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AC Milan may be in second place in the standings, and while some of the summer signings have helped them get there, quite a few have struggled to impress as well.
Today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport has taken stock of Milan’s squad, following the Supercoppa Italiana exit. There is one easy conclusion to make as per the pink newspaper: the second place in the standings, and the 14-game unbeaten run in the league, is thanks to Max Allegri and his staff.
While the Supercoppa exit fueled this argument, the evaluation is mostly based on the entire first half of the season. Over €80m was spent on players like Christopher Nkunku, Koni De Winter and Pervis Estupinan, who have all struggled to impress so far.
Furthermore, players like Zachary Athekame and David Odogu (who cost €20m) have been rarely used due to their inexperience.
Nkunku causing headache
Having said the above, no shadow should be cast on the likes of Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot, who have been driving forces in the team so far. The same can be said about Alexis Saelemaekers, who returned to the club after the loan spells at Bologna and Roma.
The others have failed to make the same contribution. That includes the big-money signing Ardon Jashari, even if the full verdict is still out on him given the serious injury he suffered in August, having made just two starts so far.
From one big-money signing to another, Nkunku has had several chances to prove himself and unfortunately, the outcome hasn’t been positive. Considering that Milan paid €37m plus bonuses for his services, the performances have been dreadful.
The Rossoneri still have faith in him and have assured that his future isn’t in doubt. However, it’s inevitable that before the transfer window closes, if nothing changes on the pitch, further evaluations will be made. Regardless of Füllkrug’s arrival.
Deputy De Winter struggles
In addition to Nkunku, De Winter is the other negative exclamation mark from the summer, having arrived for €20m from Genoa to replace Malick Thiaw. The leap from a medium-sized club to a big club is clearly affecting him so far.
The Belgian struggled not only against Rasmus Hojlund on Thursday night in Riyadh, but also against Sassuolo’s Andrea Pinamonti and when he replaced Fikayo Tomori. In other words, Milan cannot rely on him as the only centre-back deputy.
Considering the squad isn’t particularly deep and was built that way because Milan aren’t competing in European competition, the lacklustre performances of some individuals have only exacerbated the gaps. This makes it urgent to intervene in January.
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