A new head coach means a clean slate for all players, but unfortunately for some it also means that their spot in the squad is at risk and Paulo Fonseca has made it known that several current AC Milan squad members are not in his plans.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the main factors at play are the Champions League and Serie A squad lists – with exits needed to make room for new signings, or players risk being left out – and how adaptable current players are to Fonseca’s way of playing.
Rarely during a summer at Milanello has there been such a clear list of players not deemed up to scratch. Some were expressly spelled out by the management, others were easily understood from the call-ups (or lack of), while others were intuitable without too much effort.
The creation of Milan Futuro also played an important role, because Fonseca knows he can potentially fish from that group to fill various roles. Thus, with a week of the window left, we are at a situation where more players could leave.
Pierre Kalulu and Tommaso Pobega have already said goodbye while Yacine Adli and Ismael Bennacer could do so between now and the closing of the summer mercato. So why has their situation changed so much from one season to the next?
It’s partly a question of performance, and evidently last year’s performance levels were not deemed sufficient, and then it is partly the coach’s assessment of their potential contribution. The treatment room also certainly played an important part.
Let’s take Kalulu, for example: the Frenchman was sidelined for a good six months due to three separate injuries, and he understandably lost his way. There is no comparison with the safe and reliable centre-back who built the Scudetto wall with Fikayo Tomori.
Paradoxically, his ability to play both in the centre and on the right didn’t help either. Let’s say he was moved around, without a clear role, and Fonseca didn’t have one for him either. Then there was the arrival of Emerson Royal, who the new coach wanted because he fits his ideas better.
The message from the club was clear for Pobega too when Fonseca did not call him up against Torino last week. The midfield overhaul has seen Youssouf Fofana arrive while Fonseca appreciates Musah a lot and Kevin Zeroli is not far away, so Pobega is down the pecking order.
Staying in midfield, the other surplus player is Adli and his journey has been a strange one from forgotten man to new starter and then back to being unwants. Even though he is theoretically much more suited to Fonseca’s style of play in possession, out of possession he doesn’t give enough guarantees.
Finally, there is Bennacer. He could stay in the end, also because he is considered an integral part of the squad in all respects, but if an offer from Saudi Arabia really came forward then the directors would not chain him to Milanello.
For Bennacer, more or less the same thing applies as for Kalulu: the six and a half months out last season due to a serious knee injury were too burdensome and he didn’t look close to 100% when he did return. Selling the Algerian could also result in a final piece arriving, like Manu Kone.
Pobega and Kalulu already out. One more foreign player should be sold/loaned out at least. Maybe Adli.
Then of Benny also being sold, Manu Kone.
I’d rather RLC and Jovic pack bags beforehand…
Thiaw is by far the worst defender Milan has. He is a walking mistake, he makes 2 mistakes per game. I don’t remember anyone in history being so bad. So how did they manage to figure out he is a player for Milan? 😀 If that was the idea, he should have been out the moment Newcastle asked.
his higlights for me are the two straight up red tackles in the penalty box vs inter and the own goal last game…
gg… i dont know where they found this guy
I don’t understand what assessment decided that Kalulu is not good enough for Milan but Thiaw is somehow good enough.
Imagine loosing Kalulu who is versatile at the back and bringing in Anderson royal who is not even better than Calabria. Sometimes I miss Pioli
Thiaw isn’t starting against Parma. So it’s perhaps time he leaves? And I can see why he wants plays like Balo-Toure and Origi out. It becomes more of a headache having too many players to manage.