Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has been banned from football for 10 months, but another setback has now potentially emerged, according to an update from journalist Craig Hope.
Sandro Tonali ban
The Magpies signed the Italian from Serie A giants AC Milan during the summer transfer window, in what looked like a fantastic piece of business by the club.
Tonali had shone in his homeland, helping Milan reach the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, and was seen as someone who could take Eddie Howe's side to the next level.
After a dream debut that saw the 23-year-old score in a 5-1 win at home to Aston Villa in the league, disaster has struck in recent weeks with the news that Tonali has received a 10-month ban from football for breaching betting rules during his time as a Milan player.
It is a massive blow for Howe and anyone associated with Newcastle, and immediately hurts their chances of going far in the Champions League, as well as qualifying for the competition again next season – but now another potential setback has emerged regarding the situation.
Fresh Sandro Tonali blow
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Hope explained that Tonali may have broken betting rules since moving to Newcastle, which is contrary to earlier reports:
"Exclusive: The Football Association are now investigating whether Sandro Tonali broke betting rules AFTER his £52m move to Newcastle in July. The player is currently banned for 10 months for illegal gambling activity in Italy."
In his article for The Daily Mail itself, Hope goes on to add that the Italy international "continued to bet on football while under their jurisdiction", and that if this is proved to be the case, Tonali "could be subject to further sanction" from the FA.
This is a very worrying development from a Newcastle perspective considering they are already without the young midfielder for the rest of the season, not to mention what a bitter blow it is for the player himself, who will also miss Euro 2024 with Italy.
This fresh development has the potential to lead to a further ban, as Tonali could be found guilty of continuing to bet after he made the move from Milan to Newcastle, which doesn't bear thinking about.
What he cannot afford to do is become too big a distraction for the Magpies on the pitch at a time when their form has been a little hit-and-miss.
A good run of results ended recently with a 1-0 defeat at home to Borussia Dortmund, which could be a damaging Champions League result, while their 2-2 draw away to Wolves in the Premier League twice saw Howe's men fail to hold onto a lead. That being said, the 3-0 win at Manchester United in the EFL Cup more than steadied the ship, though they need to retain that level moving forward.
The hope is that nothing new comes from this latest Tonali development and that his 10-month ban ends up being the worst-case scenario, but it is clear that a replacement is needed in January, with Newcastle linked with the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Ruben Neves and N'Golo Kante, among others.