Sandro Tonali: My relationship with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is 'perfect'

The 25-year-old midfielder, who is contracted at St James' Park until 2030, has been the subject of Deadline Day rumours, though his agent, Giuseppe Riso, insisted he "never had any conversation" with the Gunners. Riso later hinted a summer exit could still be a possibility.

Howe discussed the situation with Tonali after the January window closed and expressed no doubts about the Italian's commitment to the club. Tonali has certainly backed up that commitment on the pitch, scoring twice in Newcastle's FA Cup clash against Aston Villa.

His second goal was celebrated with a heartfelt embrace of Howe on the touchline, a vivid demonstration of their strong working relationship.

The midfielder's performances continue to underline his importance to Newcastle, combining technical skill with leadership on the field.

"The first one, this celebration was, I think, seven months without scoring," Tonali said.

"If you don't score for seven months, after the first goal, you celebrate for ten or 11 goals - like Bruno [Guimaraes]!

"But after the second goal, I came to Eddie because in the past few weeks, people spoke about our relationship, but I work every day with the gaffer, the gaffer works every day with me, and our relationship is perfect.

"It's not broken and I think this is perfect for the team.

"We try to do the best for this team, every game, because we play a lot of games - every three days, we play, and we have to be concentrated every time in the training ground to do the best for our team."