Can Sandro Tonali play for Newcastle vs Wolves on Saturday? Eddie Howe has been speaking ahead of Newcastle’s trip to the Molineux to face Wolves tomorrow evening.
Can Sandro Tonali Play For Newcastle vs Wolves On Saturday?
Sandro Tonali, who has been handed a 10-month ban by Italian authorities for breaching their gambling guidelines, is still awaiting the sanction to be rubber-stamped.
It has already been confirmed that the Italian will miss the remainder of Newcastle’s season, but until the ban is ratified, Tonali is still deemed available for selection.
It is unclear when the gambling sanctions will be cleared, but reports suggest figures in Italy are attempting to push it through before the weekend.
With Tonali’s situation remaining in limbo at this moment in time, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admitted there is a high chance of the £55m summer signing featuring in Saturday’s upcoming fixture against Wolves.
“We’ve heard the news, the statement, but we haven’t had anything from the Italian authorities at the moment,” Howe said.
“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.”
Providing Tonali serves the entirety of the proposed ban, he will not feature competitively for the Magpies until August 2024. He is however free to train with the squad, and feature in non-competitive friendlies.
He will also be forced to wait for his 16th Italy cap until after the ban, which means he will ruled out of their Euro 2024 squad, should they secure qualification in the coming months.
Howe added that the player himself has remained level-headed amid the noise surrounding the club at this moment in time, and his 20-minute Champions League cameo against Borussia Dortmund in midweek shows he is still able to compete ahead of this weekend.
He said: “You saw from the Dortmund game he did very well. He’s been bright and he’s trained. The only way I can judge him is on that. He’s been good around the group and the training ground. From how I can see, he’s handling himself in the right way.”
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