Charles De Ketelaere is experiencing a real resurgence with Atalanta after his big-money move to AC Milan in the summer of 2022 yielded a difficult first season.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write how De Ketelaere has moved just 50km from Milan but he is shining in a team chasing a place in the Champions League for next season, with the numbers backing it up too.
He has nine goals (five in the league, two in the Europa League, two in the Coppa Italia) and seven assists to his name, and yesterday marked his first brace in Serie A against Lazio.
Since the beginning of December he has racked up seven goals and five assists in official matches, more than any other Serie A player in the period, across all competitions.
But there is also another piece of data that tells much more than simple statistics: the one against Lazio was the first penalty taken in his career, showing the confidence Gian Piero Gasperini puts in him.
Those who observe him at work closely explain that CDK now tries everything he can because he is not afraid of making mistakes like he might have been in front of over 70,000 at San Siro.
The questions are deafening regarding what didn’t work at Milan. What is his true position? Was Pioli wrong to use him as an attacking midfielder? Should he have been given a second season?
Gasperini, as far as he was concerned, had no doubts right from the start: for him the Belgian is a striker and will play as a striker, be that in a 3-4-1-2 or a 3-4-2-1.
When a player has confidence, formations become less important and the interpretation of how to play the position takes precedence.
What will happen then at the end of the season? De Ketelaere will become a permanent Atalanta player, as they will use their €22m option to buy after the €3m loan fee, while Milan are hoping for €4m in bonuses too.
The adjustment to a new country and culture as well as having less pressure on him is vital, this is a tougher loss than Lucas Paqueta as De Ketelaere is a much better player than he is.
Paqueta is miles ahead of CDK.. CDK might have more talent but only after playing at the top lvl (successfully) for a couple of years can you go and say he is better than him..
They’re actually pretty even on stats, with De Ketelaere ahead having played 1 less match, we’ll see how they match up as Charles they will probably meet West Ham in Europa, which I’m pretty certain Atalanta will beat them, same goes for us if we should meet them, we all kmow what Gasperini gets out of his players against English opposition by evidence of them giving Liverpool a home loss and completely dismantling Everton a couple of seasons ago. There’s a reason Lucas didn’t perform with us. The shirt weighs heavy, same goes for Charles.
The shirt does weigh heavy but when we’re passing around like pass the parcel it doesn’t stay in one place long enough to really know anything about a player.
It’s all the more reason why the big clubs can’t afford high levels of player turnover. It can take a few seasons to get settled in.
Paquetá>
If we go with Conte next season, he might be useful.. But I think the CdK’s ship has sailed.
Of course it’s a shame that he didn’t present games like this last season, but I think he was getting quite enough chances to prove himself in Milan ! It is possible that Pioli made mistakes somewhere in relation to him, and positioned him in the wrong position, but it is more realistic that CDK itself had a certain mental blockage that he managed to overcome only later at Atalanta ! Let’s take the money and move on.
Take the money, move on, and learn nothing….
We can’t keep writing off players. It’s up to clubs to get the most out of their players.
We should play 3-1-4–2
———————-Maignan——————-
———-Thiaw—-Tomori—-Theo———
————————RLC———————–
Pulisic—Reijnders—-Bennacer—Leao
——————Giroud—-Jovic—————
The way our midfield and defense have played we’d let in 4 goals a game with this lineup.
I see you’re trying to take into account the fact that Jovic always score when he and Giroud play together.
But this lineup won’t work. Leao and Pulisic cannot play as wingbacks. Inter uses Dumfries and Dimarco in their 3-5-2 and Atalanta uses Holm, Ruggeri, Zappacosta in their 3-4-3
Good line up.. For a game of FIFA.
Milan don’t need striker but central forward
Maldini used money to bring best possible player and it was Charles. Pioli tried to put him or right wing or as a attacking midfielder but Charles could do anything in Milan.
Luckily Milan will not lose everything if Atalanta buy him.
He just doesn’t fit Milan. I’m pretty sure he will struggle once again should he come back. Good riddance.
You’re saying good riddance if we make the mistake and sell him. Then Inter gets him in a couple of seasons Excell would you say the same. I always saw flashes of his games but fans put too much pressure on him.
The answer is Pioli, Milan has allowed him throughout his stay to damage alot of players, then the management itself is also to blame, knowing fully well they had spent that kind of money on him, they should have insisted Pioli use him in place of Diaz, who was never a Milan player, and is now back to Madrid, we enhanced a player that was not our own, and damaged a player that we paid good money for, even the scouting department that spent a year monitoring CDK should be blamed, but Pioli is simply a daft coach, that was how he damaged Paqueta and many other players, but something can still happen, if Milan can appeal to him, and an agreement is made on him playing, with a new coach we could bring him back, as long as he agrees to comeback, Atalanta cannot activate the purchase, the player has to agree first.
Atalanta just needs to buy him out so we can put this to rest already. Indians even matter what worked and what didn’t.
(Please fix the “posting too quickly” problem)
I love this auto correct!! 🤣🤣
Culture, language and pressure unfortunately, things algorithms and analysis cannot calculate and measure. Same can be said about our new crop of players. That’s why I was never fond of buying abroad, let alone a complete revamp of midfield with players from foreign leagues.
All our Ballon D’Or winners outside of Rivera were acquired from foreign leagues, so I don’t understand reluctance to buying abroad. Bringing this argument to date, Serie A is battling for 4th best league, and quality italian players are hard to come by today.
Sorry, I should make my comment more clear. Yes, no problem buying abroad but not 11 players in one mercato. And no I did not mean Italians only, there are many good foreign players playing in Serie A they could take into consideration.
How are quality or domestic players hard to come by?
How has a football mad country of 60m people suddenly forgotten how to play football?
Is it something in the DNA?
Did it change circa 2006?
This is one of the great mysteries….or it could just be incompetence.
PS The great Milan sides didn’t just consist of Ballon D’Or winners. They included bang average players like Rossi, Galli, Evani and Massaro.
You don’t win anything with a team of Ballon D’Or winners. You win with a team.
Can’t get everything right plus lack of patience
I think we lost him because of this idea to swith to a 4-3-3 and the load of midfielders we brought, which is sad because we are now back to a 4-2-3-1. Although I’m not sure how well he will do as an AM
I have seen nothing yet from him that would make me regret him leaving.
He doesn’t fit our team, which really begs the question as to why he was signed.
Yesterday he scored an ok penalty with keeper going wrong way, his shot was nowhere near the corner.
His second goal was a pretty tame effort at the keepers near post, the keeper should have done better.
If he scores a few crackers and puts on some gorgeous assist ok, so far he looks very normal.
He was given a lot of chances at Milan, 40 appearances!
He had freedom to play all over. He just doesn’t have the mentality, at least not yet
“He has nine goals (five in the league, two in the Europa League, two in the Coppa Italia) and seven assists to his name”
That’s not good enough for half of first season with new club and system? Be rational.
Things are going better for him and I’m glad.
But 5 goals in the league as a striker after 22 odd rounds is pretty normal.
2 goals against Rakow in europa league mean f all for a player who cost 35m!
Those two goals against Rakow brought 3 points home. What am I missing?
People talk on the one hand about mentality and then in the other don’t show the patience to allow a player to develop said mentality.
Why does everyone think it’s so easy to just rock up and play for an elite club?
Surely the mentality issue requires a more serious, long term approach to team building.
Hilariously the only players that seem to excel for us on loan are the ones we’ve already lost.
CDK had plenty of opportunities at MIlan; 40 appearances. Never showed anything. Good riddance. He has been average for Atlanta (while for Milan he was definitely below average). He is no genius. He is just an average player that used to play for a weaker league and got over-hyped. We bought him for way more than his actual value. I sincerely hope that Atlanta will exercise their right to buy, and we will permanently get rid of this average player.