Sandro Tonali has revealed more about his decision to leave AC Milan in favour of a move to Newcastle United, insisting it was the right time to leave.
The decision to sell Tonali to Newcastle certainly generated a fiery reaction from a fan base that had already bid farewell to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paolo Maldini not long before, raising questions about whether the Rossoneri could become another Borussia Dortmund or RB Leipzig.
We asked James Horncastle from The Athletic on our latest podcast episode about how Tonali’s record-breaking move actually came about. One of the key things he confirmed was that the deal couldn’t have taken place unless the player wanted to go.
Tonali gave his first official interview to NUFC TV about the new challenge that awaits him and also why he decided to uproot and leave his boyhood club.
“There were many steps. The most important was the first, when they informed me of Newcastle’s interest. I immediately took it well because I knew that it was something real, concrete,” he said.
“So we reasoned differently than on all the other occasions in which we were contacted by clubs in the past. Every year there are teams interested, this time people have really shown that they really want me here at all costs.
“At Milan I went on a journey that ended with the semi-finals of the Champions League. The first year we fought for the title, the second year we managed to win it, the third year we didn’t make it but we went far ahead in the Champions League. So the people who convinced me to come here have been a key part of this transfer.”
On the Newcastle project: “It is a project that is being born, that has already been born, and that must be carried forward.”
On his farewell to Milan: “This has been one of the most difficult decisions since I’ve been a footballer. It was difficult but it had to be done, and the time had come to do it. We decided to take this new path.
“A very difficult decision, having overcome it will start an uphill journey because it will be difficult. But it is an opportunity and something to try.”
On the Scudetto won: “A fantastic year. We all learned a lot there. Every game was like a final. The first one to give up an inch could lose the title.
“In every game you had to win to get to the end and there were about 10 games to go. It was a good, sporting fight that rewarded us for what we did throughout the season.”
Maybe now people will stop saying that Tonali was pushed out by the club.
The deal happened way too quick way too early in the mercato, with almost no fuss for someone that was getting pushed out against his will.
He got offered a lot of money and he asked to be sold. He went from 2.5 mil a season to up to 9 mil a season. He’d be a fool not to leave. Anyone would be a fool not to leave their job for another that offers them almost a quadruple bump in salary.
Good luck to Sandro Tonali, hopefully he fairs far better than most of the Italian players that went abroad
Tonali accepted the move before Newcastle even approached Milan apparently so what this whole thing has to do with greedy Americans selling the soul of the club I don’t know. Anyway we wish you all the best Sandro and hope you come back someday.
Yeah and he looks so ecstatic every time like his cat just got ran over by a car. His agent is way more enthusiastic about all of that.
The soul of the club as you say just left when Ibra retired and Maldini got fired, with bankers explaining to the players “we won’t invest despite UCL semis, we will sell to raise money, we have a very long-term project to develop young fellows and build a stadium”. Sandro is a fan, but he has to manage his career first. He’ll have way more opportunities to win trophies with Newcastle and its project, and of course there is the money. I’m sure Maldini would have convinced him to stay. Now he’s adamant about coming back so hopefully in a few years we are back at the top and he returns.
Were you in the room when the bankers said to the players that they wont invest beside UCL semi final? Seems to me like they are investing.
Does it look like Milan is signing young fellows to develop? The 2 players that they have signed are older than Tonali and way more experienced.
Did Maldini convince Gigio, Hakan, Kessie to stay instead of going for the big payday just like Tonali did? Nope.
It’s a fact that they don’t invest. We had the same budget than last year, there is no debt anymore, huge revenues from UCL, Maldini got fired because of his infamous interview about needed investments, the money they are spending is mostly from Tonali’s sale.
Loftus-Cheek and Pulisic are leftovers, the former being a target of M&M for the rotation but now he’ll be a starter. I understand the optimism around Pulisic, I share it and I hope he becomes Kakà, but he could also be some inconsistent player like Diaz.
Your last point is irrelevant, these guys were at the end of their contract, Tonali just extended not long ago. These guys were led by greedy agents which was a problem with our salary cap. M&M didn’t bow to Dollarumma and they even replaced him brilliantly.
Except the new owners are investing. And neither are left overs. Tonali wanted to leave based on his own decision not because he was pushed out. The prior management made some bad decisions, like Messias and CDK, but go on and tell us how stunning they were.
And Tonali’s agent is not gready , he is one of the good guys, right?
Donnarumma and Hakan had 2 years left on their contracts when Maldini became Milan technical director, Kessie and Romagnoli had 3 years left on their contracts. Does it sound like they were at the end of their contracts?
How was Maldini going to convince Tonali to reject an offer that would have quadruple his salary? Pay the difference out of his own pocket?
True, Donnarumma was replaced brilliantly , how do you know Tonali won’t be replaced brilliantly?
You have already predetermined that they won’t because you are still hurt that Maldini got fired. It oozes with every comment you write here.
Will know how he will be replaced when the transfer window is over and the players hit the pitch, not before that, no matter how much Maldini fans want this management to fail just so they can feel better.
Maldini isn’t coming back.
Time to move on
” We had the same budget than last year, there is no debt anymore, huge revenues from UCL, Maldini got fired because of his infamous interview about needed investments, the money they are spending is mostly from Tonali’s sale.”
No. We only made a profit of 10m least season (see source below @ “operating income”). It was the first profit recorded since 2015. Overall the balance is still negative. To explain a little about finance: You can make 1bn in revenue, but if you spend 1.1bn you have an operating income of -.1bn, i.e. you’ve lost money. To make profit, your revenues have to be greater than your expenses. To decrease the clubs negative bank balance it needs to make profit. Meanwhile the club still needs to operate. Selling Tonali for 70m and using it to fund 4-5 purchases for badly needed starters and depth players is just good management, regardless of how you feel about the individual player. It means we don’t have to dip into the “bank account”, i.e., we don’t have to add to the debt.
Source: forbes.com/teams/ac-milan/?sh=5910dffb3a03
“Your last point is irrelevant, these guys were at the end of their contract, Tonali just extended not long ago. These guys were led by greedy agents which was a problem with our salary cap. M&M didn’t bow to Dollarumma and they even replaced him brilliantly.”
This whole paragraph is contradictory.
“Your last point is irrelevant, these guys were at the end of their contract, Tonali just extended not long ago.”
So? You extend him because that’s what you do. You can’t anticipate future offers. Time passes and an offer that is too good to turn down by both player and club arrives. This can happen a year after an extension, or a week, or a day even.
“These guys were led by greedy agents which was a problem with our salary cap.”
Show me an agent that isn’t greedy? Tonali’s are no different. Regardless, all of Raiola’s players benefited financially from his greediness. How fans feel about the transfer is not considered.
“M&M didn’t bow to Dollarumma and they even replaced him brilliantly.”
In retrospect. “Hindsight is 20/20” as they say. Do you remember the period after the release Donnarumma on a free and before Maignan showed his worth? The club (“M&M”) were HEAVILY criticized for letting him walk on a free (The point here is let the club do their work this summer and judge at the end of the season).
I totally agree with your comments. I’ve never seen somebody so underwhelmed by a move and all he seems to repeat is that he will be back! I also agree that his agent seemed far more enthusiastic.
He also does not answer the questions that are asked of him in any interviews. I live in Newcastle, and many NUFC fans agree with me.
I do believe that we need to move on from this subject though as the club is far bigger than one player! I wish Sandro well:)
Unless a player is in the last 6months of his contract, you can’t make deals with him if his club dosen’t allow you too.
He leaves a hole that definitely needs to be replaced, but I never rated him as highly as other people seem to, and frankly I’m already happy with the progress we’re making in the transfer window so far and think we’re going to be a better team next season, especially if some of the rumours about signings are true.
Good luck to him, but I’m happy that he has gone and our actual most important midfielder of the last few seasons, Bennacer, is staying.
Don’t you ever get tired of boot licking Cardinale? Every comment you make since you came on this page is just prasing Cardinale business in one way or another. Are you even a fan of Milan ? Did you even knew that Ac Milan existed before Cardinale bought it ?
Dont you get tired of boot licking Maldini? This is AC Milan, AC Milan will survive without Maldini
Stop supporting AC Maldini and if you do, go away, that club doesnt exist.
If you were actually on this page for long enough you would have known that i was critisizing Maldini for his work as a director lol. But what would a bot know except to boot lick the new ownership. That’s practicly the whole point of your existence.
I’ve been critical of Cardinale and this new management, and even I can see they are now making the right moves for players. Tonali didn’t want to stay at Milan by his own decision. He went for the money to a team that will likely struggle next season. Maybe question him about it instead.
Sorry but turning Milan in to a business venture and a feeder club is not the right moves. Also removing the Italian backbone of Milan is not the right moves. You will see in some time.
Nobody is turning Milan into a feeder club. You really have no idea what you’re even talking about and are talking more from emotion and feeling. Leao for example was renewed for the long term.
Giancarlo, I guess you missed the fact that Milan just sold one of their bigest prospects Tonali.
Struggle? Have you watched Newcastle play? They’ve been improving greatly since their new ownerships investments.
They are a serious top 4 contender nowdays in a very competitive Premier League.
“They are a serious top 4 contender nowdays in a very competitive Premier League”
Or? In other words, it’s because Chelsea and Liverpool, were awful last season? Let’s see if they can manage to finish in top four this season as well!
LOLLL I doubt they get to the top 4 again once Liverpool and Chelsea get their acts together. They are at best an EL team.
Good luck at Newcastle. I will follow you with interest.
Said it from the start, just because you’re a fan of the club doesn’t mean it’s your obligation to stay. If that was the case Mbappe would’ve joined us long ago. I wish Sandro well. He will be missed but on to bigger and better things.
don’t be supreise if Beanacre too is been sold to an English team despite him been injured
“There were many steps. The most important was the first, when they informed me of Newcastle’s interest.” – translation, Newcastle told Milan that they want me, Milan told me that info and most likely said if they give a suitable offer for you, would you want to leave?
“I immediately took it well because I knew that it was something real, concrete,” – translation, I knew that Newcastle wanted me and Milan didn’t and Newcastle want to win and Milan doesn’t.
Tonali is being diplomatic but it’s there if you can understand diplomacy.
you get the point. some guys talk. as though they were invited to transfer meetings with agents… if you have hope of returning somewhere, you don’t bash the former club.. pure diplomacy in Tonali’s speech
i can’t wait until they realize they way overpaid for this overhyped, overrated player. This was a great deal for Milan. Let’s see his ratings in the premier league when he doesn’t get an extra point added to his rating every game for being the “Italian Golden Boy.” I bet SempreMilan still figure a way to give Tonali MOTM even though he’s not on the team anymore.
i cant wait till we get him back on loan with an option to buy🤣🤣🤣🤣 this time next year.
this boy can not live outside italy, maybe he could have managed London.
swap pasta and wine for fish, chips and gravy with a bottle of newcastle brown ale.
swap the designer arcades of Milan for Primark and Sports Direct
Wehave robbed the premiership wannabes.
I’m feeling the same. He made a huge mistake, but it’s on him really. We’ll reinvest into our team and make better investments.
Unfortunately for him, it’ll be too late to come back.