Hindsight makes everything crystal clear, but seeing what has happened since Milos Kerkez left must make AC Milan reflect somewhat.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, Milan are currently in the market for a left-back who can be the heir to Theo Hernandez, on the verge of moving to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. In essence, someone who is explosive on that left flank, providing goals and assists.
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Kerkez certainly ticks those boxes, but the problem is that the Premier League champions Liverpool have just purchased from Bournemouth for around €47m. It is not a crazy figure given the expenses of English clubs but still among the highest fees ever paid out for a left-back.
Milos at Milan
Milan signed Kerkez from Eto Gyor in the Hungarian second tier for €200k. He was 17 years old, already promised great things and was included in the Primavera side, playing in the league and the UEFA Youth League.
The first six months – that is, January-June 2021 – were obviously for settling in, but it was in the following semester that things did not go as imagined. In fact, Kerkez had ambitions to be in the first team quickly, but it was not to be.
The management, unlike what he thought, did not consider him ready yet and so in January 2022 the Hungarian said goodbye, without the satisfaction of having debuted in the first team. His ambitions, which also clashed with the enormous difficulty of finding himself in front of Theo Hernandez.
Always with hindsight, the regret increases exponentially not only for the market value that Milos has acquired over the years, but also for Theo’s sad story in red and black.
What happened since
Kerkez imagined something completely different in his adventure at Milanello. He said things like “when Maldini called me, choosing to move to Milan was very easy” and “Theo is the best in that role, he is my favorite. I learned everything I could from him”.
Then, however, the ever-growing awareness of not being able to provide real competition to the Frenchman guided his choices. Milan would have kept him, but faced with the blunt request to be sold in order to grow, Maldini and Massara obliged.
Destination: Holland, AZ Alkmaar. Price: €2m, with a percentage on the resale and the right to match future offers that AZ got for the defender. In other words, there would still have been an opportunity to keep him.
However, the Rossoneri – with needs in other departments and a limited overall budget – only cashed in on the resale, avoiding putting on the table the over €15m offered to AZ by Bournemouth. Sure, €15m to sign Hernandez’s back-up might have seemed objectively too much, but with hindsight…
There is no regret. He cannot play because theo still on very good performance. If he dont leave , he will end become bench warmer
Now I theo is gone
Rageba!t article. This kid left three seasons ago looking to be a starter. Ahead of him was Theo, “one of the best left backs in the world”, coming off a scudetto winning season. If people are raging about Milan letting Theo go now, they would have lost their minds in 2022 for selling Theo “for profit”, so they could play an unproven kid. Can’t have your cake and eat it too. And before people say “he could have been loaned out”, yeah I’m sure that’s what they wanted to do, but if I’m not mistaken Kerkez demanded a permanent transfer out.
In a recent interview where his father was also present, Kerkez said that he knew that he won’t be a starter at Milan, but they promised him that he would be the backup and he would be training with the 1st team.
On those rare occasions when he did get a call up to the 1st team training, he said that Pioli and Maldini basically instructed him to act like a cone during those training sessions. Don’t go fast, don’t tackle, etc.
He also said that the quality of the players in the Primaveras in serie A is absolute trash.
He probably could have been handled better, like all of our promising 17-20 year olds, but Theo just left now. At the same time Kerkez is getting a transfer to Liverpool. The issue still remains: How long would Kerkez have been willing to be a backup? Theo was the starting LB until 2025. Would Kerkez have been a backup all of this time? At some point between 2022 and now, a full three seasons, the choice would still have to have been made: sell Theo and make Kerkez the starter, or keep Theo and sell Kerkez. If he’d somehow stayed as a backup, he’d just now be promoted to starting LB, probably not as developed a player, and from his perspective paid a lot less than what he’s about to be at Liverpool. The winner here is 100% Kerkez.
It wasn’t just Theo.
It was the 15 other LBs that the club couldn’t make up their minds about.
It’s every position. The club just keeps piling on more players.
Hopefully Allegri can get the current squad down to 23.
I think Kerkez deserved all the credits for how his career turns out. He was ambitious and was raging to be a starter, even at young age. Alas (and rightfully so), Theo was not going to be benched to accomodate him. Instead of rotting on the bench, he seized the day, wanted out and is now reaping what he sow. I respect it. We shouldnt be ashamed and pondered what it couldve been, as he might not be as good as he is now if he’s not getting those minutes under his belt.
Yeah lets blame Redbird and Furlani for it
Why are you so much obsessed with defending them? Are you their PR agents and on their payroll?
why are you so obsessed with complaining and blaming your whole existence on them?
You think its normal to complain 24/7? Thats a miserable life you have
Well, can you bring up something nice about them, honestly something they did well worth of accomplishments?
Very simple, boy.
If you go to work and didn’t do a good job at your role. Would you expect your manager or owner still say good things about you?
And, would you tell them the same thing you said: ” why are you so obsessed with complaining and blaming… You think its normal to complain 24/7? Thats a miserable life you have”,
like honestly, could you say that to them?? haha 😀
The bottom line is Theo wasnt ever going to be able to play 100 percent of AC Milan games and Kerkez had a great pre-season before he left. I would say Milan should have divided the games between the both of them, but I doubt Kerkez was ever going to agree with to that.
But I will say this p, he always showed that he was solid from an offensive standpoint. His defensive work is good but because of his height he is a constant liability when a cross comes into the box and he is in there defending.
Theo sucks and no one in Europe wants him
suck it
The white knight Boulden to defend RedBirds honor
We should have do it in Real Madrid style. Sell cheap to a mid table team drom Belgium, Holland, Italy, Spain, Germany…and insert a buyback clause for the next three years. Never ever sell such a young talent like ke this dor peanuts with no buyback clause, never. Be smart what a hell…
A certain infallible legend spearheaded the deal, so every grievances has to be muted.
Oh snap.
In your face mofo.
then blame your hero Faildini
Had he stayed and watched Theo play, he wouldn’t have developed into the player he is. We would have ended up selling him for peanuts anyway. It wasn’t meant to be. Just like CDK. Some players are better off away from Milan. Most youngsters in fact.
camarda and liberalli should get the fck out untill its not too late. both seem to be leaving
This should be a huge regret, but it’s in the past now.
There was no need to sign Ballo-Toure to be ahead of him and there was no need to sell so cheaply instead of arranging a loan. Likely he wouldn’t have gotten in our team, but at least could have proven himself and been a valuable sale, rather than the relative pittance we got for an obviously talented player.
Fair play to him though, he did what many young players are afraid to do – drop down a level or two and bet on yourself to excel. And boy did he.
How did he drop down a level or 2 when he went from Milan youth team to AZ Alkmaar 1st team playing in the Holland 1st league and Europe Conference league?
That was a step up.
The kid made a great move for himself by leaving us to seek out first team football and is now being rewarded for taking that risk and for taking his career by the horns. Yes we got Fode to be Theo deputy instead as it seemed we didn’t trust him enough (maybe too young?). But the kid believed in himself and he was correct. Him staying here even as Theo backup instead of Fode, he would not have developed to what he is today. Kudos for the move.
I don’t know about regret, as Theo was the undisputed starter and one of the best left (wing) backs at the time Kerkez wanted action. We have hundreds of youth players that never made it and carry zero regrets. Few pan out but most don’t. It’s how it’s always been
I’m sorry but this article is useless. Back then Theo was Theo and there was no way Kerkez could get big minutes needed to develop. Speaking about players that are no longer here and what ifs makes no sense. Best of luck to him nevertheless, but let’s focus on our current squad.
and today he’s more expensive player and in a better team and league, and theo is leaving for retirement league in saudi
Well, this has to do with the management in charge of scouting and transfers…
There’s what we call buy-back clauses on contracts.
If our mgt team were thorough with their decision and had foresight as professionals, then there are transfers they should have made in Milan’s favour.
We should have futuristic plans especially for gifted young players.
Look what happened with Kalulu? The guy is still developing till tomorrow.