Charles De Ketelaere was AC Milan’s king signing in the summer. However, his first months in the fashion capital are disappointing – Arrigo Sacchi gives a correspondingly harsh verdict. The trainer fox also gives the Rossoneri hope.
AC Milan had a comparatively quiet transfer window last summer. Despite the championship title, the Rossoneri did not make any major commitments and accordingly spent little money – the Lombards only paid a lot for the transfer of Charles De Ketelaere.
Paolo Maldini and Co. had decided early on that the Belgian would be their dream player and after weeks of negotiations they were awarded the contract. In the end, the transfer fee was a proud 32 million euros plus bonuses, making De Ketelaere one of the most expensive transfers in Milan history.
The Belgian was set to fill a glaring gap in the playmaker position for the Rossoneri and has already been compared to young Kaka. Of course, this fueled certain expectations among the Tifosi, which De Ketelaere has not been able to fulfill so far.
The youngster has played 21 competitive games in the red and black jersey so far and is still waiting for his first goal for Milan. Since he only managed one template at the same time, a certain disillusionment is spreading. More was expected from the king’s transfer – most recently, De Ketelaere has regularly found himself behind Brahim Diaz on the bench, despite the Spaniard’s modest season himself.
Legendary coach Arrigo Sacchi now found clear words in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport. “He comes on the pitch like a loser. Confused. Scared,” the 76-year-old summed up De Ketelaere’s condition pretty well. But the Italian also encouraged Milan and added that it was “better not to make any final judgments”. Sacchi recalled that foreigners in Serie A “always need time”. “Of course he’s suffering now and you can see that,” he even felt a little sorry for De Ketelaere.
To give an example of Sacchi’s words, Rafael Leao, who took over a year and a half to find his feet at the Rossoneri – is now one of the best wingers in Europe. Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori and Mike Maignan in the Milan jersey proved that there is another way. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has also taken Serie A by storm with Napoli this season. That means: Every player needs his own pace.
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Milan legend Sacchi delivers harsh judgment on De Ketelaere.
