18 August 2023 , 12:17
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When Sandro Tonali booked a table at his local Wetherspoons on a quiet Monday night, Toon fans assumed it must be a wind up by a team mate.
But Eddie Howe insisted yesterday it was a “very innocent” situation. The £55m Italian shocked drinkers at the Job Bulman in Gosforth, by turning up for some hearty pub grub and reasonably priced ale, even taking the trouble to book ahead.
Fresh from the eateries of Milan, and earning £150k plus a week, there was a suspicion that Tonali had been sent there as a joke, with so many other fine restaurants to try on Tyneside. In fact he lives locally and has walked his dog nearby and Howe said: “I don’t know why it is Matt Ritchie getting the blame.
“I'm not sure he was in there for team morale, I think he was in there for something to eat. A very innocent situation but obviously picked up by you guys.
“He's settled in really well and has some really good friendships and relationships, which is important. When you go into a new dressing room you want to find people who you can get along with and that helps settle you on the pitch.”
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Tonali’s brilliant goals and performance against Aston Villa was one of the best of the week in the Premier League. His girlfriend Juliette Pastore has been hugely complimentary about her new home town saying: “I’ve always loved England and the English mentality. It is a dream to live here and get to know the culture.
"Newcastle is not London but it is a pretty and fascinating town. 15 minutes away there are beautiful beaches and breathtaking views.”
The former Rossoneri star will be part of the travelling party as champions Manchester City host the Magpies in Saturday night's mouth-watering clash. And Howe has vowed his players will take City - the "standard bearers" of modern football - on toe to toe.
Howe said: “They're the standard bearers of where other teams need to get to. I saw a team winning the Super Cup in midweek that was hugely motivated to win, which is the biggest compliment I can pay the team on the back of the treble and everything that brings..
“They went into a tough game and were desperate to win. They won't be complacent, they'll be ready for us. We expect a good game.
“We want our players to go there with all the positive emotions our season last year and our first game this season should bring. We're looking at this game as an opportunity to be at our best.
“We have to be aware of Manchester City's strengths and stop those but we also have to be ourselves. We can't change. If we want to be a top team consistently in the Premier League we need a clear identity and we have to implement that on other teams.”