Tonali was offered to Arsenal on deadline day (Picture: Getty)
Alan Shearer believes Newcastle United will struggle to hold onto players like Sandro Tonali if they fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Tonali’s future in the north east came into doubt on transfer deadline day after it emerged he had been offered to Arsenal after the Gunners lost Mikel Merino to injury.
Arsenal explored the move with talks taking place in the final hours of the January window. Newcastle however swiftly knocked back the audacious approach, adamant one of their key players would not leave the club midway through the campaign.
Eddie Howe echoed those sentiments this week, insisting the Italy international ‘loves representing the city’, dismissing suggestions January interest could unsettle the player heading into the summer.
Newcastle are hopeful of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League with a play-off tie against Qarabag to navigate first.
Their participation in next season’s competition is less certain, with the Magpies currently sat in 11th place.
While fifth is likely to be good enough for Champions League qualification again, Newcastle are currently seven points adrift of that spot.
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Shearer has fears over players leaving this summer (Picture: Getty)
Premier League legend Shearer fears his old side will find themselves in a very tricky situation in the summer if there is no European football on offer for their most coveted players.
‘Sandro Tonali hasn’t hit the heights he was at last season, but I guess what’ll happen is, if Newcastle aren’t going to qualify for Europe or be competitive in the Premier League, you’d expect other clubs will look at Newcastle and try to buy their best players,’ Shearer told Betfair.
‘Although it was a surprise in the January window, I think it’ll happen more in the summer if Newcastle don’t achieve what they have in the past few years.
Howe insists Tonali is happy on Tyneside (Picture: Getty)
‘Top players want to play Champions League football, and we know there’s no real loyalty in football – I’m not saying Tonali will do anything like that, but we know if clubs don’t get into European places, other clubs will try and pick players up.
‘Newcastle have to start winning games and go far in the FA Cup and hopefully the Champions League to try and rescue what, at the minute, certainly Premier League wise, has been a disappointing return.
‘I know we got to a semi-final and all those years ago we’d craved for that but then the money that’s been spent and put into the club and where the club wants to go to, at the minute it’s been disappointing.’
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