Giornale: Allegri ‘surprised’ by €40m Nkunku signing – the background including Furlani’s role

A report has claimed that head coach Massimiliano Allegri was left ‘surprised’ by the late summer signing of Christopher Nkunku.

Things have not gone well for Nkunku since he arrived right at the end of the most recent summer mercato. He is yet to score a goal in the league despite a run of starts, netting only in the Coppa Italia against Lecce three months ago.

Regarding the signing of Nkunku, Il Giornale (via MilanNews) report that Allegri was surprised by the €40m move, given that for weeks he had asked for a more typical striker and instead found himself with an attacking midfielder.

Sporting director Igli Tare was also ‘unimpressed’ with the deal, which was ‘completed thanks to CEO Giorgio Furlani’s excellent relationship with Chelsea’. It suggests that Furlani went against the wishes of the coach and director, just to keep things sweet with the Blues.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Allegri’s foreshadowing

We perhaps saw a bit of a glimpse of Allegri’s bafflement after the 2-0 win over Lecce in Serie A back in August. In his post-match interview he was asked how he would use Nkunku.

“I don’t know how I’ll be able to use him. He’s a very high-quality player, and I think we already have excellent players up front, and the important thing is to find the right balance with them.”