Boy, we thought this past January was bad…June 2023 has suuuuuuuucked. First Zlatan, then Maldini, then Berlusconi, and now this – Milan’s face and future capitano is off to Newcastle United for a record fee for an Italian player.
None of us could have predicted this the morning of June 4, 2023, but by June 5th and Maldini’s firing something definitely seemed off. Not everyone wanted to believe what Maldini’s firing potentially meant in the big picture but we didn’t shy away from saying it was a bad omen. I’ll have more to say about this in a future post but for now let’s just say that most of us are not happy with what’s now here and what’s still to come.
Brief History of Tonali's Brief Milanista Career
Initially brought in on loan and to much fanfare, with most of us knowing what Milan was getting, was one of the best young Italian midfielders in a generation and a Milanista at heart. Maldini worked his magic, got him on loan with an option to buy and then worked that down even more. This meant Milan got a generational player and future face of the franchise for basically peanuts.
His first season he struggled playing under the bigger lights but there were flashes that showed why the hype was legitimate and we all saw what a special talent he was.
In his short time he scored some big goals, including vital ones down the stretch during the Scudetto-winning season including the late winner vs Lazio (the pic above). Time and again we began seeing him making key plays at crucial times and becoming an irreplaceable player. His vital contributions were a key reason Milan lifted their 19th Scudetto.
As his time with Milan grew, we began to see him evolve from a more defensive midfielder to one who could get forward and vitally contribute to the buildup of play. Lisi and I spoke a lot this past season that we could see Tonali take on a more advanced role on the team in the near future, including occupying the CAM role Pioli likes to sometimes sure-up defensively.
Despite this growing repertoire in his offensive game, he still played with a mean streak, something that initially surprised me since he came in with all the Andrea Pirlo comparisons (although this became evident pretty quickly that the comparisons only worked so far as him being Italian and having that gorgeous head of thick black hair, LOL). On more than one occasion we saw him body bigger opponents at crucial moments and he could pair easily with either Bennacer, Kessie, or Krunic in the double-pivot. Plus, there were all the times he manhandled Hakan and he will forever be in my heart for that…
The Transfer
Despite all the memories in his short amount of time at Milan, Redbird and their genius leader found it fit that the first player they shipped off was this very player. Yes, in a vacuum the €70M-€80M price tag that’s being reported is a lot and it’s a smart move on paper. But, there are many factors into determining what is a smart transfer and the price tag, while important, isn’t the only thing. Fan enthusiasm, success on the pitch, and team morale are all part of that equation.
The other part of the equation, and I won’t spend all that much time here as this will be discussed in-depth in a future post, is what Redbird decide to do with the funds. Selling one of your most valuable assets and native Italian players can be good but what is done subsequently determines this. Selling a Tonali to reinvest in the club and restock with promising young talent (Tonali is only 23yrs old but never mind that) with the goal of on-the-pitch success and trophies is good. Selling a Tonali to stock the coffers, invest in other non-Milan endeavors, and pay shareholders is, umm, less good.
One last thing to mention is the already-started-PR-war about this. I mentioned and shared some conflicting reports in the comment section of the last post, with some reporting that Tonali was more-and-less forced out , and some saying had Tonali said, “no”, he could’ve stayed. The reporting on the former is a little more trustworthy than the latter considering the source (SkySports) but it’s really difficult to know at this juncture. For Tonali, the large increase in his salary I’m sure was a contributing factor as was his knowing how much the transfer fee could help Milan, similar to the Kaka and then Zlatan/Silva moves. We all know Gerry Cardinale has incentive to spin this as positively as possible because he needs to keep the cash flow into the coffers going.
My own opinion is that Tonali was pretty much forced out but with what just happened to Maldini still being so fresh in everyone’s mind, he probably felt he had no reason to stay. Time will tell on these matters (it’s already looking bleak) but I for one am not at all happy or optimistic about Milan’s future and this transfer only further cements this sentiment. Milan is changing. Changing into what?…we’re starting to see but it’s not looking good.
Tonali is now a NewcastleUnited Magpie. Nothing we say or bitch about will change that but I don’t fault him one bit. So, let me end with this:
Good luck, Sandro. We here at the Fossa wish you nothing but success and we already miss you.
Forza Sandro.
Forza Milan.
gillis
