Eddie Howe said on Friday that Sandro Tonali’s suspension for betting offenses had damaged Newcastle’s bid to qualify for the Champions League for a second consecutive season.
The Italian international is serving a 10-month suspension handed down by Italian authorities who have ruled him out for most of this campaign and Euro 2024.
The 23-year-old midfielder, who joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July for £55 million ($69 million), had made just 12 appearances for the Magpies when he was punished .
On Thursday, the English Football Association handed Tonali a two-month suspended ban and a £20,000 fine for breaching betting rules following his move to Newcastle.
He will not serve this suspension until he commits further offenses before the end of next season.
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Newcastle, who exited this season’s Champions League group stage, are currently seventh in the Premier League, 14 points adrift of the top four with just four matches remaining.
Howe, whose side face relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday, was asked in his pre-match press conference what the club had missed in Tonali’s absence.
“His technical ability, his ability to play in different positions in a season where injuries take a toll on you,” he said. “Any all-round player is extremely important.
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“He would have been a great player for us. He would have pushed us to achieve key results. The players also felt his loss. It was negative for the players to see him train and then not be able to play. “
The Newcastle boss says Tonali’s return will feel like a new signing.
“I think for us and for him, some good has come out of this situation, that he is able to learn and develop in the English style and ultimately, that might be something that he looks back on in a few years. years and will say: “Actually. , you know what ? It helped me settle in England.
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