Sandro Tonali has been handed a 10-month ban for violating betting regulations in Italy, which would typically rule him out for the rest of the 2023–24 Premier League season and Euro 2024.
However, the suspension is still pending final approval, keeping Tonali eligible to play until it is officially ratified.
This approval process might conclude before Newcastle’s match against Wolves on Saturday, and as of now, the 23-year-old midfielder is still part of Eddie Howe’s plans.
Magpies boss Howe told reporters prior to receiving confirmation of Tonali’s ban: “We’ve not had official confirmation as a football club.
We’ve not had anything from the Italian authorities so we are waiting for that official confirmation to come through. There’s a high chance he could be available for us. A few things need to happen before the ban is imposed so let’s see. You saw from the Dortmund game he did very well. He’s been bright and he’s trained.
“The only way I can judge him is on that. He’s been good around the group and the training ground. From how I can see, he’s handling himself in the right way.
“I think I said in the press conference the other day that I can’t work with hindsight. We didn’t know this was even a possibility. There’s a frustration that we won’t have him now, as I liked him as a footballer.”
Tonali made a high-profile move to Newcastle from AC Milan in the summer transfer window for a fee of £55 million ($67 million).
Despite having only played in 12 matches this season, he is now expected to remain unavailable for competitive matches until August 2024.
However, he will retain the ability to train with his Newcastle teammates and participate in any friendly matches.