AC Milan may well be able to cross a name off their striker wish list, but because of some awful circumstances.
According to Calciomercato.com, Strasbourg centre-forward Joaquin Panichelli sustained a serious knee injury in the final training session before Argentina’s friendly against Mauritania, and will face a lengthy period of absence.
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According to initial diagnoses by the national team’s medical staff, Panichelli has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. This injury will require surgery and now he faces a minimum of six months on the sidelines.
His goal of being named in coach Lionel Scaloni’s squad for the World Cup – where Argentina are the defending champions – has now tragically vanished. Strasbourg, meanwhile, lose a player who has scored 20 goals in 39 games this season as they look to finish the season on a high.
Milan move off the table?
At the same time, Panichelli has been forced off the radar of those teams that had been closely monitoring him in recent months following his excellent performance in the French league.
Bought last summer from Strasbourg for around €17m, after starting out at River Plate and stints with Alvaes and Mirandes (20 goals in the Spanish Second Division), Panichelli was on the radar of several European clubs.
Chelsea were one, who enjoy excellent relations with Strasbourg due to their shared ownership. Several Premier League and Serie A clubs were also monitoring his development.
Among them were Milan, who are planning to make a significant investment in their attack next summer and had Panichelli on their list. As seen with the Victor Boniface and Jean Philippe-Mateta sagas, the medical team are very attentive to knee issues, so it is now very unlikely he joins.
Let’s see if Chelsea still try to sign him. Maybe if we should try signing his compatriot Icardi as the easier option.
His second cruciate ligament tear in two and a half years doesn’t bode too well for his future.
So a blessing in disguise, otherwise we might have gotten Victor Boniface 2.0. We CANNOT afford to bring in an injury prone striker. We already have too many issues with injuries
Sure we can’t afford an injury prone big investment but feel a bit sorry for the fellla as he might not fully come back from this even though time is on his side due to him still only being 23 years old.
He had the same injury before. These injuries never heal back to normal and are always waiting to recur. Well, expect to see him in top tier action again in 12 months.
Maybe Milan should watch Matvy Ponomarenko from Dinamo Kyiv. He likes Shevchenko, mobile and goal getter.
Seems good but other big clubs are after him too, unless we use Sheva as endorser.