Tonali Wanted Out Of Newcastle From Second Half Of The Season

Sandro Tonali’s Newcastle United departure was not simply a consequence of the club’s desire to reshape its squad this summer, with sporting director Ross Wilson revealing that the Italian midfielder had wanted to leave St James’ Park from the second half of last season.

Tonali completed a £100 million move to Tottenham Hotspur during the summer transfer window, bringing an end to a Newcastle career that had promised so much following his arrival from AC Milan in 2023.

The decision to sell one of the club’s most recognisable players was initially viewed as a major surprise, particularly given Tonali’s importance to the midfield and the significant investment Newcastle had made in bringing him to the Premier League.

However, the circumstances surrounding his departure appear to have been developing for several months.

According to reporting surrounding Newcastle’s transformational summer, Tonali and his representatives had made it clear that the player wanted to explore an exit. His agent had reportedly been working on the possibility of a move since January, meaning the situation was not something that suddenly emerged during the summer transfer window. 

That context helps explain why Newcastle eventually sanctioned a deal with Tottenham despite the club not originally planning to lose the midfielder.

Wilson, who was appointed Newcastle’s sporting director in October 2025, found himself at the centre of an extraordinary summer of change. 

Newcastle also sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona and Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal, while Eddie Howe departed as head coach and was replaced by Matthias Jaissle. The club subsequently invested heavily in a younger squad, with Matias Fernández-Pardo becoming one of eight new arrivals.

The Tonali situation was therefore less about Newcastle actively deciding that the midfielder was surplus to requirements and more about recognising that the player wanted a new challenge.

The £100m fee also provided Newcastle with considerable financial flexibility as the club attempted to restructure its squad while operating under financial restrictions. Sky Sports reported at the time that Tonali’s departure was not part of Newcastle’s original plan, but that the money generated by his sale was considered important in allowing the club to pursue its wider summer rebuild. 

That makes Wilson’s revelation particularly significant for supporters who were left questioning why Newcastle would allow such an important player to leave.

Tonali had enjoyed an increasingly influential spell on Tyneside after overcoming the disruption surrounding his initial suspension from football. His performances had led many supporters to believe he could become a long-term midfield leader for the club.

Instead, his Newcastle story ended after only three seasons.

The timing is also notable. If Tonali had already made his desire to leave clear during the second half of the previous campaign, Newcastle were effectively dealing with a player whose future had become uncertain before the summer rebuild had even begun.

Rather than allowing the situation to drag into the new season, Newcastle eventually secured a substantial fee and used the proceeds as part of a much wider transformation.

For supporters, that may not make Tonali’s departure any easier to accept. The Italian remains a hugely popular figure among the Newcastle fanbase, and seeing him move to a Premier League rival has naturally generated frustration.

Yet Wilson’s comments provide a different perspective.

Tonali did not simply become an unwanted player overnight. Newcastle ultimately made the decision to respect his wishes, secure what they considered a suitable financial return and use the opportunity to reshape a squad that had become increasingly difficult to sustain.

The midfielder’s departure may therefore prove to be one of the defining moments of Newcastle’s transition into the Jaissle era, not because the club necessarily wanted to lose Tonali, but because his desire to leave became one of the factors forcing Newcastle to accelerate a dramatic new direction.