Sandro Tonali hid his illness from everyone – this is how Newcastle helped to cure him

Newcastle were determined to stick by their star signing and now the Italian has the chance to repay the club

When Sandro Tonali was banned for 10 months for breaking gambling rules, it deprived Newcastle United of last summer’s star signing and tarnished the reputation of one of Italy’s biggest names.
As one senior member of the club’s hierarchy told Telegraph Sport last year: “It f—– our season.” Newcastle, hampered by a crippling injury list, were knocked out of Europe in the group stage of the Champions League, failed to qualify for Europe after finishing seventh in the Premier League and exited both domestic cup competitions in the quarter-finals.
Tonali started just eight games following his £58 million move from AC Milan, but rather than blame the 24-year-old for failing to disclose the issue before he made his high-profile move to England, Newcastle threw a protective shield around a “vulnerable young man battling addiction who needed love and care” – not criticism.
This is the inside story of Tonali’s time out during his lengthy ban and how Newcastle helped to rebuild a player who is finally ready to be unleashed again on English football, with a likely start against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Newcastle were stunned when news of the investigation into Tonali’s potential breaches of gambling rules first broke in Italy in October. There was a deep sense of foreboding and an initial wave of anger and disappointment.
Having been so excited to sign one of European football’s best young midfield players, congratulating themselves on pulling off a recruitment coup, the mood was dark.
There was naturally a suspicion that AC Milan had known all about the impending investigation and Tonali’s problems when they sold him in July. Newcastle immediately launched an investigation, but found no evidence of any wrongdoing on AC Milan’s part and remained satisfied that the only person who knew what he had done was Tonali.
In hastily arranged meetings, the club prepared for the worst and suspected a lengthy ban was coming but, led by former sporting director Dan Ashworth, former co-owner Amanda Staveley and manager Eddie Howe, they swiftly made the decision to protect the player the best they could.
When Tonali and his advisors were called in to explain the situation, one source has described the meeting as “incredibly emotional” as Tonali admitted to betting on games involving both his two former clubs, Brescia and AC Milan, and the extent of his gambling addiction.
Crucially, the player did not attempt to hide anything. He was “embarrassed and felt like he had let people down, not just the people at his new club, but his family, his advisers and everyone around him.”
A source close to Tonali added: “He was going through a range of emotions, he was very withdrawn, he was going through something that very few people would understand and he had a feeling of guilt, that he had let everyone down. That is a horrible place to be.”
Tonali was just starting to build relationships at Newcastle and the strain was obvious. He was visibly hurt and in those early days, struggled to communicate in English.
By his own admission, he had not really wanted to leave the San Siro, only to be sold because of AC Milan’s financial situation. As hard as that was to process, he was determined to impress at his new club. He scored on his debut against Aston Villa but had not really got into his stride when the ban was imposed.
Newcastle made it clear from the start they would be supporting him, that they recognised he was a victim of an illness and a damaging addiction.
For people as experienced in football as Ashworth, Howe and members of his coaching staff, they had seen others who had battled the same problems and had seen their mental health, as well as their careers, destroyed by addictions. There was a collective determination to help Tonali rather than chastise him. It created the environment for everything that has happened since.
“We wanted to treat him as a human being with an illness rather than an expensive signing who was facing a lengthy ban,” one insider, who was involved in those discussions, told Telegraph Sport. “Whatever our own frustrations, making sure Sandro got the help he needed was always the most important thing.
“He was a young man, who had moved to a foreign country, who had an illness.
“He had hidden it from everyone around him and making sure he got the treatment and support he needed has always been the club’s attitude throughout. We understood the seriousness of the illness from the start and ignored the outside noise, which was more negative.”
Although much of the treatment he has received has been done in Italy, Tonali has spent the vast majority of his ban in Newcastle. He has trained almost every day; has not asked for extra time off to go home and has bought a house in the area.
He has been involved in the squad, not just in training, but also at social events. His team-mates have treated him like one of the lads from the start and there have been no recriminations or blame attached. Captain Kieran Trippier is understood to have been particularly attentive in making sure Tonali was settling in, given his own experience of playing abroad with Atletico Madrid.
The club also provided a psychologist to help him process what has happened and to continue his rehabilitation. The football side of things was secondary to all of that. Tonali trained, but at the start of the ban in particular it was stressed that he needed to get the help he needed to deal with his addiction, as well as look after his mental health.
Even so, Tonali declined the opportunity to spend lengthy periods in Italy in more familiar surroundings. His manager, Andrea Romeo, has been living in Newcastle too and is a constant source of support.
In turn, Tonali has taken daily English lessons and is now able to communicate comfortably with team-mates and staff. It has also helped him that both Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth are able to speak Italian, while he has formed a close friendship with the South American players, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Miguel Almiron.
One team-mate said: “Sandro is a personality who can mix with a lot of people in the squad, he interacts with everyone and likes the English lads too who have taken a shine to him. Like all foreign players they are obsessed with trying to get him to speak like a Geordie.
“Sandro is incredibly kind and very generous. He has done a few things for the lads that have really gone down well with the group. He’s a good guy, quite quiet and calm around the place, but he’s made himself popular. He is one of those guys who will do something for you without being asked. He has a huge heart. We really like him.”
For Howe, there is no doubt that Tonali has rebuilt his life and is ready to reignite his career too.
“He has shown real mental strength,” said the Newcastle manager. “And he will be a better player from this, eventually.
“I think you’ll see a much stronger person from it because when you go through adversity and tough items you do find more strength than you realise you had.
“It’s been a long wait for him. He’s handled himself impeccably. He’s trained really well.
“He’s been an excellent team-mate for the other lads. I think they will definitely rally around him and help him in these early stages.
“I’d say his training performances have steadily improved and got even better ahead of his return and he’s fully focused now on that first game.”
Tonali was not an instant hit at Newcastle. There were flashes of quality in his handful of appearances before his ban, particularly in a superb debut on the opening day of the season against Aston Villa, but he was struggling to adapt to the pace and physicality of English football.
That is not unusual for any foreign import to the Premier League and Tonali was also playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders given the investigation into his gambling addiction and the guilt he felt.
Interestingly, though, while it may have been lost amid the euphoria of the occasion at the time, Tonali was also superb in the 4-1 Champions League win over Paris St-Germain at the start of October. Indeed, in their post-match debrief and despite the fact others had earned the headlines, Newcastle’s coaching staff believed that Tonali was the best player on the pitch for the 65 minutes he played.
It is that performance that is a sign of things to come and Newcastle’s coaching staff are hugely optimistic about what he is going to bring. One told Telegraph Sport, “he is not as flamboyant as Bruno, but he is every bit as good, just as effective. He will bring calmness, as well as high energy.
“He will use the ball so intelligently and he is one of those players who, at the time, might not stand out, but when you analyse the game and watch it back, he was magnificent.
“He is a real team player and will be a linchpin for us in the middle of the pitch. He does a lot of stuff a lot of people don’t immediately appreciate but he will be so important moving forward.”
Tonali is said to be “champing on the bit” to prove his worth and is likely to start against Forest in the League Cup on Wednesday.
He has also been “incredibly touched” by the support he has received and the love of the fans, who continued to sing songs about him last season even while he was banned.
“Absolutely I’m excited about the impact he is going to have,” added Howe. “I’m really looking forward to seeing him play again, for him and everybody connected with the club, for the supporters I’m sure it will be a good moment.”