Eddie Howe thinks there is a “high chance” Sandro Tonali will be available for Newcastle’s trip to Wolves on Saturday.
Tonali was handed a 10-month ban from football this week by the Italian FA after admitting to betting on matches involving Milan when he was a player at the Serie A giants.
The ban is still awaiting ratification from other authorities – most notably UEFA – and while that is expected to be a formality, the delay does mean the Italy international could be in the Newcastle squad for the trip to Molineux.
Howe said: “We’ve heard the news, the statement, but we haven’t had anything from the Italian authorities at the moment.
“I think there’s a high chance again that he could be available for us. I still think there are a few things that have to happen before the ban is imposed, so let’s see.”
????️ Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media ahead of #WOLNEW tomorrow.
On Sandro Tonali:
“We haven’t had any official confirmation yet; we haven’t had anything from the Italian authorities at the moment. There is a high chance that he could be available for us at Wolves. We… pic.twitter.com/o41oJOcmO2
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 27, 2023
Tonali joined Newcastle from Milan for £55million over the summer and the subsequent news of his personal issues – his agent admitted his client was a “gambling addict” – have led to suggestions Newcastle’s background checks were not sufficient.
But Howe dismissed that, adding: “There’s absolutely no way we could have known.
“You can say about putting more resources into it, but there are some things you will never know about someone’s personal life. That’s just how it is.
You make a signing in good faith. There will always be an element of risk with any player that you sign, and any player we have signed historically, that these things can happen.”
Newcastle will be without midfielder Elliot Anderson, who is out for eight weeks due to a stress fracture in his back, and winger Jacob Murphy, who dislocated his shoulder in the 1-0 Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund in midweek.
