Sandro Tonali accepted eye-watering pay cut during betting ban in goodwill gesture

Sandro Tonali gave up £7million in Newcastle wages during his ten-month betting ban, talkSPORT understands.

Tottenham-bound Tonali voluntarily took home less than 10 per cent of his salary as a gesture of goodwill to the Magpies.

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He was banned in October 2023 after admitting to placing bets on matches in which he played in during his time in Italy.

But he opted not to take his full wage during his enforced time away from the sport to help Newcastle out.

Tonali‘s ban was revealed a few weeks into the 2023/24 campaign, not long after he signed for the Toon for £55m.

It meant he went on to miss the remainder of his first season at the club, also missing out on playing for Italy at Euro 2024.

Italian football federation [FIGC] president, Gabriele Gravina, announced at the time: “The FIGC Prosecutor and Tonali have reached an agreement which I have already approved.

“The agreement consists of a ten-month ban plus eight months of rehab activities and at least 16 public appearances.”

Following the investigation and ban, Tonali’s agent Giuseppe Riso had claimed he was living with a ‘gambling addiction’.

The midfielder was accused of placing bets on AC Milan and former club Brescia during his time with them.

He eventually made his comeback for Newcastle in August 2024, after being allowed to continue training during his ban.

And amid their support for him, he took a monster pay cut to help his club out whilst he was unavailable to play.

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Moving on

Tonali is now set to sign for Spurs in a deal worth £100m.

An agreement is in place that will see him head to London for an initial £92.5m, with an extra £7.5m in add-ons.

The 26-year-old has given the green light to join Newcastle’s Premier League rivals after broader terms had been in place for a while.

In total, Tonali played 110 times for the Magpies in three years, scoring ten goals and providing ten assists.

He made 14 appearances in the Champions League, with 79 coming in the Premier League.

He had been virtually an ever-present in Newcastle’s midfield over the last two seasons, starring next to Bruno Guimaraes.

But now he’s on the brink of an exit, with Spurs smashing their transfer record to bring him to the club.