AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali has given credit to head coach Stefano Pioli and director Paolo Maldini for their role in getting him to the club.
On their official website, Milan confirmed earlier this month that they have secured the 21-year-old Italian midfielder on a permanent basis. A five-year contract has been signed and the Rossoneri can finally put the story to bed after several weeks of negotiations with his club Brescia.
Antonio Vitiello of MilanNews reported that Tonali has accepted a reduction of his salary in order to play for Milan permanently, with the deal now becoming a €10m paid loan with a €7m fee paid to make the move permanent plus bonuses, and Giacomo Olzer going the other way as per of the deal.
Tonali spoke at length about making his move to Milan a permanent one during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, beginning by talking about a discussion he had with Paolo Maldini after signing his contract.
“Paolo is a pillar, especially at the moment: we are young and training under his eyes, talking with him, passes you special energy. When I signed the new contract we made a point together, on me and on Milan: the past year, the changes, the future to be built… It was nice,” he said (via MilanNews).
Tonali was also asked about the impact that Stefano Pioli has had on him so far, a man who has been credited with helping the development of various young players.
“What relationship do I have with Pioli? Very nice, he’s a father-like figure. We are young, he knows which strings to touch, he knows us thoroughly. We work a lot in the department, we analyse the games played and prepare the next ones: we are really united.”
