Charles De Ketelaere is experiencing a real resurgence with Atalanta after his big-money move to AC Milan in the summer of 2022 yielded a difficult first season.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write how De Ketelaere has moved just 50km from Milan but he is shining in a team chasing a place in the Champions League for next season, with the numbers backing it up too.
He has nine goals (five in the league, two in the Europa League, two in the Coppa Italia) and seven assists to his name, and yesterday marked his first brace in Serie A against Lazio.
Since the beginning of December he has racked up seven goals and five assists in official matches, more than any other Serie A player in the period, across all competitions.
But there is also another piece of data that tells much more than simple statistics: the one against Lazio was the first penalty taken in his career, showing the confidence Gian Piero Gasperini puts in him.
Those who observe him at work closely explain that CDK now tries everything he can because he is not afraid of making mistakes like he might have been in front of over 70,000 at San Siro.
The questions are deafening regarding what didn’t work at Milan. What is his true position? Was Pioli wrong to use him as an attacking midfielder? Should he have been given a second season?
Gasperini, as far as he was concerned, had no doubts right from the start: for him the Belgian is a striker and will play as a striker, be that in a 3-4-1-2 or a 3-4-2-1.
When a player has confidence, formations become less important and the interpretation of how to play the position takes precedence.
What will happen then at the end of the season? De Ketelaere will become a permanent Atalanta player, as they will use their €22m option to buy after the €3m loan fee, while Milan are hoping for €4m in bonuses too.
