Tonali ‘was sad in first weeks’ at Newcastle United after leaving Milan
UDINE, ITALY - OCTOBER 14: Sandro Tonali of Italy warms up prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Israel at Stadio Friuli on October 14, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Sandro Tonali ‘was sad’ for the first few weeks when he first left Milan for Newcastle United, said his agent, but the Premier League and then Tottenham Hotspur ‘proved the right choice.’
The Italy midfielder grew up supporting the Rossoneri from nearby Brescia and jumped at the chance to join them when they called, going on to be part of the team that won the Serie A title.
So when the huge offer arrived for him to move to Newcastle United, the player was hesitant.
Tonali unsure about Newcastle United move
“We made the first step because we realised that Milan were becoming different,” agent Beppe Riso told the Colpi da Maestro podcast.
“I know Milan well, and this was not giving the same sensations as that historic club. Talking to Sandro, we considered that going to the Premier League was a fascinating challenge. He had courage to go, because he was one of the most important players in the Scudetto-winning side, but he was a visionary.”
The move to England was not entirely without problems, as the representative admits it took a while to settle in Newcastle.
“It was very difficult for him, in the first few weeks he was sad, but he got a handle on things and made his mark, as always.”
There are reports the overall price that Newcastle United paid to Milan in the summer of 2023 was €67m plus add-ons.
That was then later dwarfed by the €108m that Tottenham Hotspur shelled out to purchase the same player three years later.
“It was a crazy move for the numbers, but also for the responsibility,” added Riso.
“When you talk to Sandro and explain your vision, you take responsibility. It was complicated during those first few weeks when I saw how sad he was, but after a while he got used to it and it proved to be the right choice.”
Tonali has a history of taking time to settle, as he struggled when first making the step up from Brescia to Milan too.
“He didn’t do that well the first year, but you could sense in his attitude that he was different from the other lads. When you get close to him, you recognise he is a champion and a great man.”
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.