Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth has confirmed that the club intend to be "active" in the January transfer window, but they may not necessarily recruit a "like-for-like" replacement for the suspended Sandro Tonali.
Following an investigation by Italian prosecutors, it was confirmed last week that Tonali has been handed a 10-month ban from football for breaching betting rules, and the punishment has been ratified by FIFA.
Tonali is currently able to train with Newcastle but he is unable to play for the club for the rest of the 2023-24 campaign and will also miss Euro 2024 should Italy qualify – the midfielder's ban is due to expire on August 27, 2024.
Ashworth has revealed that he was left 'shocked' and 'surprised' by the news of Tonali's gambling addiction and has questioned his role in the 23-year-old's transfer as the club oversee an internal probe into his move to St James' Park.
The Magpies chief, who arrived at the club in February, has also refused to rule out legal action being initiated against Tonali's former club AC Milan, who sold the midfielder to Newcastle for a reported £55m in the summer.
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With Tonali facing a lengthy spell away from first-team action, Newcastle have been tipped to delve into the January transfer market to sign a new midfielder.
Ashworth has revealed that Newcastle may not recruit a direct replacement for Tonali in the winter window, but he has admitted that the club are always planning ahead to strengthen their squad and are prepared to bring future spending forward if the "right opportunities" were to arise.
Speaking as part on an in-depth Q&A on Friday, as quoted by The Telegraph, Ashworth said: "We always look two windows in advance, so we will have planned for what we will try to do to strengthen the team in the summer of 2024.
"If the right opportunities come in January we don't mind bringing that forward. We did that with Anthony Gordon last January. We brought that forward when we had the opportunity. Nothing is any different.
"What we always try to do is have that flexibility. So, what we have said to the recruitment team is, we could get an injury, we could get a suspension and there might be a player who wants to go. So, we have to have that agility.
"We obviously know we are going to be without Sandro for the rest of the season. But we've got quite a number of midfield players and we have a number of players who can play in different positions. You saw that the other night [Newcastle's 3-0 EFL Cup win over Manchester United] and that is one of the strengths of the squad. We've got a few injuries, but fingers crossed they are back and ready for January anyway."
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"To answer the question, we've got a number of things we can do. It might not be a like-for-like replacement for Sandro. It could be a player who can play in a different position or multiple positions. It could be that young Lewis Miley gets more minutes and comes to the fore between now and January. We might look in a different area of the pitch.
"But obviously it is a blow losing Sandro. He was one of our big signings in a key area of the pitch. He was going to be one of our most influential players so we have to do everything in our power to make sure the squad is as competitive as possible going into the second half of the season.
"We do have a little bit of flexibility and we are able to look at the market. But there are lots of ways to do it. Whether it is a straight loan or a loan with an obligation or an option. You can sign a player and monetise it with a long contract. We are going to have to be quite creative, but we do want to be active."
Newcastle, who are owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), have recently been linked with a number of players who currently ply their trade in the Saudi Pro League including Al-Hilal duo Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Al Ittihad's N'Golo Kante and Al-Ahli's Gabri Veiga.
Ashworth has acknowledged that any potential transfer business negotiated between Newcastle and Saudi Arabian clubs will be criticised due to their close connections, but he has stated that there are currently no rules in place to prevent them from signing players from the Middle East in January.
"Currently no. The current rules and regulations say there is nothing to stop it, currently," said Ashworth. "But there is a potential that the various different organisations will look at things across related parties and what you can do to acquire players at a fair market value, [although these] have already been in place for quite a while."
Newcastle currently sit sixth in the Premier League table after 10 matches, six points behind the top four and seven adrift of second-placed Arsenal who travel to St James' Park on Saturday.
