On transfer deadline day there was blatant nonsense about Sandro Tonali and a ‘shock’ possible last-minute move from Newcastle United to Arsenal.
It was almost as if the media wanted a drama, when in reality… there was none.
Saying that nothing will happen on transfer deadline day will not generate interest or clicks.
Even if you wanted to believe that there was a ‘tackling’ of Arsenal in the very final stages of the transfer window, the idea that such a huge deal would be arranged at the last minute is laughable.
A transfer on such a scale would have been in the works for quite some time and of course it all turned out to be nonsense. There hadn’t even been an approach from Arsenal, and of course Sandro Tonali didn’t offer the Gunners either.
At a time when Newcastle United still participated in four competitions and had a long injury list, especially in midfield. Sandro Tonali’s departure from United in this latest transfer window is just a stupid non-story.
Naturally, when one transfer window closes, desperate media speculation about the next one immediately begins!
The media, especially those covering football, have never been so desperate, the content and dramatic headlines have never been so embarrassing as they are today, especially the local media.
Once upon a time the local newspapers were absolutely essential when it came to Newcastle United and keeping track of what was happening, now it’s the exact opposite. Nobody needs the local media. They have simply become one of many desperate websites wanting your attention. The headlines have never been as bad as they are these days, in terms of being too promising and then disappointing when you read the actual article. In fact, the more cynical among you might even think that it’s all about deceit when it comes to headlines these days…
Anyway, Sandro Tonali.
The Newcastle midfielder’s agent has spoken to the media again, Beppe Riso speaking to Tuttosport in Italy.
Some things to look out for, as well as some desperate distortions/exaggerations by English media of Riso’s latest comments about Sandro Tonali.
The comments on Tonali were only a small part of a large interview with Beppe Riso.
Riso and his company GR Sports dominate the market when it comes to Italian players. When it came to business in this period that had just closed, they took the lion’s share of the activity involving Italian players, including the moves of Giova to Napoli and Venturino to Roma, among others.
Also keep in mind that to really make a lot of money, agents rely on star players moving clubs to generate the best money.
You also have to realize/remember that the Italian media is just as desperate for attention as the English media. This means that all the big players, all the clubs, have to constantly publish things all year round to attract attention and appeal to their market. This is why, ever since he signed for Newcastle United, we are constantly getting stories in the Italian media about how Sandro Tonali could return to Serie A. Tonali is one of Italy’s best and most newsworthy players, so even if nothing happens, they actually have to make things up. Just as we ridicule the English media for doing this endlessly with countless players. It doesn’t really help when you’re in the embarrassing state that BBC Sport is in now; they will shamelessly repeat any absolute nonsense invented by any website, in the UK or abroad, even if they have no credibility whatsoever and a history of clearly just making things up.
So in this interview with TuttosportOne of the many questions Beppe Riso was asked about was the crazy deadline day fuss in the media about Sandro Tonali and Arsenal, whether this will continue into the summer transfer window.
Tonali’s agent replies: “Newcastle United want to keep Sandro and he wants to lead the club to the Champions League [this season]. These transfer conversations [if they take place] will take place later, we will see how the season ends and then decide what to do.”
Beppe Riso then asked about the endless stories over the past three years about Sandro Tonali possibly returning to Serie A, with Juventus currently being the club the Italian media is pushing most for at the moment. Riso asked if Juve would be an ideal destination if Sandro Tonali left Newcastle: “There is no preference [on where Sandro Tonali would go if he did ever leave Newcastle]. Newcastle couldn’t part with him [in the window just closed] and it was not worth moving, especially since Sandro is very attached to the club. We will evaluate things in the summer and decide what to do.”
You also so often have the problem of interviews in another language getting lost in translation by the English media, often deliberately!
The bottom line is that agents will always be interested in the players they represent, in moving clubs. Like I said before, that’s where they can make the biggest money.
However, nothing Beppe Riso said here caused any drama or concern.
Eddie Howe said he spoke to Sandro Tonali mid-week and what he said about that conversation was pretty much repeated in this interview with the agent. Howe said the midfielder is happy at Newcastle United and as is always the case with any player, you cannot say for sure what will happen in the future. And those who claim they can guarantee anything in the future are lying!!
It’s simply that the more successful the team, the better your chances of retaining your best players in the long term.
The best players want to play in the best competitions and the fact that Newcastle United is doing well in the Champions League this season is a big deal. As it is, Eddie Howe and his team are trying to achieve two Champions League qualifications in three seasons.
Success on the pitch is also key to making more money for the club, which could fund higher wage deals for players like Sandro Tonali and others at NUFC.
We are now approaching five years since the takeover and the arrival of Eddie Howe, in that time there has only been one player who ultimately wanted to leave. The nature of football is that almost all players eventually move to another club, usually because the club wants them to!
Exactly how long Sandro Tonali, or any other player for that matter, will stay at Newcastle United depends on so many factors. If, as a fan, you want to believe every desperately negative media story about Newcastle United, including a player potentially leaving, then that’s your choice. For me it’s simply a matter of carrying on until something changes, until a decision has to be made by player AND club. The only thing that is important is that Sandro Tonali gives his all in every match and although he has had some sub-par matches this season, there is no doubt that this is Tonali, giving his best in every match.
Also in the mix, Sandro Tonali is effectively contracted to Newcastle United for another four and a half years (contract until the end of June 2029, but NUFC have the option to activate an extra year on top of that), until the end of June 2030. So absolutely no pressure at all for Newcastle on that front, so even if you think he could leave this summer (or whenever), you’re talking serious money.
#Shameful #distortion #agents #comments #Sandro #Tonalis #future