One of the players who has struggled for form since the start of the season is Theo Hernandez, considered among the leaders at AC Milan.
Corriere della Sera (via MilanNews) asks the question this morning: ‘Where has the real Theo Hernandez gone?’. The Frenchman has not had an ideal beginning to 2024-25 in terms of performances, while incidents like the cooling break saga and the penalty mutiny have not helped.
The most recent mistakes on the field came on Saturday in the 3-3 draw against Cagliari that cost Milan two very important points. Theo was the worst on the pitch against the Sardinians in the eyes of the paper, and is no longer himself and is showing obvious defensive shortcomings that have not been seen for a long time.
In addition to this, perhaps the thing that worries most is his attitude and body language. At times he even seems not to even want to play, unless the Rossoneri are involved in a big game like at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid, then his level rises.
Head coach Paulo Fonseca singled him out after the game at the weekend: “You can’t concede goals like this, Theo must improve defensively and we are working to correct it.” The issue of having contract that expires in 2026 certainly has a weight in this whole affair, too.
For now, the extension is not coming because there is no agreement on the salary , with the Frenchman asking to go from the current €4.5m net per year to €6.5-7m, in line with the salary of Rafael Leao who is the highest paid in the Milan squad.
In the background there is always Bayern Munich who are monitoring Theo’s situation very carefully, even if those close to him assure that he is fine in Milan and that his intention is to stay.
We need my get rid of Fonseca before we start losing players due to alienation or under-performance.
Sell Theo for 60 and buy Dorgu for 15.
The RedTurd way.
Give players a winning project, one they can buy into and give their all for. Something they can believe in. Elevate the quality all around them. These are all young impressionable guys. Motivation plays a big role.
Theo is still being paid millions and cannot act like a professional even with the captains armband.
There is no competition in this team. Players like Theo and Leao don’t have anyone in the squad who can bench them or challenge them for a starting spot. Same with Pulisic as Chukwueze is not good enough to bench Pulisic.
A competitive squad will bring the best out of players especially when they know they can get benched by other players in the squad.
Cardinale is not building a winning project either and that is also a big problem. These players want to win something. Signing a coach like Fonseca is a signal to the players that the club is not serious about winning titles.