Tonali breaks silence on Newcastle future, confirms Italy strategy
Newcastle star Sandro Tonali confirms he's happy at the club and doesn't want to 'break the bonds' he's built: 'I've found people who care about me, and I care about them.'
Tonali is preparing for Italy's World Cup qualifying match against Norway on June 6.
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The Azzurri trained at Coverciano this morning and will depart for Oslo this evening.
Tonali spoke to Sky Sport Italia about the Azzurri's approach against Norway, but also discussed his future at Newcastle, sending a clear transfer message.
Read more – New Italy injury blow as Kean set to miss World Cup qualifying games
'I'm happy where I am now. I've found people who care about me, and I care about them. I don't want to break any of the bonds I've built,' he said.
Tonali 'happy' at Newcastle
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Chelsea FC at St James' Park on May 11, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by)
'I've had a lot of thoughts every day, but right now, I'm happy where I am.'
However, the Newcastle star misses the Italian atmosphere when he's away.
'Sometimes, when I am away from Italy for a long time or during long breaks, I do miss coming home a bit, but I always come back with the national team and I always give my best,' Tonali added.
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'There's a group here that wants to be together and needs to be here, united. There's a desire to face these ten days as a real team, staying close and trying not to make things harder for ourselves. That's often where the teams struggle, and we're trying to keep things simple.'
Tonali won the EFL Cup with his club in March, beating Federico Chiesa's Liverpool in the Final.
Sandro Tonali celebrates on the Wembley pitch after winning the EFL Cup final with Newcastle in a 2-1 victory over Liverpool. (Picture @NUFC via X)
'It was beautiful because it was hard,' said Tonali.
'We weren't the favourites, and we never really have been. We beat Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. We weren't the favourites in almost every match, but it was special also because when an unexpected team wins, all eyes turn to them. It was amazing to do it with a team that hadn't done it in 70 years, with incredible fans.'
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The Azzurri will make their debut in the World Cup qualifiers against Norway tomorrow. Erling Haaland's country has already won two games out of two in Group I.
Italy's tactic against Norway
epa11976764 Italy's midfielder Sandro Tonali (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals first leg soccer match between Italy and Germany at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 20 March 2025. EPA-EFE/Daniel Dal Zennaro
'We need to be smart and understand that against players of this quality, we have to take the ball away from them and try to keep it as much as possible.
'The match is long, 90 minutes is a long time, and both teams will want possession for extended periods. We don't want to let them control the game, and we need to start the match with that mindset. We know playing away is more difficult, but we're ready for anything. We're Italy and we must be prepared to face any team.'
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Luciano Spalletti, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo previously suggested that the Azzurri would need to keep possession for longer than Norway to secure a positive result in their upcoming meeting.
Tonali scored six goals and provided three assists in 45 appearances across all competitions with Newcastle this season.
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