One of the signings of this or any other summer has to be Newcastle United’s capture of Sandro Tonali.
The silky 23-year-old Italian star is sure to wow the Magpies faithful when he first gets the chance to step out in front of a full-to-bursting St. James’ Park.
His energy and way of working is likely to perfectly complement the runs that Bruno Guimaraes makes, and ensure that the Newcastle midfield is a creative hub from where the team can build their lightning fast counter-attacks.
Tonali certainly seems to have settled into the club already, providing acceptable performances in the pre-season games that he’s played for Eddie Howe to this point.
Speaking to The Athletic (subscription required), former star, Shay Given, told a tale about the Italian’s character that really surprised him.
“I had a bit of lunch with Sandro and Tripps and a few others yesterday and just asked him about his English,” Given, who is acting as a club ambassador on the US tour, noted.
“I’m not saying it was brilliant, but I was surprised with how good it was; I’m not sure how proficient my Italian would be after a couple of weeks over there.
“He’s having a couple of lessons here but he told me that once he gets back home to Tyneside it’ll be lessons every day. He strikes me as a very intelligent guy. He’s certainly a very intelligent footballer.”
The aspects of a player’s move that are dealt with away from the pitch and training sessions are often overlooked, but in the grand scheme of things are almost as important.
For a player to make the leap to a new country, it’s imperative that they quickly feel comfortable in their new surroundings and that means getting to grips with the language as much as local customs.
That Tonali has got ahead of the game in that respect so to speak bodes well for the future.