Shining De Ketelaere at Atalanta leaves Milan with regrets

Atalanta have now purchased Charles De Ketelaere from Milan, a transfer that the Rossoneri will undoubtedly look back on with regret.

The 23-year-old Belgian forward was one of Paolo Maldini’s last gifts to the Rossoneri before his untimely exit last year. Having proven himself a top talent with Club Brugge, the Milanese club made great efforts to secure his signature, eventually paying around €36.5m.

De Ketelaere was an exciting addition to Stefano Pioli’s Milan squad, hot off the back of their Scudetto winning campaign. He’d shined in his native Belgium, scoring 18 goals and providing 10 assists in his final season with Club Brugge.

De Ketelaere regrets

Unfortunately for De Ketelaere and Milan, things didn’t go to plan in the 2022-23 season. Despite Maldini’s glowing recommendation and the lofty investment made, the talented forward couldn’t find a rhythm with Pioli, failing to look a convincing figure in red and black.

In his debut and ultimately only season with the Rossoneri, the Belgian saw 1480 minutes of action across 40 matches, 13 of which were starts. He was hardly trusted by the coach, who was clearly unsure how to get the best out of his skillset, limiting his ability to find his footing in Serie A.

Arriving at the age of 22, De Ketelaere clearly needed time to adapt to a new league, language and country, and his confidence was slow to build considering his usage by Pioli. The underlying numbers, however, show that the potential was always there.

In the 2022-23 Serie A season, the Belgian playmaker averaged 4.76 progressive passes per 90 minutes, 3.79 shot-creating actions per 90 and 3.63 progressive carries per 90, showing a positive and creative style when given the opportunity.

This season for Atalanta, De Ketelaere has averaged 5.6 progressive passes per 90, 4.13 shot-creating actions per 90 and 3.91 progressive carries per 90, slightly better numbers. The greater chances and space afforded to him by Gasperini allowed him to fully showcase these abilities, and that made the difference.

The 23-year-old finished the 2023-24 season with 14 goals and 11 assists across 50 matches, numbers he could’ve replicated with Milan had he had a different coach and more opportunities to prove himself.

With Pioli now gone from Milan and a new project set to begin under Paulo Fonseca, it’s hard to imagine Milan not having regrets about how things went with De Ketelaere, who left the club for a combined €27m total plus a 10% future resale clause.