Newcastle manager Eddie Howe says he does not expect Sandro Tonali to become “unsettled” by new transfer interest.

Reports emerged on deadline day that Tonali’s agent had made an offer for the player to Arsenal, but the Magpies rejected the offer.

However, sky sports news It is understood Newcastle have not made any contact with the Gunners over Tonali. His agent Giuseppe Rizzo also insists he has not offered the Italian to other clubs.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City, Howe became a hot topic during his pre-match press conference, which was broadcast live sky sports.

Some have compared Tonali’s current situation to that of Alexander Isak, who ended up moving to Liverpool last summer in a protracted transfer saga.

But Howe is sure Tonali will not be upset by the transfer rumours, saying: “I don’t think so, but a lot of things happened without my knowledge.

“From what I’ve heard, we have an outstanding football player, an outstanding person. He’s happy here, he has a great relationship with me and his teammates, and he seems happy himself.”

“It would surprise me[if Tonali becomes unsettled]but our best players will always attract the attention of other clubs – that’s the reality of football.

“We want to keep our team together, we want to keep improving and Sandro plays a role in that. Everything is included and I don’t think there is anything wrong with it, but I can’t control everything.

“There is certainly no intention on our side to lose Sandro. He is an integral part of what we do. He is very happy here.

“He’s absolutely fine. I had a discussion with him yesterday (Monday) and he’s absolutely focused on playing for us.

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“His only focus is City and trying to win that game. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Sandro himself, he’s committed.”

When asked what the club could learn from Isaac’s legacy to help them now, Howe added: “It’s probably a lot, but I don’t think it’s anything I can handle.

“In the summer, we didn’t have a sporting director and that greatly affected the way we dealt with agents and the situation.

“We were in a much more tenuous position then than we are now. Ross (Wilson) has filled that position and has shown very good leadership in handling the transfer and all that goes into it. We are now in a good position to navigate those waters in a calmer, clearer way.”

Howe admits lack of defensive signings is a risk

Newcastle did not make any signings during the January transfer window, although areas such as their defense require attention.

With the club still having four games remaining, Howe admitted there was a risk of depletion at the back given their busy schedule.

He said: “Yes (it’s a risk) but we really have no choice. Every decision we make has long-term implications. There’s no guarantee that signing someone with the funds we have is going to help us in the short term anyway – so that’s what it is.”

“We have been used to working in these conditions for some time. In the last four or five transfer windows we have only been active in one.

“We were under financial constraints and we had to be very smart so we decided to wait until the summer. The decision was that the summer window was easier to recruit. There were more players available and it was probably better value for money.

“But we also have very limited funds to work with in this window and whether the right players can help us in a short period of time is what we need.

“We don’t have those options so we can’t sign players that don’t exist and we have to work with the conditions we are in.”

The Magpies have long had to work within the confines of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, which Howe said has impacted on their ability to sign players.

He added: “It is affecting us. It has been affecting us for many years but we have to follow the rules or we will get points deductions and other sanctions.”

“It’s going to have a detrimental effect on what we’re doing, so we’re trying to stay consistent, keep improving and keep moving forward. It’s an ongoing challenge for us.”

What happened to Tonali and Arsenal?

Competitorof David Ornsteintalking about sky sports news Speaking on transfer deadline day, he said of the Tonali report: “It’s a complex report. Unless you have full internal knowledge of the situation, you won’t know the exact ins and outs of it all.”

“Arsenal’s admiration for Tonali is long-standing and goes back several years. Some of us reported on it.

“Arsenal are injured on deadline day with Mikel Merino picking up an injury. It’s possible they will be in the market for a potential replacement.

“I don’t think anyone thought Tonali was on the agenda and for good reason. There was never a chance he would leave Newcastle.

“We established over the course of the day that there were absolutely no negotiations taking place between Newcastle and Arsenal. There was no contact at all between the clubs.

“But a representative of Tonali, and how many people represent him, have contacted Arsenal and their sporting director Andrea Berta and offered the player to the club.

“For Berta, it was his job to explore these situations and study the feasibility with the agent. It soon became clear that there was no feasibility.

“Newcastle have no intention of opening any door for Tonali to leave, now or in the future. If they did, the price would be too high for Arsenal’s current capabilities.”

“Newcastle are in complete confusion. There’s no talking, no contact, no communication and no intention of letting him leave. I don’t think it will ever end.”