At a Glance:
- Arsenal are interested in Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali.
- If Tonali is signed, a serious change at the club must be made, according to Nacho Monreal.
- Monreal recommends one specific player for Arsenal to sign for the left wing.
Arsenal’s midfield is a strong one, but the Gunners are reportedly interested in adding Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali to their ranks.
Martin Zubimendi’s struggles with match fitness as well as the potential sale of Christian Norgaard have led to higher-ups at Arsenal pursuing the services of Tonali more intensely, with the Italian proving over the past couple of seasons that he is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
However, Tonali’s arrival in N5 could limit opportunities for academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly and further congest an already crowded midfield, giving Mikel Arteta an even tougher selection dilemma despite the abundance of talent at his disposal.
Former Arsenal defender and ex-Spanish international Nacho Monreal has revealed his opinion about the transfer, and it might be one that Arsenal fans can get behind.
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Nacho Monreal says if Arsenal want Sandro Tonali they must sell another midfielder
Speaking to Swedish outlet Rekatochklart, Macho Monreal confirmed that while he thinks Sandro Tonali would be a quality signing for Arsenal, he also thinks it would cause issues in terms of squad depth.
“If Arsenal sign [Sandro] Tonali, they may have the best midfield in the world, but they signed [Martin] Zubimendi last year for a lot of money, so it’s a difficult question. Having Tonali, Zubimendi, and [Declan] Rice would be a lot, so I can only imagine they would need to sell either Zubimendi or Rice if they really want Tonali. In my opinion, they already have the two best defensive midfielders in the world,” said the 40-year-old.
There are rumours that Declan Rice will soon be given a new contract at Arsenal, and given that he is one of the club’s best players, a sale for the 27-year-old is unrealistic without a huge offer coming in.
Meanwhile, Martin Zubimendi did have a complicated end to his 2025/26 season in North London in terms of fitness and form, but is still not expected to depart from Arsenal any time soon, given that he only joined from Real Sociedad last year.
This means that Arsenal could have a hard time finding the required minutes for Tonali, with the Italian presumably wanting a big role in the reigning Premier League champions’ squad.
Monreal recommends that Arsenal have a look at Nico Williams
Nacho Monreal also states that Nico Williams, who is a winger at Athletic Club in Spain, should be a player on the radar of all at Arsenal.
“I don’t know what will happen on the left wing [in terms of signings] because I’m also completely in love with [Leandro] Trossard. I love [Gabriel] Martinelli as well, but Nico Williams is an incredible player… I know Williams very well, and he’s excellent… he’s had a difficult season because of injuries, but when he’s fit, he’s obviously a fantastic player.”
Williams scored six goals and registered four assists in 25 games for Athletic Club in 2025/26, and is valued at £34.5 million according to Transfermarkt.
