Right now, Newcastle United have assembled one of the strongest XIs in the Premier League, with genuine world class talent and international stars amongst their ranks.

However, having such players will always pose the risk of ‘bigger’ clubs wanting to poach our talent. We can only look back at the Alexander Isak saga from this past summer to recognise that will be a big issue for the foreseeable future.

So it’s no surprise that new Sporting Director Ross Wilson has a big job on his hands in locking down our top talent to Tyneside for the foreseeable future.

Thankfully, it looks like his job has already been done for him regarding arguably our best and most important player…

Sandro set to stay with secret extension agreed

According to The Mail’s Craig Hope, Sandro Tonali has already signed a new deal at St James’ Park until 2029, with the option for a further year included in his latest deal.

The new deal was actually struck during the Italian’s suspension, where he was forcibly left out of the squad for 10 straight months following a breach of gambling rules.

It was reported earlier this month that Tonali, alongside Sven Botman and Tino Livramento, were the three players we were set to initiate talks with over new contracts.

But amidst Italian media speculation that Juventus were still interested in signing Tonali, it’s good to hear that the maestro from Milan is still ours for the next three and a half years at least at the very least!

Howe’s top man secured, what next?

Of course, the next priority on the list should be nailing down Botman and Livramento to new and improved deals.

The Dutchman has been integral to our excellent defensive performances this season, and has attracted interest from Liverpool this early into the season as they search for a long term successor to Virgil Van Dijk.

Meanwhile Livramento’s absence has been felt in the first team, and with how persistent Man City and Pep Guardiola seemed in him over the summer, we can’t rule out that they won’t return for him in the future.

And regarding Tonali, Howe can now rest assured that his most vital player is his for the rest of the decade. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see more and more players brought in that allow Tonali to keep his midfield role exactly as it is, and he become the real crown jewel and face of the Newcastle United project moving forward.