Nacho Monreal Warns Arsenal on Sandro Tonali Move

Nacho Monreal has urged Arsenal to think twice before launching a move for Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali, warning that any deal could come at the cost of one of Mikel Arteta’s current midfield pillars.

The former Arsenal left-back, speaking to Rekatochklart, hailed Tonali in glowing terms, calling him “the best midfielder in the world.” But his praise came with a sharp caveat. In Monreal’s eyes, Arsenal have already stacked their engine room with elite talent — and there is only so much room at the very top.

Arsenal, he pointed out, invested heavily in Martín Zubimendi last year and already have Declan Rice anchoring the side. For Monreal, those two are not just strong options. They are the standard.

“In my opinion, they already have the two best defensive midfielders in the world,” he said.

That is where his warning bites. Monreal believes that signing Tonali on top of Zubimendi and Rice would overload the squad in one area and almost inevitably force a major sale.

“If Arsenal buys Tonali, they will get the best midfielder in the world,” he said. “But they signed Zubimendi for a lot of money last year, so it’s difficult. To have both Tonali, Zubimendi, and Rice would be a lot, so I can only imagine that they would have to sell either Zubimendi or Declan Rice if they really want Tonali.”

Tonali, currently at Newcastle, has been linked with Arsenal and several major European clubs this summer, his name circulating again despite his ongoing situation in England. The Italian remains a marquee profile: a deep-lying playmaker with bite, range and presence, the kind of midfielder around whom teams are built, not casually rotated.

That is exactly Monreal’s point. Arsenal have already built around Rice and, more recently, Zubimendi. Bringing in another “best in the world” type at the same position, he suggests, is not just a luxury — it is a decision that would reshape the core of Arteta’s team.

So the question hanging over north London is not whether Tonali is good enough. In Monreal’s view, that debate is settled. The real issue is starker: in a squad that already boasts Rice and Zubimendi, who would Arsenal be willing to sacrifice to make room for him?