“I fell in love watching him play the game.”Eddie Howe is not prone to hyperbole. Sandro Tonali had just played his first game in English football in August 2023 — an impressive goalscoring debut against Aston Villa — and the Newcastle United head coach did not attempt to hide the strength of his admiration for the Italy midfielder.During Newcastle’s six-month pursuit of Tonali in the first half of 2023, Howe repeatedly expressed that same sentiment in private.And Howe is far from alone in becoming taken with Tonali. That is the effect the 26-year-old can have on those who watch him closely over a sustained period.As reported by The Athletic — as well as interest from Arsenal and Manchester City — Tottenham Hotspur are in positive talks with the player’s camp, with the transfer fee considered a bigger challenge for Spurs than a deal with Tonali.So why do Newcastle value him so highly, and what does he offer the Premier League clubs interested in him.At Brescia, where he made his breakthrough and was part of a promotion-winning side, he was adored. At Milan, where his father, Giandomenico, is “one of the Curva”, Tonali was cherished not only because he was one of their own, but due to the influential performances that helped deliver a Champions League semi-final and a first Serie A title in 11 years.On Tyneside, despite serving a 10-month suspension for betting offences and missing most of his first season at St James’ Park, Tonali swiftly struck up an enduring bond with supporters. He is known as Newcastle’s “midfield maestro from Milano” and, following a positional change, was arguably the critical factor in the club qualifying for the Champions League in 2024-25 and in ending their 70-year domestic trophy drought by lifting the Carabao Cup — something Tonali had vowed to do as an attempt to make amends for the support he received during his ban.Why he evokes such a strong emotional response is difficult to explain with words or visuals. What Tonali is, what he does and what he brings can only truly be appreciated by observing him in action over a prolonged period.The Italian is a midfielder, but he is not an out-and-out defensive screener, nor is he a box-to-box type or a metronomic passer. Tonali is somewhere in between; he can do a bit of everything and, physically and aerobically, is ideally suited to the Premier League.Newcastle insiders describe Tonali as boasting a distinctive profile as a midfielder and that uniqueness — alongside his quality — makes him almost impossible to replace like-for-like, especially in the markets the club can afford to shop in this summer.While Howe would love to continue to build his team around the Tonali-Bruno Guimaraes axis, Newcastle have anticipated interest and the expectation is that the Italian would be open to exploring a move away (even if he has not personally communicated that to the hierarchy).But with the Italian effectively contracted until 2030 — his deal runs to 2029, though the club can unilaterally extend it by another year — Newcastle will demand a sizeable fee, especially should Elliot Anderson, their former academy graduate, leave Nottingham Forest for in excess of £120million.