As far as smooth starts go, it hasn’t been the easiest for Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle, who replaced Eddie Howe in the hot seat last month and has been under the cosh from the get-go.
Newcastle hit more than a few sticky patches in the Premier League last season, falling from their prominent perch under Howe’s wing and slumping to a 12th-place finish.
So much went wrong, and the Magpies have since been swept away by so many changes in the summer transfer market. It’s been a tough one to take, but not every deal needs to be bemoaned, with the £100m sale of Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur looking like excellent business.
Why Newcastle were right to sell Tonali
Tonali went through the paces during his three-year stint with Newcastle, initally cast to the side following a lengthy betting ban, but returning and finding world-class form to revolutionise the Howe era, firing Newcastle into the Champions League and helping secure the Carabao Cup title in 2025.
However, the Italian maestro fell with his teammates into something of a slump last year, and he was unable to produce the silky, stylish and steely displays of the previous campaign. The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards acknowledged the frustration around his departure to a Premier League rival, but noted he was “average last season” across 2025/26.
Tonali is a physically dominant athlete and an intelligent distributor, but he did indeed leave a lot to be desired last year. The 26-year-old only completed 84% of his passes without being particularly creative, and having won only 3.79 duels per game, he ranked among the bottom 17% of Premier League midfielders for that metric.
Selling Tonali to Tottenham was indeed a good move. For a nine-digit sum, the Italian maestro’s departure can surely be offset. What’s still frustrating, however, is that he hasn’t been adequately replaced – and Bruno Guimaraes’ recent move to Arsenal has deepened Jaissle’s worries.
How Newcastle could finally replace Tonali this month
Tonali might have been “average” last season, but Newcastle have still lost a key cog at the heart of their system. Bamba and Steur both have qualities that, in the aggregate, could help replace Tonali, but more is surely needed.
Well, according to Sky Sports Germany’s Philipp Hinze, Newcastle have enquired over the availability of Nicolas Seiwald, who has a big fan in Jaissle. The 25-year-old RB Leipzig midfielder is on the Magpies’ radar as the transfer window reaches the closing stages,
Described as “the type of midfielder every top team needs” by analyst Spencer Mossman and as a “sharp duel winner” by the same scout, Jaissle indeed knows Seiwald well, having managed him in Austria with RB Salzburg who signed him for just £17m.
Though he might not have the same depth of technicality as someone such as Guimaraes, but his smooth passing, high-energy approach and excellent reading of the game could see him prove the missing link in a Newcastle midfield lacking so much right now.
Tonali is irreplaceable, a unique profile, but Seiwald does share a number of similarities with the Italian, namely, he is a strong dueller and commanding defensive presence. He has room for growth while having garnered enough experience to cement himself as a mainstay at the heart of a Jaissle system – again.
|
League Form (2025/26) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (* per 90) |
Tonali |
Seiwald |
|
Matches (starts) |
35 (31) |
33 (31) |
|
Goals + Assists |
0 + 2 |
0 + 2 |
|
Touches* |
58.0 |
54.6 |
|
Accurate passes* |
37.7 (84%) |
38.9 (89%) |
|
Big chances created |
6 |
3 |
|
Key passes* |
0.9 |
0.5 |
|
Possession lost* |
11.3 |
6.3 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
0.5 |
0.2 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
4.2 |
3.5 |
|
Def. contributions* |
3.0 |
5.6 |
|
Duels won* |
3.1 |
3.4 |
Seiwald might not cover as much ground as someone like Tonali, but he knows how to command his space in the centre of the park. He knows how to control a game and direct traffic, getting stuck in.
For Austria at the World Cup, the 25-year-old won a whopping 78% of his duels and completed 92% of his passes. Given that he likes to press forward and find openings in attacking spaces, he could also play a line-breaking role that Tonali, of course, will no longer produce on Tyneside.
Seiwald is a bit of an underrated midfielder, capable of dictating tempo and pressing with intensity. Tonali might not be on the books anymore, but the Austrian could be the perfect replacement, bringing a flavour of Jaissle’s style to a side who are only just establishing themselves.
Many have already written Newcastle off, but oftentimes, it can be this kind of pragmatic signing that can get a project off the ground.
