Recap: Premier League latest news – Tonali betting charge, Chelsea & Everton updates – bbc.co.uk
FA charge Tonali with breaching betting rules
Premier League returns – manager news conferences
Dyche – 'Players not affected' by another possible points deduction
Nuno Espirito Santo also responds to Nottingham Forest's four-point deduction
Pochettino – 'We need to move on' from Sterling boos against Leicester
Former Liverpool and Nottingham Forest defender Larry Lloyd dies, aged 75
Chelsea progress to Women's Champions League semis
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Timothy Abraham, Craig Nelson and Sean Kearns
For more on those FA charges for Sandro Tonali – click here.
It has been a busy day elsewhere – here are the main stories currently leading BBC Sport's football news index:
That's it for today. Thanks for sticking with us. Scroll down to read the top lines from the day's Premier League news conferences and we will see you again bright and early on Good Friday.
Former Arsenal winger Paul Merson last week called for a change in tack by the Football Association over the way it treats footballers who are suffering from a gambling addiction.
Merson said football was "ravaged" with gambling and the bans given to Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali were a "disgrace".
"People have no respect for the gambling addiction," said Merson, who says he was a "compulsive gambler" during his playing days and that it is a "hidden addiction" because it is hard for people to spot.
"We've seen that with the bans of Sandro Tonali at Newcastle and Ivan Toney at Brentford.
"To give people 10-month bans for an addiction that is ravaging football, with sponsorships all over the shirts… They needed help and I don't think 'help' is giving them 10-month bans.
"We underestimate this addiction. We need to show it some respect and not, 'oh, show a bit of willpower'. I would say to the people who make these rules up and ban people, 'next time you get diarrhoea, try and stop that with willpower'."
Read more on that story here.
So what further punishment could Sandro Tonali expect, if charges for breaching the Football Association betting rules are proven?
The FA's punishment of England striker Ivan Toney could provide a yardstick.
Toney, 28, returned in January after an eight-month ban from football. The Brentford player pleaded guilty to all 232 charges levelled against him by the FA.
The FA's regulatory commission reduced his ban from an initial 11 months following mitigation after a psychiatry expert diagnosed Toney with a gambling addiction.
Of course all cases are unique and Tonali's own situation will be assessed on its merits.
The 23-year-old midfielder's charges by the English FA relate to 50 bets allegedly made on matches between a two-month period – from 12 August to 12 October.
This period was before charges were brought against the Italy midfielder by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) last year.
Tonali, 23, is currently serving a 10-month ban for breaking FIGC betting rules, which started on 28 October, and is also participating in "a therapeutic plan" to help "recovery from gambling addiction".
OK, so I am sure that Newcastle supporters and football followers everywhere will have been left with plenty of questions following the news this afternoon that Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali has been charged by the Football Association for alleged breaches of its betting rules.
The obvious first question is: was he not already banned for breaking betting rules?
The answer is yes – the former AC Milan and Brescia player was banned for 10-months by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) last autumn for breaking its betting rules and Fifa granted a request to have that punishment extended worldwide on 28 October.
These latest charges are in addition to that ban and refer to 50 bets Tonali allegedly made on matches between 12 August and 12 October 2023 – when he was a Newcastle player.
The 23-year-old joined the Magpies from AC Milan in July for £55m as their marquee signing of last summer.
He managed to play just 12 matches for the club before the ban was enforced and was not due to return – for club or country – until this August, meaning he will miss the summer's European Championship.
Read more on this story here.
That's it from today's Premier League news conferences.
We will return now to the earlier breaking news that the Football Association has charged Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali with breaching its betting rules…
Bournemouth v Everton (Sat, 15:00 GMT)
Bournemouth
Bournemouth boss Indoni Iraola on what he expects from Everton on Saturday: "I think there will be very physical duels. Their midfield will be key because they play with a lot of physicality and quality on the ball.
"We have to at least match their level because if they start winning every second ball and imposing themselves in the middle, It's going to be difficult. It happened in the first game we played against them."
Tottenham v Luton (Sat, 15:00 GMT)
Luton Town
Luton boss Rob Edwards on what to expect from Spurs: "They are a brilliant team. They play quick, they play brightly. Individually they are excellent and are really well coached. They are clear in what they do, and are really hard to play against as well.
"They have some players in fixed positions, but then a lot of movement and rotation as well. They have freedom and fluidity in their structure of how they play. I love watching them play. I hope we can cope with it at the weekend. They've done great this year to change really quickly how they play. They pose loads of threats.
"It's a really difficult game for us but it's the next opportuinity for us. I'm really looking forward to it. After a couple of weeks away off the back of a well-earned point against Nottingham Forest."
BBC Sport has a dedicated Luton page packed with news, analysis and fan views – get it here
Sheff Utd v Fulham (Sat, 15:00 GMT)
Fulham
Fulham manager Marco Silva on Willian, whose contract expires at the end of the season: "Willian's situation is more or less the same as last season. Last season he joined for just one year, he wanted to see how the season went before he made a decision.
"I've had some conversations with him throughout this season and he's going to wait until the end of the season. With a player of his age, it's important to see how he's feeling at the end to take decisions and we respect that situation from him. I want to keep taking the best from him In every game."
Sheff Utd v Fulham (Sat, 15:00 GMT)
Sheffield United
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder on the Blades' poor home form: "If we continue the way we have done over the last four or five games at home then we have no chance. We have to be defensively tighter and it is something us as staff have addressed.
"We have let the supporters down more than ourselves, so it is about giving them something to shout about now."
Sheff Utd v Fulham (Sat, 15:00 GMT)Sheffield United
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder on opponents Fulham: "They are a good side, we have all seen their performances. It is not like any other league where a home game is a guaranteed win.
"They possess quality in their rank but hopefully after the break it is a reset for us.
"Hopefully we can get off to a decent start for our remaining games against Fulham."
Bournemouth v Everton (Sat, 15:00 GMT)Bournemouth
Bournemouth boss Indoni Iraola on Tyler Adams: "I think he's improving a lot. He's in the process of adding minutes. He played 45 minutes in two different games [during the international break] and he finished with good feelings. I think he's available to play the same amount or even more minutes.
"I think he fits our style of play very well. He's very aggressive without the ball and good at reading second balls. He's very smart and he's very calm on the ball. He's like a new signing for the last ten games of the season."
Sheff Utd v Fulham (Sat, 15:00 GMT)Fulham
Fulham manager Marco Silva was asked about the club's new stadium plans: "What I want is to see is the stands full of fans to support ourselves, that's the main thing for me as a manager.
"All of the other facilities are not for us, it's really something that the club decided that will help club grow and have more revenue in some situtations. What I would love to see, is the stand full of people supporting Fulham Football Club."
Tottenham v Luton (Sat, 15:00 GMT)Luton Town
Luton boss Rob Edwards on the mood in his squad before facing Spurs: "We have built some confidence this last week and we are starting to get everyone back together with Thomas Kaminski and Teden Mengi back in training. We're up for it. We're up for a fight. That's what it is going to be now for the next nine games.
"Tottenham are a brilliant team even if we don't have 10 players missing. We know how hard it's going to be. But let's go and attack this now. We'll give it everything."
BBC Sport has a dedicated Luton page packed with news, analysis and fan views – get it here
Nottingham Forest
After the death at the age of 75 of former Nottingham Forest defender Larry Lloyd, we want your memories of the double European Cup winner.
What made him such a special player for the Reds?
And where does he rank among the players in that great side?
Send us your thoughts and memories of Lloyd on our dedicated Forest page here…
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Larry Lloyd was an absolute colossus as a defender. As an Everton fan I'm old enough to remember the battles he had with our centre forwards in derby matches for Liverpool under Shankly, then on to Forest under Clough. He played for two of the best managers ever, it's no surprise he won the silverware he did. A sad day.
Mark
Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace (Sat, 15:00 GMT)Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo on the passing of Nottingham Forest legend Larry Lloyd: "He was one of the miracle men. All thoughts with his family. It's a sad moment. "To win two European Cups in a row is a miracle."
#bbcfootball, WhatsApp 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply)
As a Manchester United fan this isn't easy for me to say, but Liverpool will win the league. They have had the rub of the green all season and I don't see that changing before May.
Will in Armagh
Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace (Sat, 15:00 GMT)Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo on how much harder it will be to stay up after points deduction: "It's equally as hard. It's important now that we know the reality and the reality is that we had 25 points and now we have 21.
"Our job is clear from day one – to prepare our team."
Tottenham v Luton (Sat, 15:00 GMT)Luton Town
Luton boss Rob Edwards was on good form during his news conference, evening joking about losing staff as well as players to injury : "We'll be missing everyone that we had before and Chiedozie Ogbene now as well, after he got injured [with a tendon in his hamstring] on international duty.
"It got so bad earlier in the week that Kevin Foley [Luton coach] had to play for the opposition in training, then he tweaked his hamstring as well. So I'm losing coaching staff as well as players now!"
Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace (Sat, 15:00 GMT)Nottingham Forest
OK, as promised, Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been talking about the club's four-point deduction for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules: "Now we know the reality and the reality is we are in the relegation zone. Who are we to say (whether) it's fair or unfair. We have to focus on what we have to do and what we have to do is on the pitch. "Forget about everything and focus on our task to get out of the situation. It's in our hands to revert this situation and to get points on the pitch."
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