That football is cruel and can go quickly sometimes, Sandro Tonali, who had been one of the great architects of the Scudetto won by AC Milan in 2022, had his future all mapped out and Italy had a new nugget to line up in the alongside Nicolo Barella in selection. But in October 2023, the native of Brescia was suspended for ten months by the Italian Football Federation for having made illicit bets on football matches, including some for AC Milan, the club in which he was playing at the time. However, a few weeks before being at the heart of this enormous scandal which shook the world of Italian football, Sandro Tonali had just been recruited by the English club Newcastle for the sum of 70 million including bonus, at the same time initialing a 5 year contract. The objective was clear: to become one of the faces of the Magpies’ new rich project. With this transfer, he became the most expensive Italian player in the history of football ahead of Jorginho (€57m), Gianluigi Buffon (€52.9m) and Christian Vieri (€46.5m). His last match was in October 2023 against Crystal Palace.
Returning from suspension on August 28, 2024, Sandro Tonali eased his conscience by emptying his bag, opting for the path of prevention: “hiding behind the barriers of a problem is never the solution. Instead, we need to talk about it. Get help. My true wealth lies not in multi-million dollar contracts, but in being surrounded by people who love me and who continue to prove it to me every day. I was recently in a factory. I was able to think of those who work ten hours a day, just to bring in a salary. I understood many valuable things. If a worker loses his job, his entire family will pay the consequences. This is also why I consider myself lucky. I made a mistake, but I didn’t lose anything», Explained the 24-year-old middle in a powerful testimony in Italian schools. Despite this repentant speech, Sandro Tonali wants a change of scenery.
Tonali wants to return to Italy
According to the Gazzetta dello Sporta dynamic was broken at Newcastle this season (12th in the Premier League). The beautiful project of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) under Eddie Howe already seems a past dream. And Sandro Tonali, who now has the impression of having become nothing more than a second knife in the rotation, is the perfect illustration of this. Despite his contract which runs until 2028, the former AC Milan player no longer feels considered, even though he arrived at St James Park with the status of the most expensive recruit in the club’s history . Since his return from suspension, he now plays a supporting role within the English club, unlike his very good recent performances in the national team with the Azzurri, given that Luciano Spalletti continues to place his trust in him. However, during these last months in England, coach Eddie Howe considers that his contribution is insufficient with only 13 Premier League matches played this season including 7 started from the bench, a meager total of 650 minutes. Since returning from suspension, Sandro Tonali has played more minutes for Italy than for Newcastle.
In this sense, the Italian newspaper specifies that Sandro Tonali would like to leave Newcastle as quickly as possible and more widely from England and the Premier League. The Italian midfielder would favor a return to Serie A. Rumors about the transfer window have for several weeks suggested a surprising solution: a return to his beloved AC Milan. A return to San Siro, so hoped for by some fans, could be a fantastic option to complete an excellent midfielder alongside Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders. However, the economic transaction does not appear to be so simple to put together, especially in a winter transfer window. The hypothesis of a dry transfer in January remains unlikely, given that in the summer of 2023, Newcastle spent around 60 million, not counting additional bonuses which could increase the overall cost to 70 million. Under these conditions, his immediate departure could only take place in the form of a loan. With the removal of the growth decree on tax advantages, the salary of 9 million per year represents a barrier for almost all Italian clubs.
