Eddie Howe on Sandro Tonali's Fitness for Newcastle's Finale
Eddie Howe is refusing to rule out Sandro Tonali for Newcastle’s Premier League finale at Fulham, despite the midfielder limping off with a hamstring problem against West Ham.
Tonali was forced off in the win over David Moyes’ side last week, raising fears his season was over. Instead, Howe offered a surprisingly upbeat bulletin.
“Sandro, potentially, will be available,” the Newcastle head coach said. “We will look at him again today. We don’t think it is anything serious.”
It is a delicate call. The final day can tempt managers into risk, especially when form has finally swung their way. Newcastle close their campaign at Craven Cottage chasing a strong finish after a turbulent year, and Tonali’s presence between the lines would give their in-possession game another layer of control.
If Tonali’s status is still in the balance, there is no such uncertainty about the man who ripped through West Ham. Osula, the young forward who struck twice in that 3-1 victory over the relegation-threatened Hammers, has stormed into the conversation for a starting place again on Sunday.
Howe did not hide his excitement about what comes next for the striker.
“He is at a really good age,” Howe said. “Lots of things to continue to work on, there are lots of untapped areas we can develop.
“The ceiling in his development is really high. He has the raw ingredients, the physical profile too.”
Those “raw ingredients” were on full display in Newcastle’s last home game of the season, a win that felt like a release as much as a result. The noise, the energy, the sense that this side still has another gear to find under Howe – it all fed into the manager’s insistence that this is only the start for some of his emerging talents.
“It was great to win our last home game,” he added. “That left us all with a great feeling. We want to end the season on a real high.”
Not long ago, that kind of talk would have sounded hollow. Newcastle’s form had sagged worryingly, injuries piling up, confidence leaking away. Their last defeat, though, came against Premier League champions Arsenal in April. Since then, the mood has shifted.
Newcastle look sharper with the ball, braver in possession, more like the side that surged into Europe last season. Howe knows it, and he is determined that Fulham do not puncture that momentum on the final day.
“We hope to continue the upturn in our recent performances, upturn in our in-possession play,” he said. “We want to end the season high, it is an important match for us.”
A key midfielder racing the clock, a young striker suddenly catching fire, and a team rediscovering its edge. Newcastle head to Craven Cottage with the sense that one more statement performance could turn a late-season revival into a platform for something far bigger.
