AC Milan will soon welcome Divock Origi and Fodè Ballo-Touré back to the club after their loan deals expire, and they hope that they will soon be able to find them new accomodation.
La Gazzetta dello Sport describes it as ‘two thorny cases to resolve’. Origi scored one goal in 20 games on loan at Nottingham Forest, while Ballo-Touré managed just seven appearances for Fulham, not even reaching 100 minutes in the Premier League.
Neither will be permanently bought as so they will return with two significant salaries: the Belgian earns €4m net per season, the Senegalese €1m. If they had had a top-level season they would have brought at least €10m in transfer fees, but now it will be a challenge just to get rid.
Origi arrived at Milan as a European champion and Premier League winner with Liverpool in 2019 on a free transfer and was meant to be the alternative to Olivier Giroud, yet he managed just a couple of goals in 36 games. One of these was at San Siro, in a 5-2 defeat against Sassuolo.
Ballo-Toure meanwhile is only remembered for that last-minute goal in Empoli 1-3 Milan. In two years he has collected 26 appearances, having been signed in 2021 for around €3m and failing in his mission to become a reliable deputy to Theo Hernandez.
After yet another flop season it will be difficult to sell him and the same goes for Origi, even if the striker has a bigger market. After all, in 2019, he scored two goals in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona and another in the final. That player was never seen again.
Maldini masterclass.
Think he got unlucky with Origi. Every other half decent premier league player has worked effectively here. But he’s terrible, yes.
It’s a shame that we couldn’t keep Kherkez.
Unfortunately yes but I’d give him some slack. He didn’t have much to work with in terms of a transfer budget and he had an operating budget he could use instead.
It was like his superior wanted him to fail.
I dont see a problem. Ballo has a 2M salary and one year left on his contract. Pay him out and he is free agent. Done, gone.
Origi is till 2026. Maybe a loan again. Doubt anyone would buy, even for a mil or two
Pay him out? You mean the same amount he gets now? Naah, he’ll make himself useful as the waterboy & ballboy serving the real players.
Sometimes you just gotta take the L and move on. Even tho I don’t think Balo was a poor backup, he was decent enough.
Origi can be offloaded to MLS hopefully. Not sure who in Europe would want him.
B Toure is an occupational hazard. I don’t know if they cash out on him or what.
Let both leave on a free, forget about receiving a fee. Same way Real Madrid and Florentina did with Jovic
Origi is something like our karma, I guess.
Omg theese two. Pay them to just stay away.
The reason why of all this is because of the type of players we buy. Only cheap ones of 10to20 million and they much end up with you because nobody we like to buy him. Ok just imagine origi I know that am not a Coach but I can never buy that kind of player beside I hv been complaining when they’re going for him what did he do in Liverpool for you to be interested in him Abeg