AC Milan icon Paolo Maldini had opened up on the sale of Sandro Tonali and expressed his shock over the midfielder’s lengthy suspension.
The Magpies surprised many by successfully signing the Italy midfielder during the summer transfer window for about £55m, following an agreement between the two clubs. Tonali, who had a successful tenure at Milan with over 130 appearances and contributing to their Serie A victory in 2022, had a stellar start to his career at Newcastle by scoring early in his Premier League debut against Aston Villa.
Despite making 12 appearances across various competitions, including a poignant return to San Siro for a Champions League match against his former team, the 23-year-old won’t be seen on the field until the next season due to a ten-month ban for violating gambling regulations in his home country.
Maldini, who departed from his position as Milan’s technical director in the summer, confessed that the club didn’t have a genuine necessity to authorize Tonali’s sale to Newcastle and termed the ban he received as a setback for AC Milan.
He told La Repubblica: “We would have done everything possible not to keep him, even in the face of such an important offer. We have never been totally against the sale of one of our important players, but there wasn’t a real need either.
“I like to remember that we spent an amount equal to about a fifth of the value of the transfer to the public domain to purchase it and that even in that case we had to have lively discussions with the CEO and owners. None of them wanted to buy him. Not even the scouting area.”
“I was shocked (over the betting ban). I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how uncomfortable he was. This makes me understand once again that not enough is ever done to try to manage and understand these kids. What happened to Sandro is a defeat for us too.”
Leave a Reply