Stefano Pioli is celebrating three years as AC Milan’s head coach today, and he has been responsible for the growth of several players who are now considered young stars of the team.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) have picked out six players in particular whose market value has drastically risen under the stewardship of Pioli, starting with Rafael Leao who was bought for €28m from Lille and is now protected by a €150m clause in his deal which expires in June 2024.
Pierre Kalulu practically arrived for free from Lyon (a small development fee of less than €500k was paid), and now he is an established starter in the team, now worth €30m.
Sandro Tonali came on an initial loan deal from Brescia that was made permanent with the total cost of the operation €20m, with that value more than doubling to the €50m that the Italy international is now worth.
Mike Maignan was Gianluigi Donnarumma’s replacement, having signed from Lille for €14m last summer, with the paper stating he could fetch €40m now.
Fikayo Tomori also came on an initial loan deal back in January 2021 from Chelsea, with that being turned permanent for €29m, an investment that has paid off given his €50m worth.
Finally, Theo Hernandez was bought from Real Madrid for €20m with that value having tripled as he is one of the best left-backs in the world and is a €60m player at least.
