Sandro Tonali has fired a warning to Manchester City and Chelsea by insisting that Newcastle United stars are highly motivated to put their noses out of joint in the race for the Champions League.
The Magpies have their eyes on the prize when it comes to Europe and are not settling for the Europa League or the Europa Conference League slot that they already have in the bank. Tonali - who tasted the main competition with Newcastle last season and ventured to the semi-finals with AC Milan in 2023 - is desperate to get back on the biggest stage possible at club level.
Having sat out for 10 months last season due to a FIFA betting ban, Tonali is eager to make up for lost time and proved it with a stunning goal against Brentford in midweek. Tonali told Chronicle Live: It's difficult to think about next season too much. For me, it's so difficult because I think now only about Leicester.
"I think about the Champions League, but it's normal. I wake up the morning and think about coming back in the Champions League, not for a come back in the Europa League or going to the UEFA Conference League. Every player wants to play in the Champions League. We need to push every game because we have a solid team, we have a great team and we need to win, we need three points every week. But we can do everything with this team, with these fantastic players."
Winning the Carabao Cup made history for the Magpies but Tonali and his team-mates want more. He said: "Yeah, I think I'm happy for the trophy but the trophy was the last week. Now we need to think about a new week.
"The trophy is the trophy but now we think only of the Champions League and not the Carabao Cup. We need to think every week, every game to win and only play for three points and get back in the Champions League for these fans"
When asked if a club of Newcastle's stature deserves to be in the Champions League, the Italy international said: "Yeah, I hope so. All the people here deserve the Champions League because it’s the best tournament in Europe.
"And if you play Champions League, then you know like last season in the first game with Paris Saint-Germain, the stadium here was magic. The Champions League is the Champions League and it's difficult to play one game similar. This team deserves the Champions League for the next season but we need to play. We need to push heavily every game, every day, every week."
Frustratingly, Tonali has been linked with AC Milan and Juventus during what feels like a relentless campaign in Italy to unsettle the star. The truth is, Juve can't afford him and Milan will be lucky to scrape into Europe next season with the prospect of a return to the San Siro unappetising at the moment.
When asked if it annoyed him, Tonali told reporters: "No. We need to think only game by game and not for next season.
"Now we need to think about Leicester. We have two months more to try and come back in the Champions League. This is one thing only for Newcastle players, for Newcastle staff and for Newcastle fans. "
