Romagnoli's Contract Expiring, To Stay or Go ?

 

Romagnoli is the current captain at AC Milan and in the weekly lineup. Though this was once the case, this is no longer a guarantee as Tomori and Kjaer duo has managed to surpass him in the starting line up however both have now fallen prey to injuries which have allowed him to slow back in.

 

He debuted at AC Milan in 2015 after being transferred from Roma where he was a youth product
Gattuso in 2017 appointed him captain due to his strong performances.For the better part of the last decade,  AC Milan endured a troubling period, falling completely out of Europe into midtable mediocrity.  

It was with the help of the former teammate Donnarumma that AC Milan did not slip further down the ladder in these times and together they provided a level of stability. Gianluigi has since left and Alessio now looks in danger of leaving too with his contract expiring in June.

 

 

Admittedly Romagnoli has fallen into hard times as he was injured for a long period and when coming back into the team the style of the team had changed to high pressing style and he is not without fault for committing a few errors in and poor form since his turned, when combined with the superb displays of Kjaer and Tomori this has kept him subdued to the bench as the third choice.To his credit , he has performed at a high level in a number of heated Champions League affairs this season against  Porto, Liverpool and Athletico Madrid and held firm against Inter Milan and Juventus clashes.

 

 

Though he does have the occasional error or inconsistent form, it must be remembered at Milan he has played under five different coaches, each with their own playing and defensive styles , yet alone the number of CB partnerships he has had over this time. It’s also easy to forget Kjaer himself did not perform well with Roma in his mid 20s and only now at 32 is playing at a high quality level. For those that heralded Bonucci’s arrival like myself , it is easy to forget that he made error after error and Romagnoli was very much the superior player in their partnership.

Romagnoli has developed his leadership skills, he has a strong reading of the game, great ability to shepherd and control opponents movements around the pitch, wins majority of his headers and has a good passing ability. These qualities have become more evident in recent weeks with the absence of Tomori and the long term injury to Kjaer have, Romangnoli’s partnership with Kalulu has thrived and both have shown they can be dependable and a basis for success for AC Milan.

 

 

 

Alessio Romagnoli is still only 27 and can potentially play on for a long time. Tomori being English will charm and attract his homeland’s interest and it would be hard to see him turning down big money offers back home to stay at AC Milan. Kjaer himself is also returning from a very serious long term injury and when he returns he will be one more year older. To not keep someone at 27 would be a serious lapse of judgement as the squad has higher priotiies for investment for the next few years in RW, CAM and their striker position, they can  ill afford a new player in a fourth starting position.

Overall this will depend a lot on the infamous Raiola and if his client is willing to take a pay cut to stay with AC Milan in the foreseeable future. I think it would be a big mistake for AC Milan to let him go , for free no less and should be made a priority for resigning .