The betting scandal that has erupted involving Sandro Tonali has rocked football, and his employers, Newcastle United, are now aware of the state of play regarding his selection against Crystal Palace for the forthcoming weekend.
Tonali set St. James’ Park alight when scoring on his debut against Aston Villa, but since then it’s fair to say that he’s blown hot and cold.
Perhaps a gambling issue could be said to be behind a loss of form, and the Magpies will need to get to grips with just how bad things have got for the player.
When stepping out onto the pitch, Tonali and his team-mates must have total focus on the job in hand, and the Italian can’t be said to be fully present if there are debt issues mounting in the background.
In any event, the Daily Express note that Newcastle have been informed that Tonali will be available for selection should Eddie Howe and his backroom staff deem that to be the right call.
It’s a fluid situation that could change at any moment, and will likely be authored by what happens in Italy in terms of the direction that the investigation is going.
Until such time as there is a case to answer, it would appear Tonali can try and put things to the back of his mind and concentrate on his football.
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