is a nonsense trip that some of the players are not happy about, but one player who will not be involved is Tonali.
In the Athletic’s Q&A, Waugh has stated that the Italy international is unlikely to play against Tottenham Hotspur or the A-League All Stars. That is because the terms of his ban state that he cannot play in exhibitions games or friendlies – only behind closed doors matches.
So fans hoping to see Tonali down under will be disappointed, while it also creates a problem for Eddie Howe during pre-season.
If Tonali is not allowed to play in traditional friendly games, the club might have to box clever as they aim to get him ready for his return. That might mean more behind closed doors games than usual, with it being vital that Tonali gets his sharpness back having not played a competitive game since October 25th.
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