In recent weeks, there seemed to be no limit for Charles De Ketelaere in Serie A. The 22-year-old attacker is in top form at Atalanta, which he demonstrated again last weekend with a great goal against Genoa. In total, he has scored ten goals and seven assists in 27 official matches.
His transfer to Bergamo has therefore proven to be a bull’s eye, because the contrast with last season is great. At AC Milan, De Ketelaere spent a year looking for himself and was unable to score a single time in 40 games and barely provide one assist. He fell far short of expectations.
Legendary coach stands up for De Ketelaere
However, they were sky high after Milan paid a whopping 36 million euros to take over the Red Devil from Club Brugge and De Ketelaere was even compared to Kaka upon his arrival. The disappointment in Milan was so great that they pushed him to the exit after just one season. They even appeared willing to take a loss.
More than six months later, it appears that Milan may have been a little too quick to judge De Ketelaere. He is now receiving support from notable quarters. In La Gazzetta dello Sport none other than Arrigo Sacchi is now standing up for him. The 77-year-old coaching legend guided AC Milan to the European Cup in 1989 and 1990 and led Italy to the World Cup final in 1994.
Maldini had seen it well with De Ketelaere
“De Ketelaere is now doing very well at Atalanta after a difficult season in red and black. This means that Maldini had seen it right after all,” Sacchi now judges. “He wanted De Ketelaere at all costs and saw him as a future champion.” As technical director, Paolo Maldini pushed through the transfer of De Ketelaere in 2022, but was fired by Milan last summer.
“It is a fact that you always have to be patient with foreigners,” Sacchi knows. “But instead, we Italians always demand the maximum straight away, without giving them time to integrate.” Something they should have known at Milan, because star players such as Leão and the now departed Tonali also had a difficult first season at the club.
