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Newcastle will be better off selling Sandro Tonali this summer, says former Magpie John Anderson.
Newcastle rejected an initial offer worth £80m from Tottenham for the Italian midfielder last week - having demanded a fee closer to £100m - but Anderson thinks there is an air of inevitability to the transfer.
"It has that 'Anthony Gordon feel' to it, doesn't it? To a certain degree," Anderson told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"I think everybody accepted the fact that Gordon was going to go and you just get that same vibe about Tonali. I know there's been a lot of talk about Tottenham and why he would go there with them having finished 17th in the last two seasons, but it's all about getting the right deal isn't it?
"We stood by Tonali in his first season here when he had the problems with the gambling situation but again, if you've got a player who doesn't want to be at your football club and he doesn't want to play for you, you're better off [letting him go]."
But it isn't just player retention that Anderson is worried about.
Newcastle were in talks for Spanish youngster Victor Munoz when the summer transfer window opened, but it was a familiar thorn in Liverpool who beat them to his signature, and Anderson believes there is an overarching recruitment problem at the club.
"They need to do something to get players in. This is the second time this has happened where we thought we had a deal done," Anderson said.
"The James Trafford one springs to mind last season where it dragged on and dragged on, and everybody thought it was a deal that was going to be done and all of a sudden he ends up going back to Manchester City - and now he's another one who has been linked back.
"We said at the back end of last season, they need to do deals and they just need to go and get them done. Go get them done and say 'we've signed this player' but the problem is everything is played out in the press – whether that's a deliberate ploy by the agents to get other clubs interested I do not know – but recruitment needs to be better."
Listen to the clip by clicking play below or on BBC Sounds here
Continue reading...
Newcastle rejected an initial offer worth £80m from Tottenham for the Italian midfielder last week - having demanded a fee closer to £100m - but Anderson thinks there is an air of inevitability to the transfer.
"It has that 'Anthony Gordon feel' to it, doesn't it? To a certain degree," Anderson told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"I think everybody accepted the fact that Gordon was going to go and you just get that same vibe about Tonali. I know there's been a lot of talk about Tottenham and why he would go there with them having finished 17th in the last two seasons, but it's all about getting the right deal isn't it?
"We stood by Tonali in his first season here when he had the problems with the gambling situation but again, if you've got a player who doesn't want to be at your football club and he doesn't want to play for you, you're better off [letting him go]."
- Hear the full debate by clicking play above or on BBC Sounds here
But it isn't just player retention that Anderson is worried about.
Newcastle were in talks for Spanish youngster Victor Munoz when the summer transfer window opened, but it was a familiar thorn in Liverpool who beat them to his signature, and Anderson believes there is an overarching recruitment problem at the club.
"They need to do something to get players in. This is the second time this has happened where we thought we had a deal done," Anderson said.
"The James Trafford one springs to mind last season where it dragged on and dragged on, and everybody thought it was a deal that was going to be done and all of a sudden he ends up going back to Manchester City - and now he's another one who has been linked back.
"We said at the back end of last season, they need to do deals and they just need to go and get them done. Go get them done and say 'we've signed this player' but the problem is everything is played out in the press – whether that's a deliberate ploy by the agents to get other clubs interested I do not know – but recruitment needs to be better."
Listen to the clip by clicking play below or on BBC Sounds here
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Continue reading...
