Newcastle United was a revelation from the 2024/25 campaign. Eddie Howe’s men won their first trophy in decades, reaching their goal of defeating Liverpool in the final to lift the Carabao Cup and reaching the Champions League once more.
The important part was Sandro Tonari. The Italian midfielder is crucial in the midfield center for the Magpie, and shows exactly why he invested £55 million in his signature almost two years ago. He played 36 Premier League games overall, earning midfield assists with six goals and assists.
It was a genius song from the Italian giant AC Milan. So the Northeast may be aiming to repeat the feat this summer.
Next possibilities from Milan in Newcastle
It was a poor season for Milan in 2024/25, but there are great players. Their team has already been separated this summer, with things like Tijani Rayjuns and Mike Meignan looking towards the Premier League, heading to Manchester City and possibly Chelsea respectively.
Well, Newcastle was able to take part in the act this summer by bringing French fullback Theo Hernandez to St. James’ Park.
Calcio Mercato reported that the initial “search” was done by the Magpie, suggesting that he made his first contact information regarding the Hernandez deal.
The Premier League outfit is not the only side to try to sign the Frenchman this summer.
He’s already said no to Saudi Arabia’s Al Giral, Atletico Madrid, and other unnamed aspects of Britain and Spain, so he’s about to be attacked to sign the defender. For the pay, it could reflect the £29.4 million that Al Giral agreed to with Hernandez before the transaction collapsed.
Why Hernandez is a good signature?
The 2024/25 campaign was nothing more than a terrible campaign for Milan. The Italian Giants finished 8th in the league. Dougie Critchley said it was “the lowest finish since 2014/15 and the lowest point since 2015/16.”
However, 27-year-old left-back Hernandez showed some strong performances despite the struggles Rossonelli experienced. He played 49 games in the campaign, scoring five times, and earning six assists in the process.
Not only does Hernandez bring attack power and actual engine to the left for the magpie, he is also the leader. Last season, he captained Milan 13 times, so adding such attributes to a dressing room already filled with leaders can only benefit northeastern outfits.
Courtesy of the Sofa Score for the 2024/25 campaign, looking at some of the numbers underlying Hernandez, it’s easy to see what he can bring to the Newcastle side. Called the “beast” by football scout Antonio Mango, he has some outstanding statistics.
For example, in all competitions last season, the Frenchman born in Marseille played 71 key passes and won 55 air duels. Every 90 minutes he averaged 1.6 key passes and 1.2 air duels won.
Hernandez’s key statistics for the 2024/25 season | ||
|---|---|---|
stat (all comps) | total | Around 90 |
Key Pass | 71 | 1.6 |
A big opportunity has been created | 12 | 0.3 |
The dribbling is complete | 34 | 0.7 |
Tackle and Intercept | 80 | 1.7 |
A duel won | 55 | 1.2 |
Expected goal involvement | 8.58xgi | 0.19xgi |
Statistics from sofa score | ||
There’s no need to worry about adaptability from Serie A to the Premier League. Tonari is a living proof that if you exercise enough, your game can easily be translated into English top flights. As statistics suggest, Hernandez certainly has those physical attributes.
In fact, Tonari was so good last season that he made Jamie Karager Premier League Team of the Year. The former defender-turned-defender pastor said the former Milan star “makes a huge difference” at his mid-center base in Howe.
There is certainly evidence to suggest that Hernandez can easily adapt to the Premier League.
Not only does he have statistics showing how well he played this season to support that debate, but his former Milan teammate Tonari has moved seamlessly.
If he could be as good a place as Tonari wears that famous black and white striped shirt, he would be successful in St James Park. Perhaps he could be the second coming of a former Serie A teammate
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