As we head towards the summer transfer window the future of Yacine Adli appears to be growing more and more uncertain with such limited playing time.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recall how there was a time when Adli bewitched even Thierry Henry, back in November 2021 after PSG had beaten Bordeaux 3-2. He did an interview after the game, in which Henry told him: “I wanted to tell you that you’ve improved a lot, keep it up. I look forward to seeing you at the World Cup.”
A move to Milan followed, but Adli has only made six appearances after a promising preseason with just one start. The fans wonder why he didn’t get a chance, or at least why he had so few, and despite only seeing him briefly it seems he is the player that most want to stay out of those rumoured to be leaving.
As mentioned, Adli has only made six appearances and was excluded from the Champions League squad list. He played half an hour against Bologna, 20 minutes against Sassuolo, eight against Napoli and an hour in Verona, in his only match as a starter (16 October).
Then Pioli kept him on the bench for fourteen games in a row, only to then use him against Fiorentina on 4 March. From there another nine games without playing before the defeat against Spezia, a match where Yacine stood out with some good plays.
The season tally says 140 minutes played with zero goals, zero assists and one yellow card. The average of 0.67 dribbles per game tells us that when he has the ball he tries and he looks to unlock the game.
Adli at the moment seems more likely to leave than stay. Milan bought him in the summer of 2021 for around €10m, he has a contract until 2026 and would like to remain. On social media he often publishes stories with Rossoneri hearts and encourages his team-mates.
However, Adli is at a crossroads: to keep going at a club where he will continue to get little playing time which harms his growth, or look elsewhere for a chance to play more and prove to everyone that Thierry Henry wasn’t wrong.
I’m beginning to wonder if CDK got playing time because of his price tag. After all putting the 10m man in over the 32m man might get worse for the 32m.man esp if the 10m is vastly better
“I’m beginning to wonder if CDK got playing time because of his price tag”
Wonder no more. It’s 100% certain this is the reason. Adli has shown more commitment, flair and vision in 10 minutes than CDK whole season.
If this isn’t mismanagement of a player, then I don’t know what is. It’s so upsetting to see the kid being treated like this, especially since he was bought outright and left on loan for an entire season. How do you not prepare your team and tactics for a player who you knew was going to be part of the squad the following season? What’s even more upsetting is that, a players with his skillset, have been missing and are desperately needed in this squad. Pioli being the genius that he is, found a way to mismanage Milan’s two most creative players.