Nacho Monreal Warns Arsenal Against Signing Sandro Tonali

Nacho Monreal has urged Arsenal to think twice before plunging into the race for Sandro Tonali, warning that signing the Newcastle United midfielder could come at the cost of breaking up what he sees as the best defensive pairing in world football.

The former Arsenal left-back, speaking to Rekatochklart, did not hold back in his praise of Tonali. In his eyes, the Italian is as good as it gets.

“If Arsenal buys Tonali, they will get the best midfielder in the world,” Monreal said.

That line alone would usually be enough to set pulses racing in north London. A powerhouse from Serie A, hardened at Milan, now in the Premier League and potentially available: it sounds like the kind of move a title-chasing club might explore.

But Monreal’s admiration for Tonali comes with a sharp caveat. Arsenal, he pointed out, have already paid heavily to secure Martín Zubimendi and Declan Rice, and he believes that duo sit at the very top of the game in their position.

“They signed Zubimendi for a lot of money last year, so it’s difficult,” he explained. To stack Tonali on top of that existing midfield core, he argued, would be excessive. “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.

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

That is the crux of Monreal’s warning. Arsenal are being linked with Tonali and other European clubs are circling, but the Spaniard sees a risk in chasing another marquee midfielder just for the sake of it. For him, any move for Tonali would not be a simple addition. It would mean a sacrifice.

Arsenal’s hierarchy now face the kind of dilemma that defines eras: chase another star name in Tonali, or double down on a Zubimendi–Rice axis that a former player believes is already the benchmark.