Former AC Milan director Massimiliano Mirabelli has claimed that the club did not want to keep Hakan Calhanoglu, and thus any talk of him betraying them is wide of the mark.
Calhanoglu was one of the players that Mirabelli brought to Milan during the summer transfer window that saw heavy spending, but he left after four years at the club to join Inter on a free transfer.
The Turkey international has been playing in a deeper role under Simone Inzaghi but is earning praise for his performances, and hopes to finally capture a Scudetto this season after watching his old club Milan celebrate in 2022.
This morning’s edition of Tuttosport has an interview with Mirabelli, the former Rossoneri sporting director who brought the then 23-year-old to Milan, and his comments were relayed by Radio Rossonera.
Tell us about the decision to sign him in 2017…
“I really believed in it. Fassone gave me great strength, telling me: ‘Massimo, if you think he’s strong, let’s take him, I don’t care about the rest’.
“When Montella was sacked by Milan, he complained about having found him in the dressing room. Or rather, that it wasn’t a player chosen by him, but by me.
“His agent underlined how the boy would have liked the No.10 shirt. I promised him that shirt only if he did important work before, since we met him before his move to Milan. At Milan he held many roles and was a protagonist.”
How is the relationship between you two now?
“I still feel it affectionately. He calls me ‘father’, since I was important to his career, his footballing father. If I hadn’t brought him to Milan, he might have risked getting lost.”
He decided to join Inter…
“When you move from one side to the other it’s normal for there to be certain reactions. The Rossoneri know they have lost a very important player.
“Did he leave over 500 thousand euros? The truth is another. Someone wanted to erase the work that had been done. Milan had to fight to keep him, not let him go away for free as happened with Donnarumma and Kessié.
“The fans at Milan admired him. Today they think that he betrayed the Rossoneri, but that’s not the case. It’s Milan that didn’t want to keep Calhanoglu, not Calhanoglu who wanted to leave Milan.”
And what about how he is doing today?
“It makes a difference. Those points of separation that there are now between Inter and Milan would perhaps have been overturned if Calha had remained. The Rossoneri must bite their hands for what happened.”
“The fans at Milan admired him. ”
LOL!!! We already *hated* him during his last year. He was truly awful! Just watch his last matches in the Rossoneri-shirt and see how e.g. Zlatan was constantly b*tching at him for his ridiculously awful passes and decisions. He was ruining our games.
Truth is that Chalha never attracted a lot of (market) interest – at any moment in his Milan tenure. We never had a real chance, an offer to sell him and we declined.
Even as a free agent, he didn’t find a team until late June and he only got a (slightly better) offer from Inter due to (sudden) Eriksen heart issue.
Very different story to Donna and Kessie – who by contrast, found strong teams and huge contracts IMMEDIATELY.
100%..ur memory and evaluation is sharp
Mirabelli spews poison to make himself look better. Calha was one of our better players and an undisputed starter in that team but his salary requests were very high for what he had done and at a point where we had to make sure we spent every euro the right way.
The truth is Hakan couldn’t handle playing with Ibra and the pressure he put on him. That’s why Zlatan taunted him after we won the Scudetto. F him if he’s not mentally tough enough. The only mistake was not getting anything for him, but that was a mistake Maldini made multiple times and cost him his job.
P.S. This site is idiotic. First comment of the day and they are telling me to slow down I’m posting too much…
Out of 10 games, he could only play decent in 2 or 3 of them.
So did diaz.
And now leao.
Maybe it’s the no 10 curse now or maybe milan just need a real proper and consistent no 10.
Although even if a good no 10 arrive, he will be confused by pioli’s system (or lack of it)
He was played as a winger in Ac Milan and flopped at Inter Milan he is playing as a playmaker.
Let’s not get over ourselves on this one.
Calhanoglu is average at best, not now and never gonna be a world beater.
Inter milan immediately regretted signing him, as they quickly observed he was not as technical as Erickson, not very good at dictating the pace of the game as a CM or an AM and not strong enough as a DM, finding a position for him was already difficult. Hence, they signed Mkitaryan to play Erickson’s position over Calhanoglu.
Things changed for him when Brozovic got injured, and they had to play Calhanoglu there, it worked because Barella the brain is beside him to battle into any tackle, that is why Calhanoglu can even get more involved in Inter’s attacking plays. But, I’m not carried away, as I’m very sure, Aslani was bought to study the DM positional play of Inter, and once ready, Hakan will definitely return to the bench.
🤣🤣🤣thanks for the laugh
Name a deep lying playemaker better right now in Europe. I hate Inter too but I’m also realistic
He is not entierly wrong though. Truth is, whatever you think of him now, Hakan didn’t do well in AC Milan. As a winger he was average, and as an AM behind the striker, while he did succeed, it was still not enough.
In Inter, he is surrounded by an excellent midfield and their system doesn’t put him in a position where he has to do all the defensive duties, but at the same time, he is not as close to the opposition’s box as a true offensive midfielder, and they have Barella.
So the fact is, even today, Hakan may never succeed with us.
Look,
I tell you emphatically, every of our midfielders will be better in an Inter milan midfield.
Your ratings show very limited understand. How many top teams play with a deep lying Playmaker in Europe?
Even Krunic or Kucka will be a top deep lying playmaker in that Inter midfield.
Even Tonali and Kessie we let go will be ahead of Hakan in a deep lying playmaker position. Check all the top teams, a proper DM does the deep lying playmaker duties and Hakan comes nowhere close.
Is Hakan better than Rodri? Touchmani?
They are many folk, just try to understand.
Maybe it’s only me that’s gonna be honest here… Hakan is better than all our midfielders with his quick thinking, shot accuracy, tackling and lots more… I personally regret we let him leave. I only accepted his exit because his head wasn’t at Ac Milan anymore, plus his bad habits. I’ll pick Hakan in my five best midfielders in the world, attacking midfielder to be precise. We will regret letting De ketalare go too. Why can’t we grant him the same patience giving to Leao and even Theo??!
Agree about Hakan. While we may not like him, he walks in and takes any spot in Milan’s midfield right now.
I disagree about CDK. While he may be doing better at ATalanta, he’s never going to be great and he didn’t fit into our system. He was given plenty of chances and never showed even glimpses that would give you a reason to hope he would improve here. DOn’t compare to Leao, they are not on the same planet talent-wise.