Ramon Vega cried because Sven Botman chose Newcastle over AC Milan – Sandro Tonali is going to be spectacular!
I can’t wait to hear the reaction of Ramon Vega if / when Newcastle United sign Sandro Tonali.
Back on Friday 24 June 2023, Newcastle United and Lille reached agreement on the transfer of Sven Botman.
It was a long running saga in terms of Newcastle United having first tried to sign the Dutch defender in January 2022, only for both Lille and the player to choose not to do a deal, as at that point they were looking forward to the knockout stages of the Champions League which would begin in the February.
There then followed a lot of stuff in the media about whether Sven Botman, when he eventually did move, would choose AC Milan or Newcastle United.
After the Newcastle United move was announced in June 2022, Sven Botman spoke to Dutch media about his decision and whilst he was polite about AC Milan, he made clear that it had been an easy choice and he only wanted to go to one club:
“Ultimately, Newcastle United’s great project, in combination with the chance to play in the Premier League, was the deciding factor (in choosing Newcastle).
“AC Milan also gave me a good feeling…but Newcastle United felt just a little better in the end.
“I really wanted to go to Newcastle United in January.”
Some of the comments from Italian journalists a year ago were hilarious, crying on because Newcastle United had been chosen ahead of the then Serie A champions.
Ramon Vega (Who had been a poor to average defender playing for Grasshoppers, Watford, Celtic, Tottenham and Cagliari) then bizarrely joining in with the Italian media, when making some over the top comments.
After so many weeks of waiting, Sven Botman has decided: no Milan, he goes to Newcastle. Did money play a decisive role in choosing him?
“I think yes.
“In the end, money always makes a difference in football.
“(But) Then I congratulate the new owners of Milan. Even if they are rich, they did well not to participate in auctions, with Botman’s money you can buy two or three players.
“That said, I am convinced that money undoubtedly made a difference in Botman’s choice.
“With the former owner of the Magpies Mike Ashley in place of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund he would never have gone there. “
What kind of player did Milan miss?
“I saw him play in Ligue 1 at Lille and I can say he is a good player.
“The new Van Dijk? No, Sven is a mix between Jaap Stam and Frank De Boer.
“It’s a shame not to see him in Italy, he would have undoubtedly improved the defensive and tactical phase with you. “
Was it a personal decision or was the former player influenced by the club?
“In my view, both the French club and their agents convinced him to accept Newcastle because Milan were not ready due to the change of ownership.
“I repeat, in the end the choice was dictated by money, in England he will earn more.
“But I don’t think he’s super happy with the decision he made.
“Money is important but it’s not everything.
“And if you are not happy you cannot perform as you would like “.
So, in your opinion, Botman really hoped for Milan?
“AC Milan is AC Milan, a great European team.
“Newcastle will never have the charm of the Rossoneri.
“But the new Saudi ownership project has a lot of appeal for gamers.
“As a former footballer, I would have given priority to Milan and waited a little longer.
“But perhaps Sven was influenced by the project that sold him the club property. Maybe they have promised him that in two, three years they will play in the Champions League. And as we all know Newcastle is the richest club in the world. They really have the financial means to build a great team in the future. “
Well, Sven Botman seemed plenty happy last June when he made the choice of Newcastle United AND in a new interview with the official Ajax site, he DEFINITELY is happy about it now!