For the last several months, Sandro Tonali has been repeatedly tipped to join Inter with some sources claiming a deal had been reached between the club and the player, and yet the Brescia golden-boy will end up on the red and black side of the city as Milan won one of the hottest transfer battles of the summer.
So what are the reasons behind this unexpected twist? And what should the Rossoneri fans expect from their newest signing? And finally, how will Stefano Pioli shape-up his Milan formation next season with the addition of Tonali?
Inter’s Turnaround
Almost six years ago from this very day, Inter were about to sign a young Atalanta winger called Giacomo Bonaventura, until the negotiations between the two clubs fell apart and “Jack” was left heart-broken on deadline day…. Until he received a call from former Milan CEO Adriano Galliani that left the young man with tears of joy.
Today, just as Bonaventura is heading towards Milanello’s exit door, his Italy teammate Tonali is heading in the opposite direction, and perhaps in similar circumstances to the ones that accompanied Giacomo’s arrival six years ago.
Despite Brescia’s mediocre season ending up with a quick return to Serie B, the 20-year old Tonali was able to shine in a team composed mostly of forgettable players that we might not see in the top-tier any time soon (including Mario Balotelli, who’s always remembered for the wrong reasons).
Almost a week ago, all the major Italian news sources had agreed that Inter would manage to sign Tonali one way or another – despite Milan’s attempts that were perceived as “too little too late.”
But then again, at the beginning of last week, we were all led to believe that Antonio Conte would be leaving Inter with Massimiliano Allegri being tipped to replace him. So, did the surprising Conte turnaround change Inter’s transfer priorities this summer?
A trophy hunter in his nature, the former Juventus and Chelsea boss doesn’t have the desire nor the patience to help developing youngsters, especially with the Nerazzurri fans demanding to deliver the promised silverware that he failed to claim in his first season with the club.
We are talking about a group of players who, apart from Godin, haven’t won anything. It’s difficult then to deal with a tough situation.
Who do I call on? Nicolò Barella, who we signed from Cagliari? Or Stefano Sensi, who arrived from Sassuolo?
Those were Antonio Conte’s words after Inter’s 2-3 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League group stage last season, which truly symbolizes the manager’s “Old Italian” philosophy.
Basically the Inter boss wants proven champions among his ranks, preferring to squeeze the last remaining years of Arturo Vidal’s career rather than having to work on developing a 20-year old Tonali who’s even younger than Barella and Sensi.
Thus, Inter were no longer too eager to meet the terms of Brescia’s Massimo Cellino, and the path was cleared for Milan director Paolo Maldini to strengthen his resume by securing the signing of Italy’s brightest talent on the market.
Sandro Tonali’s Attributes
Just like any other young ball-playing regista, Sandro Tonali earned the obligatory “New Pirlo” tag and also won some extra grades thanks to his thick black hair and the Brescia link. But the young man has a different vision of his playing style in mind:
I guess there are similarities with Pirlo in a way, but I also put a lot of grit in there, so maybe more Gattuso.
While obviously not lacking the confidence, there’s some truth behind Sandro’s words. The “New Pirlo” label is just lazy and more of a cliche at this point, as the differences between Tonali and the current Juventus boss are obvious to see.
While Andrea Pirlo relied mainly on his skills and passing abilities, leaving his physically stronger teammates – the likes of Gattuso and Vidal – to do the battles, the new Milan signing enjoys “getting his hands dirty” almost as much as playing the long pass.
Blessed with speed and strength, Tonali is also able to drive the ball forward himself with his runs when he’s unable to find an open teammate.
If we were to choose a midfielder with similar attributes to those of Tonali, perhaps we could dub the former Brescia boy as a potential Italian version of Spain legend Xabi Alonso.
Pioli’s Headaches
After having to rely almost exclusively on Frank Kessié and Ismael Benaccer in the double-pivot role last season, Sandro Tonali’s arrival, as well as the expected return of Tiemoué Bakayoko and Tommaso Pobega, will offer coach Stefano Pioli the wanted type of headaches.
If the former Inter, Lazio, and Fiorentina boss decides to maintain the 4-2-3-1 formation – which brought great success late in the season – then Tonali could end up usurping Benaccer as the deep-lying playmaker, even if the Algerian gets an early head-start as an established member of the squad.
But the presence of several capable midfielders will offer Pioli some tactical flexibility, as the coach could opt to reverse back to the more conventional 4-3-3 with Tonali playing in his familiar regista role at Milan. Thus, this change could offer Bennacer the chance to play alongside the young Italian if he can adapt in the mezzala (“semi-winger”) role as an alternative for Bakayoko.
But one thing is for sure, Milan under Pioli will begin next season with an improved squad and a better mindset than last season, and the capture of the talented young Tonali is a sign that the club could finally be heading for better days.