Sandro Tonali, a midfielder for Newcastle who has had a “difficult couple of weeks,” could potentially play against Crystal Palace on Saturday, according to the manager of the Magpies, Eddie Howe.
Both the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and the Italian Football Federation are now conducting an investigation into allegations of illegal betting activity involving Tonali.
The 23-year-old Italy international moved to Newcastle from AC Milan in July for a transfer fee of £55 million.
“He’s very much available for selection,” Howe remarked about the player.
“He’s had a very, very difficult couple of weeks, he’s been dealing with a lot and, from what I can see, from a few hours a day, he’s handling himself really well and is dealing with emotions incredibly strongly.”
After being informed that they were the subject of an inquiry, Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo of Aston Villa abandoned Italy’s training camp for the Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Malta and England.
Tonali has been called up to play for Italy 15 times, and he has made seven appearances in the Premier League, scoring once.
Howe continued by saying that he was informed about the investigation against Tonali via a phone call from Newcastle’s sports director, Dan Ashworth, when the team was on its break for international competition.
“It came as a complete shock to me, as well as to him and to everyone else. These are the kinds of things that are possible to occur when working in this position. The first thing that sprang to my mind was to check on Sandro and make sure he was okay.
The Italian football federation (FIGC) handed down a seven-month sentence to Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli on Tuesday for violating the regulations regarding betting.
Fagioli was given a one-year suspension with a fine of 12,500 euros (£10,848) and had five months of the penalty postponed.
In addition, he consented to participate in a therapy program that would last for at least half a year in order to address his gambling addiction.
“Education is always the most important thing, in academies, getting information through to players and develop good habits in life so important as a professional athlete,” according to Howe.
“Make it your goal to give as many (players) as you can as long of a career as you possibly can. As a football club, it is our responsibility to assist them in reaching their goals.
Newcastle is now in eighth place in the Premier League after winning four of their first eight games. They are also undefeated in their last seven matches across all competitions, including a resounding victory at home against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League by a score of 4-1.
