At first I thought reports that he could be facing a 3 year ban were scaremongering. Other players get months long bans rather than years long bans, but now it seems that he was betting on results in matches that he was playing in and that might make a difference. I can see a scenario where a long ban might be more in Newcastle's interests because a 3 year ban is clear, the player is unable to fulfill his contract in any meaningful way and presumably opens the door to dismissal on the grounds of gross misconduct. Newcastle would have to take a £55m hit, but have the resources to do so. A shorter ban, with say half of it suspended would make him unavailable for the rest of the season, but also make it harder for Newcastle to replace the player under the FFP rules in the short term, because Tonali's transfer fee is worth about £11m per season and earns over £7m a year and would still be on the books..... 18 million quid they can't now spend. That being said, from next season onwards and with the right support, Newcastle might have an excellent and extremely grateful young player with a long contract who is fully committed to the club and the project.... and he'll have a long period of reflection in which to learn the language
The whole thing does make me wonder how much Milan knew about this before they 'reluctantly' decided to sell the player. There were also reports in the summer that the player was uncertain about the move and was persuaded to go by Milan. It also makes me question how diligently Newcastle's 'character' tests were followed when checking the player over before pursuing the bid. These personality tests are of paramount importance to Eddie Howe and this looks like a complete *modded* up from start to finish
