Danny Murphy believes there is real 'competition' for places in Newcastle United's midfield following the summer signing of Sandro Tonali. The former AC Milan star arrived on Tyneside on Thursday and was shown around St James' Park for the first time having already completed his move from the Serie A giants.
Eddie Howe was targeting 'elite' additions to his Magpies squad ahead of the club's first foray into the Champions League for two decades. Newcastle had looked short of numbers in the closing stages of last season in the engine room, with academy graduates Elliot Anderson and Lewis Miley both earning first-team minutes.
Bruno Guimaraes has emerged as a standout star since his arrival from Lyon in January 2022, while Joelinton's transformation reached a new height this summer as he made his senior international debut for Brazil. Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock have both made huge strides in their respective developments under Howe, but could find their place in the team's best eleven under threat in the new campaign.
Murphy hailed the capture of Tonali as a midfielder who has a 'bit of everything', while highlighting he has the fitness required to cope with Howe's high-intensity demands. The talkSPORT pundit also singled out Willock for praise, insisting the former Arsenal star does 'not get the credit' that his performances deserve.
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Murphy told Five: "That Newcastle midfield, I don't know how much you know about Tonali or seen him, he's got a bit of everything. But he is fit, he can play by the way, he's a good footballer.
"Even if it's not Joelinton, I like Willock not to mention Longstaff's athleticism. So there's competition in there, Joelinton will sometimes play on the left, but I think Willock does not get the credit [he deserves]. You wouldn't want to play against them."
