Tonali insists bottom-placed Tottenham are 'alive and well'

Sandro Tonali joined AC Milan in January 2024 after being banned from football for 10 months following a betting scandal. The midfielder arrived from Newcastle United for a reported £55m, not £100m as previously speculated for other clubs.

The midfielder spoke to reporters about his return to action. "Football is very strange; in 10 days, everything can change from negative to positive," he said. "We're having fun and creating chances. If you don't score in football, you lose. We're not in the doldrums; we're alive and well, and we're positive."

AC Milan have faced challenges since his arrival. They had not scored at all before some matches, and Opta's projections have varied depending on the season. Yahoo Sports pointed to the first halves against various opponents, and to chances missed against Nottingham Forest, Everton and, in the League Cup, Liverpool.

Tonali, a defensive midfielder, said the same patience applied to Italy. "We know the team is very strong. Here in the national team, it's different; it's a very new and young group; we've practically never played together. We just have to wait." Italy sit fourth in their Nations League group with no points from their first game.

AC Milan manager has defended his signing. "He's a good guy, he's working very hard and I'm happy to have Sandro," the manager said recently. "The adaptation has not been so fast but it can happen, also in Milan in the first season, he was younger, but it is not so easy to change city, to change everything for the players. Sometimes the adaptation is immediate, sometimes you need more time."

If the chances Tonali describes start to go in, the gap to safety is not yet a large one. If they do not, the club's most expensive signing will keep drawing the scrutiny that a fee of that size brings.