Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali Banned for 10 Months in Gambling Scandal: Potential Replacement Found?

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Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali has been banned for 10 months over a gambling scandal. During his time at AC Milan, the midfielder is said to have gambled on matches of his own club and has therefore already played his last match of this season. It is therefore not unlikely that Newcastle United will look for a (temporary) replacement for Tonali during the winter break.

Newcastle United paid no less than 64 million euros last summer to free Tonali from AC Milan. With the Italian international in their ranks, Newcastle United hoped to do well in both the Champions League and the Premier League this season. But after just twelve games, the midfielder’s season is already over. However, the penalty could easily have been higher, as the Italian media reported a suspension of three to four years.

The penalty is obviously a huge blow for both Newcastle United and Tonali. In recent years, the midfielder has become one of the best players in his position in Italy at AC Milan. Because Tonali admitted to having a gambling addiction, the sentence was ultimately lower than initially thought. “Sandro is battling a gambling addiction, but he will also win this match,” Giuseppe Riso, his agent, told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

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Due to the suspension, it is likely that Newcastle United will look for a new midfielder during the winter break. One of the names that may be on the list of the English sub-topper is that of Quinten Timber of Feyenoord. Data from SciSports shows that the Feyenoord midfielder has a Similarity of 100% with Tonali. Not only do both have the same way of playing, they also excel in the same qualities. Both Tonali and Timber appear to be able to read the game faster than the opponent in terms of positioning, which means that both often find free space.

© SciSports – The biggest difference between Sandro Tonali and Quinten Timber is the SciSkill. The Italian is a lot further in his development.

The difference between Tonali and Timber is SciSkill. Although Timber (77.8) has started the new season excellently and is also impressive in the Champions League, Tonali (104.6) still has a higher average. However, it is not impossible that Timber can eventually become an important player in the Premier League, provided he manages to take the necessary steps at De Kuip this season. Over the past six months, Timber’s SciSkill increased by 6.2 points, making it likely that the midfielder will be ready for a step up after this season.

SciSports’ Career Tool confirms the view that Timber could be an excellent replacement for Tonali in Newcastle. The Feyenoord midfielder currently has a Club Fit of 74 with Newcastle United, which will only increase in the coming days. Tonali’s suspension has not yet been included in the data. This gives Timber one star in terms of Playing Time, but that will be completely different once Tonali’s suspension is resolved.

Career Tool van SciSports

TeamCompetitionClub FitDevelopmentPlaying TimePlaying StyleFormationNewcastle UnitedPremier League74***************

Quinten Timber’s price tag at Feyenoord

Feyenoord acquired the midfielder for 7.4 million euros from FC Utrecht in 2022, while Timber had an Expected Transfer Value of 5.2 million euros at that time. The midfielder currently has an xTV of 6.3 million euros. It is striking that Timber’s xTV increased considerably immediately after his arrival at Feyenoord, despite the fact that he did not get to play every week.