Samuel Chukwueze was for many the most exciting signing of AC Milan’s summer transfer window but he is yet to get his first goal and has had a difficult start.
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Calciomercato.com recall that Stefano Pioli said in his pre-Dortmund press conference today that he was satisfied with Chukwueze’s contribution in the victory over Fiorentina in the league on Saturday night.
“He often worked wide, but against Fiorentina he worked more inside to stay in the heart of the game,” he said. At the beginning of the second half he had an opportunity with a header from the centre of the area which he must build on to be more dangerous more often.
Rafael Leao and Noah Okafor’s injuries mean that Chukwueze is expected to start against Borussia Dortmund in one of the most important matches of the season. The reverse fixture ended 0-0 mainly due to his failure to take a chance when through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Bundesliga opponents hold some good memories though, such as in the quarter-finals of the 2021-22 Champions League when Chukwueze scored in the return leg at Bayern Munich and eliminated the Bavarians after a 1-0 first leg lead.
If Milan were to win tomorrow and then got the result needed against Newcastle they would seal qualification to the round of 16 which, alone, is worth around €10m. As things currently stand, the victory against PSG and the draws against Dortmund and Newcastle have brought in almost €5m in prize money, which can rise to €10m with two wins in the last two matches.
Milan’s revenue in the event of passage to the direct elimination phase would be very close to the €28m paid in the summer – a fixed part of €20m plus bonuses – for Chukwueze’s card. So if he is decisive tomorrow, he could go some way towards ‘repaying’ the investment made.
