Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has hit back at the critics following his move to Tyneside.
The 23-year-old swapped AC Milan for Newcastle earlier this summer, becoming the club’s second most expensive signing at £55million.
It was a huge surprise to see Tonali make the switch, and there was a lot of noise surrounding the deal when it went through. There were claims in Italy that he did not want to leave AC, which certainly raised eyebrows from supporters of other clubs.
It became a stick to beat Toon fans with on social media, and their argument was strengthened with every picture of Tonali following his move to St James’ Park.
Despite becoming the most expensive Italian player ever, Tonali just never looked happy. He rarely cracked a smile, which led to supporters of other clubs saying he did not want to be at Newcastle United.
It was obviously a nonsense claim, as that just appears to be what he’s like. There was a picture of him on a boat with his girlfriend and even that did not force a smile from the Italy international!
Now Tonali, who is known as Sandy by his Toon teammates, has hit back at those claims with his latest social media post.
Sandro Tonali smiles on Instagram
Tonali updated his Instagram story on his official account on Friday, sharing a picture of himself alongside Toon legend David Ginola, who he had met the previous day.
Alongside the picture, Tonali wrote: “Who says I don’t smile?”
Newcastle’s new number eight can be flashing his teeth with a smile as wide of the Tyne…kind of.
It is good to see Tonali having a laugh on social media and hitting back at the critics. And it is also good to see him alongside a club legend like Ginola, who made Toon fans smile endlessly during his time on Tyneside.
The Frenchman will have told Tonali exactly what to expect from the St James’ Park faithful, which he will experience for the first time this weekend when Newcastle compete in the Sela Cup.
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