Beppe Rossi has looked back on Sandro Tonali's decision to leave Italy for Newcastle United
Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali
Sandro Tonali signed for Newcastle United in 2023(Image: Marco Canoniero/REX/Shutterstock)
Sandro Tonali's first few weeks at Newcastle United were 'extremely difficult' according to the players agent Beppe Risso.
The Italian midfielder made the decision to swap Milan for Tyneside in 2023 after the Magpies had a £55m bid accepted for the then 23-year-old.
It was a wrench for Tonali to leave the San Siro, and Risso admits the player found it difficult in the first few weeks, before embracing the challenge.
Tonali scored after just six minutes on his debut in a 5-1 win over Aston Villa to become an instant fan favourite on Tyneside.
But things were to get a whole lot worse for Tonali, who was handed a 10-month ban from football later than year after admitting illegal gambling-related activities.
Newcastle stood by him, however, and he continued to train with his team-mates before making an emotional return in August 2024. He was a key member of the team which earned a Champions League place that season, as well as a driving force behind the Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool in March 2025.
United agreed to sell Tonali to Tottenham for £100m this summer as they looked to bring in revenue to help fund a rebuild of the squad, but his move to North London has not gone to plan so far.
Sandro Tonali scored on his Newcastle United debut
Sandro Tonali scored on his Newcastle United debut
Spurs are winless in five Premier League games, sitting bottom of the table, and Tonali didn't play in their only victory of the season so far, a Carabao Cup home win over Championship side Charlton.
Risso has been looked back on Tonali's decision to leave Italy in a discussion with Colpi da Maestro podcast, as reported by Milan News.
“We had the feeling that Milan was different," he said. "I know Milan well, and it didn’t give me the feeling of the historic Milan. Speaking with Sandro, we discussed moving to the Premier League, it was a challenge that fascinated him..
“He had the courage because he was one of the most important players and had won a Scudetto. He had the courage to leave, he was a visionary.
"Was it difficult? Very difficult for him, extremely difficult. In the first few weeks, I saw him sad, but then he took the measure and imposed himself as always.”