Sandro Tonali breaks his silence on his Newcastle future and Eddie Howe relationship

Sandro Tonali has ended weeks of speculation by insisting his relationship with Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe is “perfect” and that he remains fully committed to the club’s ambitions.

The 25-year-old Italy international, whose future on Tyneside was questioned after January-window links to Arsenal, underlined his value to the Magpies with a match-winning double in Saturday’s 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round triumph at Aston Villa. The goals were his first since early last summer and propelled Newcastle into Monday night’s fifth-round draw.

Speaking after the game, Tonali explained the emotion behind his celebrations. “The first one, this celebration was, I think, seven months without scoring; if you don't score for seven months, after the first goal, you celebrate for ten or 11 goals – like Bruno!” he told the Mirror. “But after the second goal, I came to Eddie because in the past few weeks, people spoke about our relationship. I work every day with the gaffer, the gaffer works every day with me, and our relationship is perfect. It’s not broken and I think this is perfect for the team.”

Tonali stressed that the pair share a unified focus on the collective goal. “We try to do the best for this team, every game, because we play a lot of games – every three days – and we have to be concentrated every time at the training ground to do the best for our team.”

The midfielder believes back-to-back away victories at Tottenham and Villa can act as a springboard for the remainder of the campaign. “It’s important for the team, because it’s the second win in a row away, and for me it’s important because it’s the first two goals of my season. I’ve started a little bit late, but every time you score, your game and your day is different! I’ve tried to score for the last two months a little bit more – but the first most important thing always is the team.”

Newcastle’s sights are now set on a return to Wembley. “Today was an amazing game; we played very well. This game is so important because we have one dream: to come back to Wembley,” Tonali added.

His decisive display at Villa Park served as a timely reminder of the qualities that saw FourFourTwo rank him among the world’s top 20 defensive midfielders last season, and the player himself is eager to build on the momentum. For Newcastle supporters, Tonali’s words and performance offer reassurance that, despite external noise, harmony within the squad remains intact as they chase cup success and a climb up the Premier League table.