04 Jun 2026 13:27:17
Bit of an old school one was talking to a colleague of mine in the North East this morning and he says that United have conceded they won't get Tonali and Hall from Newcastle this summer and will look to focus on Hall with other midfield options being focused on from elsewhere.
Not sure if this guy is itk but thought I'd share.

1.) 04 Jun 2026
04 Jun 2026 17:01:35
Hopefully we get a summer of these rumours, surely it's what this page is about.
It would make sense for Newcastle to not want both to go to the same club, and I can see them prioritising Hall, with Tonali's price and other options making him less likely.

2.) 04 Jun 2026
04 Jun 2026 22:07:16
Seems Newcastle are backing Howe. And, according to reports, the relationship between Hall and Howe is not a good one, so it makes sense they may want to cash in. If that's the case, I hope we do our due diligence on him, as we've had enough dressing room issues over the last few years!

3.) 07 Jun 2026
07 Jun 2026 10:37:41
I know Newcastle needs to balance the books a little, but they've already sold Gordon for around £70m already, that's on top of losing Isak last year.

They have ambitious owners who won't want to be seen to be losing all the momentum they have built already.

Surely they will only let one more big name established player leave this summer at most.

So it'll come down to who they feel is most expendable or who is easiest (maybe cheapest) to replace.

If that is the case I'd imagine they'd be more open to letting Lewis Hall leave over Tonali.

Top midfielders are harder to come by and are typically far more expensive than fullbacks. Also Howe has often rotated Hall with Dan Burn at LB, partially due to Hall having a few more issues with injuries, but also for tactical reasons. Also there are rumours that the relationship between Hall and Howe is not the best.

Personally I'd be happy with either of Hall or Tonali, although I have a mild concern over Hall's injury record, but probably not enough to feel that he would be a bad or risky signing. I'm a massive fan of Tonali and think he'd be a phenomenal signing (even at the 90m rumoured that Newcastle would demand). I feel he is massively underrated, partially due to how Newcastle play. He's a tenacious warrior off the ball who covers every blade of grass, has great experience, shows leadership on the pitch, and is far more technically gifted than most people realise (due to Newcastle's playing style), while he's also very intelligent and can adapt to many different tactical demands or playing styles. However, he's very similar to Ederson who we have just signed for around half of what Newcastle are demanding for Tonali. With that signing all but sealed now I would imagine we'd want to sign another midfielder with a slightly different profile now rather than one with a very similar one.

Personally I feel we need a proper holding (sitting) midfielder next, someone who'll be the central hub and knit the whole team together. Ideally they would be tall, good in the air, have elite reading of the game, be press resistant, and have a great passing range. Effectively they would be a Carrick 2.0. I've seen Mainoo being asked to play that role more under Carrick and while I think he has most of the tools to play that role (he'll need to work on his passing range, but will probably never become dominant aerially), I'm not sure if it's the most natural role for him.
He's very press resistant, and great at dropping deep to take the ball off the CB's, and he's fantastic at carrying the ball forward and using his dribbling ability in tight spaces to break lines of pressure. His passing over short and medium distances is great, but over longer distances it can be a little hit and miss (partially I think because he isn't looking that far ahead so misses the opportunities to hit early longer balls in behind the opposition). However, personally I feel he is best suited to playing more as a free 8. Given the freedom to drop in and help out where we need him, but also able to get forward and be that late arriving midfielder into the box to make the most of his excellent shooting.

I think while Mainoo can do a good job as a No.6 (as long as he has someone more athletic and aggressive alongside him), it probably doesn't get the most out of him.

Add to that we will have Ederson, Mount and probably Ugarte as the other options currently, I feel that a natural No.6 type holding midfielder is what we need most, which isn't Tonali's best role (although like Mainoo he can play this role if needed). Ederson in my opinion is everything we hoped Ugarte would be and as such he'd be a great replacement if we can move Ugarte on this summer.

I'm intrigued by the links to Mateus Fernandes, another player I really rate. He's another all round midfielder who can play many different roles and is tactically intelligent enough to do well in any of them. He'd be a good replacement for Mount. Alex Scott would be another great shout for this role.

Yet it is a natural No.6 that is still missing, a role that has at times been most effectively covered by Casemiro (although he's been excellent this season when he's been able to get further forward).

Tchouameni would be the dream signing, Baleba would be a solid signing with great potential, other options that fit the role could be: Angelo Stiller, Tyler Adams, Eduardo Camavinga, Reuben Neves, Boubacar Kamara, James Garner, Lucien Agoume, Lamine Camara, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pablo Barrios, or Mamadou Sangare.

Some have great potential, others would be really solid options. Personally, unless you can get a generational talent in this role then I'm not sure it's worth spending a huge amount here. Mostly because while I think it's a vital profile our squad needs, it's not a profile we need in every single game and maybe not even for the whole 90 minutes in games either. It's a role we need in the big games and the tough away games, but probably not at home against mid-table or bottom half sides.

We need this player in games where we won't dominate possession and will need to be able to defend as much as we attack.

4.) 07 Jun 2026
07 Jun 2026 13:20:41
Shappy,

Stiller reminds me of Carrick. He would be a good alternative and cheaper than Tonali. I know Baleba has had a good season, but I really rate him. I think he would be a great signing for around £50 million.

5.) 07 Jun 2026
07 Jun 2026 20:13:20
It feels like Baleba remains of interest, and it doesn't look like he's high up on anyone else's shopping list. Maybe that should be a concern, especially if Brighton are still demanding elite money. He did improve towards the end of the season (wonder why?), but was pretty average otherwise compared to last season.

6.) 08 Jun 2026
08 Jun 2026 10:11:44
I was meant to put: hasn't had a good season.