AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli insists that he didn’t know about Sandro Tonali’s gambling issues before his £55m Newcastle move… and claims tonight’s Champions League opponents ‘signed a great deal’

• Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55m during the summer window
• He was banned from football for ten months following illegal betting charges 
• Mauricio Pochettino looks bewildered! Serial winners are the SIXTH best team in London – It’s All Kicking Off 

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli insisted he knew nothing about Sandro Tonali’s gambling issues before his £55m summer move to Newcastle.

The 23-year-old midfielder will miss tonight’s crucial Champions League clash at St James’ Park, after he was banned from football for ten months in October over illegal betting charges.

It is a must-win match for Newcastle and AC Milan, though they both could fail to make it out of the group stage regardless of the result, if Paris Saint-Germain beat Borussia Dortmund in Germany.  

Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth said he ‘didn’t know’ how much AC Milan knew about the issue before Tonali signed for the Magpies.

AC Milan released a statement denying that they had any knowledge following Ashworth’s comments, and ahead of tonight’s match, Pioli insisted Newcastle got a ‘great’ deal. 

Sandro Tonali will miss tonight’s crucial Champions League with AC Milan due to his ban

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli said it was a ‘great’ deal for Newcastle to sign Tonali and insisted that he had no knowledge about the Italian’s gambling issues before his £55m transfer

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Asked in his pre-match press conference whether he had any knowledge, Pioli said: ‘No I didn’t know anything about Sandro’s problem.

‘He was polite, respected, and gave respect to others and was a sensible boy. Even if I think I have a close open relationship with a player I don’t only talk about football. But what they do outside, I don’t know everything about them.’

When asked if he had sympathy for tonight’s opponents, he said: ‘Well, at the moment they signed him it was a good deal, they signed a great deal and what happened after no one could have expected.

‘Tonali, I am very close to him. When he was with us he was a positive lad always showing good will and application. He has fallen within something delicate. We are close to him and I hope this experience can be useful for him. Can he bounce back? Absolutely yes, with regards to his tactical and physical ability.’

As reported by the Athletic, Newcastle have scrutinised ‘every element of the deal’ and launched an internal investigation.  

It’s added that despite Ashworth’s comments on being unsure whether officials at AC Milan were aware of Tonali’s gambling issues, others at Newcastle are confident that the Italian club did not have any knowledge.  

Tonali’s absence has compounded Newcastle’s on-field issues as Eddie Howe’s side battle an injury crisis which is hurting them across all competitions.

The Magpies have been linked with a January move for Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, as well as a loan move for Ruben Neves from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. 

Despite his ban, the Athletic report that there is ‘no anger or irritation’ at Tonali.

It has been claimed that figures at the club have been impressed by Tonali’s brilliant ‘attitude’ and work rate – as he has been putting in extra work to improve himself.

Newcastle have suffered with an injury crisis since the Italian was banned for 10 months

Newcastle need to beat AC Milan and hope PSG fail to get the job done against Borussia Dortmund if they are to reach the last-16 of the Champions League

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Howe said last month: ‘Despite the obvious frustration for me, I’m very pleased he’s training at that level and that’s a hallmark of his character, because it’s very difficult when you’ve got such a long period out to keep your focus day-to-day and do your job as well as you can and he’s certainly done that.

‘So far, he’s coping very well with his situation, in the fact that he’s doing extra work. He’s trying to improve himself.’

A victory for Newcastle would be enough to reach the last-16 if PSG fail to beat Dortmund – due to their superior head-to-head record. 

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