Newcastle United sporting director Danny Ashworth confirms the investigation of Sandro Tonali betting scandal. Danny himself confirmed the ongoing Tonali saga and that it was a “massive shock” for them. Moreover, he said that the club are internally investigating the transfer as well. Tonali joined St James Park for £55m from AC Milan and shortly received a 10-month ban from FA. Danny admits that the news came as a total surprise enforcing them to internally investigate the transfer. He also said that the Magpies will be active in January if they get a suitable replacement.
Danny reacts to surprise news of Tonali saga
Danny Ashworth has shared his reaction on getting the news about betting breaches of Italian,
“It was a massive shock, a massive surprise. Dealing with it was new to all of us.
“First and foremost, Sandro is a human being. Everyone in this room has done things we shouldn’t have done or things we regret.
“Our first port of call is to look after and support him. It’s probably more difficult for him than anyone else. We have a programme to support him and thankfully he’s able to train with the team, which is great for his mental well-being.
“We are still trying to unravel what it means in terms of playing games, but he can join in training on a regular basis.
“He was a big signing for us. We didn’t expect it. You look at yourself. Could I have done better? Could we have known? Should we have known? You look at your processes. I have been doing this for 16 years and it has never happened before.
“You pride yourself on your due diligence and getting the right characters. The culture in this group is very strong and that is not by chance. We spend an immense amount of time looking at the character as well as the player and the athlete.
“We are reviewing what we have done and we will continue to do it moving forwards. It’s a tricky one what you can and can’t know about people in this world. I have to reiterate he has been a top-class individual and professional about this.”
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