De Ketelaere, Atalanta towards redemption: the figures and Milan’s regret

La Dea will keep the Belgian attacking midfielder for 23 million: he exploded in Bergamo, he had a disastrous year at the Rossoneri. For some it had to be waited for, for others instead…

Marco Pasotto

Not that it concerns him much anymore, since in six months everything has changed – for the better -, but Charles De Ketelaere seems destined to divide the Rossoneri world for eternity. It happened last season, when he put in one ethereal performance after another and the Milan fans split: he is young, he comes from a second tier championship, he must be waited for because he will get going. Or: no, he doesn’t have enough mental strength and personality for a stage like San Siro and for a heavy shirt like this, it’s too easy to be a phenomenon in Bruges. Except that now CDK is making the phenomenon 50 kilometers from Milan, in a team chasing a place in the Champions League just like the Devil. And so in the Rossoneri universe the reflections follow each other, the regrets inevitably increase, and at the same time there are those who remain consistent with themselves and assure that if he had remained at Milanello he would not have blossomed.

Gazzetta.it’s online surveys do not have a statistical value, they are surveys not based on a scientifically processed sample. They aim to allow readers to express their opinion on current issues. Percentages do not take decimal values ​​into account. In some cases, therefore, the sum may be greater than 100.

actuality

In short: Charles divides even when he is no longer there, probably because the umbilical cord with the Rossoneri club has not yet been completely severed. At the end of the season his path will cross that of the Devil again, and there is a right of redemption involved that Atalanta must decide whether to exercise or not. And therefore the blond from Bruges remains a decidedly current topic on the Rossoneri side. His fate, precisely: Charles would have been topical if he had done badly in Bergamo, because in June he would have returned straight to Milanello; and it is absolutely topical now that there is practically no doubt about the Goddess’ choice to redeem him. There will be fans who will bite their hands and others who will greet him without too many problems. In reality, the sumptuous match against Lazio was not needed to convince Percassi and Pagliuca, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. CDK dismantled the Biancocelesti almost alone, considering the two personal goals and Pasalic’s participation in the lead. The numbers would be wow regardless, let alone thinking back to the miseries of the Rossoneri adventure: with yesterday we reached 9 goals (5 in the league, 2 in the Europa League, 2 in the Italian Cup) and 7 assists. The first double in Serie A has arrived. Since the beginning of December he has scored 7 goals and 5 assists in official matches, more than any other Serie A player in the period, across all competitions.

trust

But there is also another piece of data that tells much more than simple statistics: the one against Lazio was his first penalty taken in his career. And this means a simple thing, which revolves around the word trust: the one that Gasperini obviously gives him, but above all the one that he perceives in himself. Those who observe him at work closely explain that Charles does everything he can think of because he is not afraid of making mistakes. Not anymore. And if he makes a mistake, he tries again. In other words, the total one in Bruges is back, and it has been like this for at least two months. He has become the center of gravity for the Nerazzurri, a concept that was especially evident yesterday in the absence of Koopmeiners. Another factor of fierce discussions among the Rossoneri people: the role. What is his true position? Was Pioli wrong to place him on the attacking midfield? Gasp, as far as he was concerned, had no doubts right from the start: for me you are a striker and you will play as a striker, you will find the best way to get close to the goal on your own. And so in the 3-4-1-2 CDK is one of the two strikers (now he is able to coexist with Scamacca too), in the 3-4-2-1 just behind the center forward, in the 3-4-3 wide or central tip. A “9 and a half”, as he had also renamed himself. Then, as all coaches say, when a player has confidence, the game systems are quite relative: what really counts is the interpretation. What will happen then at the end of the season? Charles will become a totally Nerazzurri player, at the end of a onerous annual loan of 3 million and the payment of a 22 million redemption right (in addition to 4 bonuses and a percentage on future resale). And, you can bet, CDK will continue to be a divisive topic of Rossoneri chatter.



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