Newcastle United transfer ‘a big loss’ as manager reveals replacement concerns

Tonali joined Newcastle for a fee believed to be around £55m after helping Milan to a Serie A title and a Champions League semi-final during his time at the club. Tonali, who has been given extra time off following his participation at the Under-21 European Championships with Italy this summer, will join up with his new teammates in the coming weeks ahead of the new season. 

Tonali will undoubtedly play a major role in Eddie Howe’s midfield next season - and his departure from AC Milan is being felt by his former club. Speaking for the first time since Tonali’s move to Newcastle, AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli has admitted that the 23-year-old will be ‘a big loss’ for his team and that they will need to carefully select his replacement.

As quoted by Football Italia, Pioli said: “It’s a big loss from a technical perspective and he must be replaced properly. It was a good opportunity for both parties and him, it was difficult to do something different.”