Sport
Rafael Leao’s potential AC Milan exit
This season has turned into a difficult one for AC Milan. After they were crowned champions of Italy for the first time in over a decade last season, there was an opportunity to build something, but it hasn’t worked out that way.
With Juventus in complete disarray, struggling to maintain any semblance of a title challenge before being thrust into the pit of another scandal, and Inter still having issues adapting after Antonio Conte’s departure in 2021, it seemed as though Milan would be the team to assert themselves atop the calcio tree. Of course, that doesn’t factor in Napoli, and the fact of the matter is, Luciano Spalletti’s side have been by far the best team in Serie A this season; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been the star of their show alongside top scorer Victor Osimhen. Their lead at the top stands at 15 points on Inter, and 18 on Milan; at this stage, that feels unassailable.
And who would want to deny them, aside from their rivals? It has been 33 years since they celebrated a scudetto, and doing so this year would mark a great tribute to the man who instigated that success, Diego Armando Maradona. They’ve sat on the sidelines long enough, dealing with financial issues and relegations in years gone by; a Napoli win would seem to be for the romantics.
But Milan have been a disaster recently, and there are plenty of missed opportunities to mull over. Heavy defeats to Sassuolo, Lazio and Inter were then followed up by another narrow loss to their city rivals.
Even though their form has picked up on paper, with 1-0 league wins over Torino and most recently Monza on Saturday, and a victory by the same scoreline in the Champions League against Tottenham Hotspur, performances have been far from convincing. There is every chance that the English side could turn that deficit around back in North London, because for long spells, they were the better team.
The issue for the Rossoneri is they have failed to find a good squad balance between youth and experience. A lot of their younger players, like highly-rated Belgian midfielder Charles de Ketelaere, who has been compared to Kevin de Bruyne, have not stepped up. Milan won the race to sign him from Club Brugge last summer, but after 19 Serie A games, he has no goals and just one assist. Although the problems don’t stop with him, and have come much more prominently in defence, that sort of return is symptomatic of their issues. He needs time to settle and show his quality, but that doesn’t escape his poor return.
Add to that the ageing front line. Olivier Giroud is still an incredibly underrated striker who scores important goals, but at 36, he is not a long-term solution. His seven goals in Serie A are respectable, but compare that with Osimhen, and factor in Milan’s porousness at the back, and there is a clearer picture forming of their problems. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, still on the books at 41, hasn’t made a single league appearance all season.
But there has been one continuously bright spark. Portuguese forward Rafael Leao has really come of age in the last couple of seasons, and seems destined for a big move one day soon. He is one of those waiting in the wings to impress new national team boss Roberto Martinez, too, in the wake of what should most likely be Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal swansong.
His dribbling is excellent and he glides across the pitch, rarely even looking like he is reaching top speed. The strength and physical dominance he can exude are a real asset, too.
Against Tottenham there were flashes of his quality, just glimpses of what he can offer. Signing him would undoubtedly mean having to take a risk on what remains at this moment incredible potential, but what many people often fail to grasp with players such as Leao is that often it takes a move to the next level to help reach that potential. As for the transfer fee, well, the entire market is built on the risk of signing the next big thing, so expect a hefty price tag to be placed on the 24-year-old’s head.
It hasn’t all been easy; Leao was dropped by Milan coach Stefano Pioli in January amid that horror run of defeats, and he hasn’t exactly grabbed matters by the scruff of the neck recently, but there is no doubting his importance to the side.
Pioli blamed a lack of sharpness due to the number of games Leao was playing at the time, but the fact is, the team looked even weaker without him. With 13 goal contributions in 22 games, there is little debate about his importance.
But the difficulties at Milan mean that soon enough, they may have to face the prospect of life without him. They can rebuild with the money they receive, but soon enough, it feels clear that he will outgrow his surroundings at San Siro.
