Stefano Pioli has spoken about why Charles De Ketelaere seems to be doing a lot better with Atalanta compared to his one season at AC Milan, suggesting that his role plays a big part.
The decision was made to send De Ketelaere out on loan to Atalanta last summer to try restore his confidence, and it has worked. He has racked up 11 goals and nine assists in 44 games so far, leading to suggestions he will join La Dea permanently.
Percassi spoke after Atalanta’s Europa League win over Marseille last night and he was asked about the idea of signing De Ketelaere on permanent deal. His response was clear: “We will make it happen.”
Fabrizio Romano reported that Atalanta have a €23m option to buy clause plus €4m add-ons and 10% sell-on clause for Milan.
Pioli spoke to reporters present at Milanello on the eve of the game for his pre-match press conference (read in full here) and he was asked a couple of questions about the Belgian.
Atalanta have officially announced that they will buy out De Ketelaere. Is there an explanation for last year’s poor performance and this year’s very positive performance?
“I think there could be two, as far as I can tell. Last year, Charles was in his first season in a different, difficult, very competitive league. He certainly suffered from this. So this year he found himself with a superior experience, in a role that is probably more suited to his characteristics.”
Had you never thought about changing his role?
“No because we had other plans.”
Is there an explanation for last year’s poor performance and this year’s very positive performance?
There are 2.
Pioli and Gasperini.
For Sure, but also the lights at Bergamo don’t shine as bright as they do at San Siro….
Too much pressure for the kid.
Milan is in no position of wining titles,so the light is the same. Pioli didn’t know, Gasperini knows how to use him. He needed more time anyway.
I’d argue we were in a position to retain the scudetto and at least win a trophy be it coppa or suppercoppa last season. He just didn’t deliver but I would’ve given him another year.
No way you say the pressure to win is the same at Atalanta and Milan. -_-
If you really think that way, you probably don’t know football that much or just ignorant.
Every start of the season, we are expected to compete for league title. Especially last season as defending champion. Even after we don’t have the chance anymore to win title, there is still pressure to play for Milan.
And if you remember correctly, De Ketelaere did have his chance. He played 1480 minutes (40 matches) in all competition last season with 1100 minutes in Serie A. And his contribution? 1 assist.
On comparison, this year until now :
Noah Okafor. 34 matches. 899 minutes. 6 goals 2 assists
Luka Jovic. 28 matches, 1147 minutes. 9 goals 1 assist.
See the difference? If you still think that Pioli didn’t give him chance. Then you’re truly ignorant.
You are ignorat for mistaking MIlan that is Great club now, it was Great club that is now mediocre at best, so no real pressure, only objective is top 4 finish. Milan now is just a shadow of the historically Great MIlan, so you are ignorant. And to be honest Top 4 finish is greater achievement for historically smaller clubs like Atalanta to be in top 4 than for Milan. For Milan only wining coutns, but that is not priority now. So maybe the pressure is bigger there…
Are you sure? the answer “we had other plans” says a lot. You don’t want to accommodate for your most expensive signing…you would rather let a player play who will definitely return to his main team.
I don’t believe that is the case at all and respectfully that is an easy excuse from those who bashed CDK and M&M&M who signed him to justify saying he was trash and a bust – now that he has developed and become good – as many expected. He just needed TIME and as Pioli even admitted – to be played in his correct POSITION.
So the notion that CDK cannot handle the pressure i don’t agree with. he’s a talented kid who (like many other players before him- Leao, Theo etc…) needed TIME to adjust to Serie A, a new language, culture, system and POSITION.
It’s fine we sold him Piolinwould have continued to hold him back. So Give the kid props and wish him well and be glad he came good so we can get our $$ back.
Diaz was the problem
Poli like real Madrid player Diaz more
But was Pioli wrong to play Diaz ahead of CDK? I don’t think so.
He is under pressure to deliver, both from management and fans, and he need to chose players that will deliver.
Statistic Serie A last season.
Brahim Diaz. 33 matches. 1945 minutes. 6 goals 7 assists.
CDK. 32 matches. 1100 minutes. 0 goal 1 assist.
And it’s not like CDK never play from the start. He played 9 matches from start. But his contribution is abyssmal, especially in second half of the season.
Also last season, Brahim Diaz was open to idea to permanently become Milan player and he give his all on the pitch. It’s us that don’t want to activate his clause of €20m, no matter if Real will buy him back or not.
Hi AR, can you please stop your nonsense? If you play someone new to the country/club for some minutes out of position and subbed him left and right, is he gonna shine? Pioli wanted to take revenge against M&M by hurting CDK…at the end Pioli is clueless just like you.
Lol.
So you just want to argue for sake of hating Pioli.
Just look at Okafor. Look at his number. He is also, as you said, new to the country, subbed left and right, played out of position…
If you have no sound argument with reason then pls do me a favor and stfu.
reason?
it’s needed, everyone know CDK is talent & need time to adapt, but to fire a influential directors they need big reason like “30m+ flop” even if the board who firing them spend 0$ in CDK transfer.