Former head coach Arrigo Sacchi has taken a look back at some of the players that AC Milan let go of that they might now feel a hint of regret about.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport has an interview with Sacchi, who went through the players Milan had who are now shining elsewhere.
He started with Brahim Diaz, who expressed his gratitude to Milan after scoring the winner against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night after he spent three seasons at the club on loan before returning to the Spanish capital.
Sacchi also spoke about Charles De Ketelaere, who had a difficult first season with Milan after his big-money arrival from Club Brugge in the summer, heading to Atalanta on loan where he has hit double digits in goals already.
Then, he mentioned the two players who left on free transfers a year apart: Franck Kessie who went to Barcelona and then Hakan Calhanoglu who joined city rivals Inter.
“The wonder of Brahim Diaz with the Real Madrid shirt in the Champions League, the constant growth of Charles De Ketelaere with Atalanta, the increasingly decisive role of Calhanoglu in league leaders Inter,” he said.
“There are three reasons for regret for Milan, there is no doubt about that, because they were Rossoneri players who, for one reason or another, left. To these, if desired, we could also add Kessie, who has just won the Africa Cup of Nations, and Paquetà, who plays permanently for Brazil.
“The last two elements mentioned, however, in my opinion do not belong to the large category. Kessie has a lot of strength, a lot of determination, he was useful to Milan in the title season, but he doesn’t seem like a phenomenon to me and at Barcelona, where he wanted to go at all costs, he doesn’t seem to have enchanted me.
“On Diaz the matter is quite simple. If Real Madrid loan you a player and see that he is improving and that he can be useful to them, it is logical that they take him back. Ancelotti explained to me that he has grown a lot in Italy, also from a physical point of view: it means that at Milan they worked well on him.
“The reasoning to be made about De Ketelaere is different. He is playing very well for Atalanta, after a difficult season with the Rossoneri. This means that Maldini was right: he wanted him at all costs and considered him a potential champion.
“The fact is that you need to be patient with foreigners, and instead we Italians always demand the best without giving them time to integrate.
“Finally, Calhanoglu has a real regret, perhaps the biggest: he is proving to be a director of the highest level. At Milan he played as an attacking midfielder, at Inter he plays the playmaker and is at the centre of the build-up.
“He has personality, vision of the game and a precise and powerful shot. Yes, for Milan he is to be included in the list of regrets.”
