27 October 2023 , 13:12
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Sandro Tonali has been cheered and led a lap of honour since landing himself a 10-month ban for betting.
The humane support dished out by boss Eddie Howe and Newcastle fans to the Italian in his hour of crisis has been startling. Once his agent had insisted he was a “gambling addict”, bequeathing victim status in need of understanding and recovery, rather than the cause of a monumental transfer blunder, the tone was set.
But just as remarkable is the lack of public anger shown by the club in the face of such an embarrassing situation. Surely behind the scenes, Newcastle officials are raging?
While it is correct to provide Tonali support to stop gambling, loyalty Newcastle hope he will repay with performances next season, there is the cold hard business angle of the situation to address.
Surely the Saudis are lawyering up - they did that so well as their LIV golf series took on the established Tours. Surely they are examining the small print of their £55m deal with Milan which means they are insured against buying a player who will miss almost a fifth of his contract length. They’ve lost face badly in being sold a star amid a crisis that happened on Milan’s watch.
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And surely Tonali’s contract has a clause that means he was in breach for not telling his new employers about his problem which renders him unable to do his job. Looked at suspiciously, Newcastle have been taken for a ride by someone in this deal.
Eddie Howe will see Sandro Tonali banned, just months after signing him (Getty Images)Tonali could end up paying by losing wages, Newcastle have yet to decide. Maybe Milan will pay by forgoing a portion of the transfer fee. Maybe it will end up going to court. Or maybe it is all too humiliating to pursue.
The softly, softly approach adopted so far by Newcastle needs to pivot into clawing some cash back, so they can ease their FFP stresses and replace Tonali in January.