AC Milan are struggling in the centre-forward department at the moment as nobody seems capable of helping Olivier Giroud catch his breath, and some background has emerged from last summer.
Calciomercato.com recall how the Milan management chose to go all-in on the signing of Divock Origi on a free transfer after his deal with Liverpool expired with the aim of giving Stefano Pioli an experienced alternative to Giroud.
However, so far he has amassed just 781 minutes of action across all competition with only six starts in the process, scoring just two goals. It is obvious to say this is a contribution far from what the expectations were for a player potentially in his prime.
Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara very much believed that Origi could put his physical problems behind him – the ones that troubled him during the end of his time at Anfield – and thus gave him a contract until 30 June 2025 worth €4m net per season or €5.2m gross, therefore almost €16m in total.
The report claims that Milan opted to sign the Belgian after having been offered Alexandre Lacazette, who scored 71 goals in the five seasons he spent at Arsenal. Maldini and Massara politely declined the offer, allowing the Frenchman to return to Olympique Lyonnais.
How has he done back at his former club? Under Laurent Blanc, the striker has 20 goals and five assists in the first 27 games of the season in all competitions, so it is safe to say there might be a touch of regret about the decisions made last summer.
