Charles De Ketelaere, Daniel Maldini, Pierre Kalulu and Yacine Adli are convincing this season, something which AC Milan are struggling to do themselves.
Milan’s market in the summer was, perhaps rightly, judged on arrivals rather than departures. In terms of entries, the Rossoneri added pieces that are now fundamental like Youssouf Fofana, Tijjani Reijnders and Alvaro Morata, but also somewhat questionable additions like Tammy Abraham, Emerson Royal and Strahinja Pavlovic.
The real disaster for the Rossoneri, we can say today with hindsight, was in the outgoing market, depriving themselves of players such as Kalulu, De Ketelaere (bought back), Adli, Maldini and even Devis Vasquez.
This is only further worsened by the fact that the club kept the expensive outcasts Fode Ballo-Toure and Divock Origi, which together see the club spend €5.5m net per year in wages. We must also add here that the club made attempts to part ways, but none were successful, a telling sign.
Daniel Maldini (to Monza)
This analysis comes, as mentioned, with the benefit of hindsight, but it is also true that some of the summer departures were met with initial doubts before a ball was even kicked at their new clubs.
The most striking one is perhaps Daniel Maldini, who was sold to Monza for free in exchange for only a 50% future resale clause rather than any up front transfer fee.
While it is impossible to overlook the historical significance of seeing a Maldini leave AC Milan, it is clear that Daniel’s transfer was a ‘forced move’, perhaps dictated by the previous rift between his father and the club.
Regardless of his surname, a 23-year-old Italian – born and bred in the youth sector, with top flight experience who last season averaged a goal every 81 minutes (four in 11 games) – is useful for almost any Serie A club.
Perhaps that alone would have been enough for Milan to get something a little more substantial from his transfer. But this is where the clause comes in…
Percentage for the future, but what about the present?
While Milan received little to nothing (believed to be less than €1m) from Monza, they have secured half of Maldini’s next transfer, in the style of what was done in the past with Pessina. An operation that could also be forward-looking one day.
However, this clashes with the need that the Diavolo have right now, the need for a player like Daniel. Given the 4-2-3-1 system Paulo Fonseca is using, with a natural playmaker, he would finally have a set role in the team.
Another point to bear in mind is Luciano Spalletti’s call-up. The Scudetto winning head coach deployed him as a trequartista and perhaps, he could have been a perfect alternative to Pulisic, who is today the only one who can fill that role.
Leaving aside the misunderstanding between Fonseca and the management during the market, it is clear to everyone that Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Yunus Musah are not reliable reserves because they have different characteristics.
So now Milan find themselves floundering between a thousand form fluctuations in seventh place in the league table, Daniel has conquered the Azzurri shirt despite playing in a mediocre team.
Pierre Kalulu (to Juventus)
Here the analysis is even easier. The Rossoneri’s defence is a sieve and the hunt for a defender who can solve everything in January is almost comical.
What was the reason for the haste? Only the attempts to dispose of Kalulu in the summer, which eventually led them to accept an even more comical offer from a rival like Juventus.
Kalulu was one of the main architects of the last Scudetto won by Milan under Pioli, the purchase of the year considering how much was spent (€1.3m) and how he became a starter and Italian Champion within a season.
In the following seasons, the Frenchman still performed well but ended up losing his starting role, although this was probably due to several injuries rather than a drop in quality.
Nevertheless, he is still young at 24, one year younger than Gabbia and two years younger than Tomori, yet he was rapidly sold to the highest bidder in exchange for a guarantee of only €3.3m (the loan fee).
As in the case of Maldini, the future prospects of the operation – even less aleatory than with Maldini Jr. – come into play.
A buy-out that only suits Juve
In the almost inevitable event of a permanent signing by the Bianconeri, Milan will receive €14m plus another €3m in objective-based bonuses from Kalulu’s permanent departure. It is a sum that would bring in €20m, if all goes well – speaking with bias though, is Juve’s success worth €3m?
Twenty million euros is more or less what Milan spent to get Pavlovic in the summer, a defender who certainly has time on his side (he is a year younger than Kalulu) but who has made his own contribution towards the club’s worst defence in the last 10 years in the goals conceded category.
At the same time, however, Kalulu seems to be back to his old self with the Old Lady, churning out convincing performances consistently, both as a centre-back and full-back.
He has become a very useful reinforcement to the Bianconeri’s cause, courtesy of Milan, who now see Kalulu’s valuation rising ever faster and can do nothing about it.
Yacine Adli (to Fiorentina)
Adli is the intriguing case that prompted this piece. Thrown aside first by Pioli and then by Fonseca, the former Bordeaux man has taken his revenge with the Fiorentina jersey where he is proving to be a playmaker with flair.
Already the author of three goals, including a very nice one against Milan, and just as many assists, Adli is the face of Raffaele Palladino’s Viola, who are the real surprise of the season so far: they are fourth in the standings with 9 (NINE), points more than the Rossoneri.
AC Milan received €1.5m for the loan and there is a €13m option to buy, so just under €15m as a total package, which is roughly what the Rossoneri would have to spend to fill the predictable void left in midfield by both the Frenchman’s departure and Bennacer’s injury.
So before we even think about the currency, let’s consider that from the sale of Adli – and not only that – Milan have not only gained almost nothing but have already almost lost the main objectives of the season: the Scudetto and a top four spot.
With this, we do not mean to say that the sale of Adli (as well as that of Maldini or Kalulu) should not have occurred, but rather it should have been done at the right price and above all, they should have been replaced worthily.
Charles De Ketelaere (to Atalanta)
We come to what could be considered the most serious mistake made by the management, which it must be said inherited this situation given he was signed by the previous administration.
However, the €34m spent by Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara for De Ketelaere was already a tragic affair that Geoffrey Moncada and Giorgio Furlani tried to patch, essentially trying to offload him on the best turns.
The ‘bandage’ turned out to be a move to rivals Atalanta. La Dea swooped, sensing that there was a player in there ready to explode, and they secured a €3m loan plus a €22m option to buy and €4m in bonuses.
They were able to defer the payment and will now recover the expense with interest, because he is worth over €40m as per reports circulating. A year on from that operation Milan were rushing to get done, it is necessary to come to terms with reality.
Last season he won the Europa League as a star man, and today in the Champions League he is the talk of the town with two goals and four assists in five appearances.
If we add to this the fact that Atalanta are now second in the standings while Milan are seventh – nine points behind – we have to ask ourselves: could it not be that it was those who did not invest in him who made the mistake?
Colombo, Vasquez, Pellegrino, Saelemakers…
sometimes i think your main goal is to write negative stuff about Milan. we want to be a top team and none of these players have the quality for it. but of course if there are a lot of players out on loan there will always a few who do a bit better as expected.
Kalulu doesn’t have the quality but Emerson, Tomori and Pavlovic do?! Stop watching football.
He should leave football to people who actually appreciate the sport
i never said that the ones you mention do have the quality (actually in another comment i said that Pavlovic doesnt). i just said, that there is no reason to miss any of the loanees. Kalulu is playing, because Juve doesnt have anyone else. if i can pick between Adli and Fofana, its not really hard…
Milan need to sell RLC, Calabria, Jovic, and even Okafor not Adli , Kalulu and of course Maldini. De Ketelare was not suitable that time.
It’s crazy that some still don’t understand that the « negative » things are just the reality. Back to reality man this team is nothing but disappointment. If you’re the owner and you want to be a top team, you don’t hire Fonseca and recruit mostly rejects.
Hey sunshine! Where have you been? Missed your positive outlook lately 😉
Travelling. I missed three weeks of Milan and coming back I see that nothing has changed. Do you still think that this management is going in the right direction?
Maldini and Colombo would be great impact players for Milan. We should keep them for next season. I think they’ll be ready to Milan worthy players.
Maldini is a big loss. He couldn’t be replaced via transfer as an academy trained slot. And if we persist with 4231, he could have had a lot of game time instead of us enduring RLC as a CAM.
Kalulu and Adli were both forced out by incoming players and a lack of available slots for foreign players.
Kalulu is the more frustrating case considering it was for Royal and Pavlovic.
Adli was by the incoming Fofana. But kept the injury prone Bennacer and ghost prone RLC.
Kind of agree and disagree with this article. I also wish we still had these guys in hindsight but let’s be honest – none of them were exactly making our heads spin 360 on our shoulders with excitement. Especially CDK – there’s no way he’s the biggest “mistake” when he couldn’t dribble, pass, shoot, defend or score. I’ve never seen a player look so out of depth.
CDK in the beginning w/ Atalanta he play mediocre too, but they give what Maldini said “time & trust” then look him now, our blunder is loan w/ OtB not just loan to develop him just like Dalot/ Brahim
Hmm – Pioli gave the kid plenty of time and trust and he repaid it by wandering around the pitch like a lost sheep.
People don’t understand Bergamo is a village compared to the bright lights at San Siro. Players there play with so much less pressure on them.
CDK Wasn’t ready for bright lights. Milan doesn’t offer a whole lot of patience and nurture. You gotta show something.
Exactly- try telling that to looney tunes like Rossi- man it’s hard work on here sometimes.
I really like CDK but man…. you are so right…. I am 45 former ‘youth hope’ with both knees busted and at times I was sure I could do better than him…. oh well
…
CDK created 5 goals in Atalanta last match. Im quite sure he can pass and shoot. Not to mention that he is also young and not even in his prime yet.
Please re-read what I said with your eyes open. I said “couldn’t.” He was pure garbage for Milan and obviously not ready for a big club so it’s no wonder we got rid – that’s my point. Whatever he does now at a smaller club is irrelevant.
He could pass and shoot in Brudge too, since he scored a lot of goals there too. So the problem wasn’t in him. Your logic is flawed, as usual.
😂 okay goofy I’ll try again -Bruges is a team in Belgium that’s smaller than Milan. Atalanta is a smaller team in Italy that’s smaller than Milan. Guess which one CDK failed in. If you can’t understand basic logic I can’t help you.
Its actually easier to score/assist in a stronger team where you have better players to support you. Again your logic is flawed as usual. CDK wasn’t the problem.
I’m not agreeing with what you say about Moncada inheriting the CDK problem. He was the bl00dy scout who siurced him!!
Do we think Maldini was studying Belgian football?
Moncada is our worst enemy and his own
This is cute and all that, now get us the list of Milan players on loan who aren’t performing well.
I guarantee it’s much longer.
what do you mean almost lost the main objectives, unless something happens in january and by this i dont mean purchasing more riff raff like musah and pavlovic, we will find it hard to even go for 6th position, those objectives are a thing of the past and we need to move on
Why is Moncada still employed? Emerson alone is a fireable offense.
Agreed. And why Fonseca, Furlani, and Ibra also still there. We are 7th in the league, by keeping those guys more longer then probably we might in the middle of tablet end of season.
Thank you someone who actually sees the obvious
I just think something isn’t right in the management. I bet you, if Musah and Pavlovic leaves to another team, they will do wonders. Truth be told, the lack of a senior and experienced figure in the team especially in defense is damning. Theo is never a leader, a true leader wouldn’t be this out of dept at his young age. He lacks focus and reading of the game, all he wants is to drive forward. No senior figure to coordinate the defense. Tomori was never my favorite. I wouldn’t be surprised if Thaiw and Gabbia are our mainstay. At least they are calm even if Thaiw can be clumsy ridiculously like the first game of the season. This team needs a senior figure and Maldini could have been built into that. Boban, Masera, and Maldini leaving Milan brought us backward.
Milan is not a football team, when your Special adviser is Zlatan ibrahimovic, a player whose ego is his only trophy, a player whose envy towards Maldini and his legacy makes his head spin, a player who thoughts he is a god and knows nothing! And when your President inferiority complex couldn’t stand a certain Charismatic man like Maldini who is not scared to say his mind, but will rather put a Moncada whose Algorithm and love for football is to watch talents but knows nothing about the journeys and dressing room chemistry that makes a team, a chief scout who will rather buy a chukweze and morata rather than a Certain Daniel maldini and Retegui! I wonder what these so called management are smoking that blinds their Rational parts of the brain with their instinctive part!… When you have a daft as head of the family it’s certain the children will be dullards.
Bennacer coming back will be a “new signing” so Adli isn’t needed (we don’t have foreigner spots).
Kalulu was OK, but since Cabal and Bremer have gone down injured his record in Juventus’ backline has been shaky to say the least. 2 goals conceded against Leipzig, 1 vs Cagliari, 1 in the loss v Stuttgart, 4 vs Inter, 2 vs Parma, 1 vs Lille. 11 goals conceded And this is all from Oct 2nd to Nov 5th (one months time).
The only clean sheets he’s managed in the past two months was against 10 men Lazio, a Zapata-less Torino and an out-of-sorts Milan.
He’s not god-awful, but not exactly a “savior of defenses”.
Maldini needed to develop, and having him on the bench whilst Pulisic balls out isn’t going to help him. Plus, RLC had credit in the tank from last year (10 goals), Daniel has never had a season in the last 5 in Serie A where he scored more than 4 goals. RLC has been awful this year stats-wise, but hindsight is always 20/20.
CDK was a Pioli problem. Didn’t know how to use him and didn’t even TRY last season when he was still in charge. He may have developed well at Atalanta, but under a lot less pressure than the San Siro lights, anyone would do just as well. He may be the one that got away, but we’ll never know unless we see him at a bigger club than Atalanta.
RLC wasn’t good last season, he got a couple poaches from 5 yards out because he was basically a second striker, but other than that he was UUGGGGHHH.
For those saying CDK didn’t get a chance he played +30 games and he didn’t shine, what was expected of him is what we’re seeing from Pulisic, a lot of players can’t handle the pressure. The shirt is heavy don’t forget that. We’ve seen more players flop in the past 24 years than succeed because of that, hell even Rivaldo flopped.
There’s a big difference between playing for Milan and Madrid than playing for Atalanta and PSG, go ask Mbappe.
Uuuff that was spot on!!!
Many names can be added to that list, you need charisma to play for a big club, and no PSG is not a big club, rich yes, not big. The players we had in the early to mid 2010’s were big fish in small ponds and they couldn’t cope with the pressure either. Guys like Biglia, who was Lazio’s captain and an Argentine international, in 14/15 we had De Jong, Montolivo, Rami, Mexes Saponara, Honda, Robinho, Muntari, Zapata, Emmanuelson, Constant, Zaccardo all guys who were great at their previous clubs, we even had Kaka and we still finished 8th and didn’t qualify for anything. Even with Balotelli having one of his best seasons ever netting 18 goals for us.
Not vad
For me this is half true article… in this case the main problem is not in management, but in coach .. If you have great coach, you can play with less great players good football. 1. Problem of Adli, Maldini and CDK is they don’t know how to play under pressure in big club.. 2. Problem was their coaches , Pioli and Fomseca.. If we have Conte or Sarri, believe me even Royal and Pavlovic play one or two level better then now… Royal play under Conte good footbal and Pavlovic has big potential to be our next Stam…. but not under Fonseca. Maldini? Let’s talk about him after season because he has 23 years and still don’t explode and from last 23 matches he has 5 goals like attacker…shitty isn’t it ?CDK? Same like our Chuck. He like winger play together 36 games and score just 2 goals… but believe me if he goes to Atalanta, He is star…. I underatand our management sell Kalulu , it’s easy money because he came for less then 1m € and after last year, he is injury prone and for me it is a metter of time when he will be again injured. But again the main problem of all this guys Maldini, CDK, Adli, Pavlovic or Royal is in coach , not our management. You can see it even on Theo who this season is worst then ever under Fonseca.. only shines are Pulisic, Raijnders ( better then under Pioli) and now Leao..
We just need experienced coach who know how to motivated and sometimes yells on players .. not introvert Fonseca who before every match tell whole starting 11 to our opponents..
I really hope for Sarri
It was a disastrous transfer window.
We hired a coach that likes to play positional football and play the ball from the back and we decide is a good idea to get rid of Kalulu to buy Pavlovic, who is completely unsuited to play positional defence and it is mediocre with the ball. Tomori even worst. Emerson is technically much worst than Calabria. Fofana is a great player, but not he is another vertical box to box player and not a regista. This team is completely unfit to Fonseca’s style. You either change 3-4 players or you chance the coach. I think Tudor can do well with team, we just need a right wing back (or try Jimenez or Musah) and a Theo deputy to play 3-4-2-1 with more aggressive and direct play.
“However, the €34m spent by Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara for De Ketelaere was already a tragic affair that Geoffrey Moncada and Giorgio Furlani tried to patch”…what??? How is Furlani and Moncada not attached to the original purchase of CDK..why only mention it was M&M?! Such is the narrative like I’ve been saying for some time. Bad signing=Maldini and Moncada has nothing to do with it. You think it was Maldini who was scouting in Belgium for the next best prospects? Anyways, I’m some ways glad he’s no longer there so that these sort of narratives don’t have to stick anymore to his name and we can see Moncada for who he truly is, a scout who bit off of other’s work and claim the credit. But it good to see some ppl in the chat coming around to it
Also Reinjders arrived last summer not this one 🤷♂️
“Milan’s market in the summer was, perhaps rightly, judged on arrivals rather than departures. In terms of entries, the Rossoneri added pieces that are now fundamental like Youssouf Fofana, Tijjani Reijnders..”
And last season we had the worse defence in a decade not this one, although this year is not that great.
“… to get Pavlovic in the summer, a defender who certainly has time on his side …but who has made his own contribution towards the club’s worst defence in the last 10 years in the goals conceded category.”
???
Unless I’m reading this wrong 🤷♂️
We have to realise we can’t be making silly excuses for this management. I mean, we keep saying these players didn’t make had soon but these are young players. None of these guys are close to their 30s yet. We couldn’t have built a team which was what Maldini was trying to do and it was becoming successful. The future of football are these players and yet when the fans are looking for quick fixes. None of it is going solve our problems. Why sell Kalulu and we bought Palovic or what’s his name? Royale is not even worthy to put on this Milan shirt. I mean we don’t have a AMF yet we loaned out Maldini and we even wouldn’t bring Liberali into the first team. I may stop watching our matches as I can’t continue to have heart breaks every week. The management should sell the club to those who really care about football!
Daniel and kalulu is a downgrade for us. Shown so many times, milan def was even worse at the last quarter of the previous season. Pavlovic is better and more promising kalulu couldnt convince for a year +, 20m is top choice for milan. About Charles, he was given many many chances and he was bad af in us. Adli was a mistake for me he was a good player and for the price tag we shouldnt have sold him.
Bro you football analysis is so out of sorts I can’t even comprehend. What promising performance has Pavlovic shown so far, delves into tackles, positionally bankrupt, weak passing and timing of tackles. Bro you are a hater there are no other words for it. Do you know about people getting into a bit of a bad form (Kalulu) or you just don’t know nothing about football but choose to be a undiscerning chatterbox. Get out of here with your unreasonable take
Hindsight is always a 20/20. Kalulu last season was terrible and always injured,barely played. Daniel maldini isn’t yet a Milan level player,yes he’s performing in monza but the two clubs aren’t at the same level.
Only player we should have kept is adli and I couldn’t understand why poili kept playing him as a dm when he’s clearly not. He should be a back up to pulisic as a 10 instead of RLC.