Jamie Carragher stirred controversy on Thursday with remarks about the potential replacement of Sandro Tonali with Ruben Neves at Newcastle United.
Currently serving a ban until August 2024 for betting, Tonali’s absence prompted Newcastle to seek a substitute. Ruben Neves, affiliated with Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, emerged as a candidate, sparking objections from rival teams due to shared ownership with Newcastle’s PIF.
Despite a Premier League vote on a temporary ban for clubs loaning players from the same owner, it didn’t pass, leaving Newcastle free to pursue Neves in January. However, doubts persist about the feasibility of such a move.
Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, expressed dissatisfaction with the notion of Newcastle securing Neves to replace Tonali, insisting they should bear the consequences of inadequate due diligence before Tonali’s acquisition from AC Milan.
His comments triggered a strong reaction from Newcastle fans, gaining widespread attention on social media. Carragher responded to criticism from ‘The Magpie Channel’ on X, emphasizing that teams should face scrutiny if lapses in player background checks occur.
Clubs never tire of telling us how much they look into the back ground of potential signings & how much attention to detail goes into it.
So if something like this happens they can’t complain if people then question it.Punished is the wrong term, but if a team has made a… https://t.co/wRIINYW7JO
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) November 23, 2023
Despite Carragher’s apparent call for fairness rather than punishment, his initial phrasing fueled controversy. The debate becomes moot as Newcastle is unlikely to secure Neves, having opted for Tonali in the summer, a decision that has not yielded the desired results.
Carragher’s critique of Newcastle’s due diligence is viewed with hindsight bias, given the lack of information available at the time. The unfortunate situation continues, with Newcastle committed to supporting Sandro Tonali despite the unforeseen challenges.