Rating every one of Maldini's signings at AC Milan [Bonus article]
Paolo Maldini, we love you. Unfortunately, though, you seemingly cannot mix business with pleasure these days. Without going further into what we think about the decision of Gerry Cardinale to sack the club icon, down below we rate all of the signings the 54-year-old made during his tenure at the club.
Summer 2019
Rade Krunic, €8.6m, from Empoli (7/10): Yes, it took the Bosnian some time to adapt to Milan’s style of play but that was partly because of the managerial chaos prior to Stefano Pioli’s arrival. For the price and cheap salary, he has been a good signing overall and has at least represented good depth, able to play in many positions.
Theo Hernandez, 22.8m, from Real Madrid (10/10): A homerun by Maldini, helping the left-back in his development and getting him for just over €20m despite dealing with a stubborn Real Madrid. This is one of the signings that has come to represent the Milan project as well.
Rafael Leao, €29.5m, from Lille (9.5/10): He just about misses out on a 10 because the price tag actually wasn’t that low, and it also took him two seasons to get into his stride. Now, however, it’s clear that the winger could become one of the best in the world in his position.
Ismael Bennacer, €17.2m, from Empoli (9/10): He has been a very important player for Milan and it was nicely done by Maldini to swoop in at the right time, with Empoli getting relegated to Serie B. Many teams were interested but Maldini was able to reach a gentleman’s agreement early.
Ante Rebic, €6.7m, from Eintracht Frankfurt (6.5/10): It’s a really tough one, but he did score 12 goals in his first season and then 11 in the following one. Since then, though, just six goals combined over the last two seasons. The price sounds low but we must also remember that Andre Silva went the other way for a low figure as well.
Leo Duarte, €10.6m, from Flamengo (3/10): He wasn’t the player Maldini had hoped for and ended up costing the club a lot of money in the end. In fact, Milan only got €2m from his departure in the end.
January 2020
Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer (9/10): He has meant so much for the club in the last few years, starting from scratch and slowly but steadily educating the youngsters on what it means to wear the Milan shirt. He will be missed, there’s no doubt, even if the injury struggles affected him heavily.
Alexis Saelemaekers, €11m, from Anderlecht (7/10): He arrived at a very young age and also got to experience the Covid-19 pandemic in his first months at the club. He’s been one of Stefano Pioli’s favourites and even though his output hasn’t always been high, he has always done a decent job. Good price tag as well.
Asmir Begovic, on loan, from Bournemouth (6/10): A cheap goalkeeper was needed and we got one. There’s not much more to say than that. The Bosnian made just two appearances and conceded three goals, but that was more the fault of his teammates.
Simon Kjaer, €3.6m, from Sevilla (8/10): He was exactly what Milan needed at the time. Milan had just conceded five goals against Atalanta and he, along with Ibrahimovic, joined the club and added much-needed experience. A leader in the defence as well as off the pitch.
Summer 2020
Pierre Kalulu, €1m, from Lyon (7.5/10): He arrived on a free transfer but some compensation was paid out to the French side. It’s clear that he still needs to improve and grow, but for the price he has been a great signing. Instrumental in the Scudetto season, hopefully he can find his way back to that form.
Brahim Diaz, €3.2m loan fees, from Real Madrid (7/10): Considering that Milan barely paid anything for three seasons, it was a good piece of business by Maldini. Especially if we take a look at this season, which has been somewhat of a breakout year for the Spaniard, who now will return to Real Madrid.
Sandro Tonali, loan then €19.5m, from Brescia (8.5/10): He needed a whole year to settle in but since then, he has been a very important player for Milan. And it helps that he’s a Milanista, of course. He will most likely be the Rossoneri’s captain in the future and that says a lot.
Ciprian Tatarusanu, €1m, from Lyon (5/10): Yes, he had some good moments, such as the penalty save against Inter in the 1-1 draw. Having said that, though, the feeling is that Milan could have found a more reliable backup. It remains to be seen if Marco Sportiello, Maldini’s last signing, will be just that.
Jens Petter Hauge, €3.8m, from Bodo/Glimt (7.5/10): He didn’t quite explode the way we thought he would but at least it was a quick capital gain for Milan. Maldini sold him for a total of €10m to Frankfurt, and that was indeed a good decision seeing as the winger hasn’t impressed since.
Diogo Dalot, €500k loan fee, from Man Utd (7/10): He ended up being a very useful player for Pioli, who used him on both sides of the defence. It was a shame that they couldn’t lock him down after the loan spell, but that was somewhat expected as well.
January 2021
Soualiho Meite, €500k loan fee, from Torino (5/10): Bang average player and he didn’t really solve the problems Milan had in the midfield. But the terms of the loan deal were favourable, one could argue.
Fikayo Tomori, loan then €31m, from Chelsea (7.5/10): The price tag wasn’t low, but it was still justified and the centre-back has been an important player for Milan. This season has been a step back for him, though, and we can only hope that will regain his stride next season.
Mario Mandzukic on a free transfer (2.5/10): Milan desperately needed a striker but got an injury-prone one instead. The Croatian played 11 games and didn’t score a single goal for the club.
Summer 2021
Mike Maignan, €15.4m, from Lille (9.5/10): A fantastic replacement for Donnarumma at a great price. He would have been a 10 if not for the injury struggles, but he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The signing, therefore, was another masterclass by Maldini in a tough situation.
Alessandro Florenzi, loan then €3.5m, from Roma (5.5/10): He has had some good moments for the club, but he has also struggled with many injuries. In fact, he has missed 51 games since he joined the club and even though the price tag wasn’t high, he cannot be deemed a good signing.
Olivier Giroud, €3m, from Chelsea (8/10): Say what you want about the Frenchman, but he has scored some very important goals for Milan. He was crucial in the Scudetto win with 14 goals (all comps.), which was his first season with the club, and followed that up with 18 goals this term.
Fodé Ballo-Touré, €5.4m, from Monaco (5/10): He has been okay at times but, in truth, he has been a disappointment. Milan need a much better left-back deputy and preferably one that is Italian as well, given the squad rules.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, €3m loan fee, from Chelsea (2/10): He has barely played and Milan somehow managed to overpay for the loan as well. A very bad signing, without a doubt.
Junior Messias, loan then €7.5m, from Crotone (5.5/10): He has scored 12 goals across two seasons, but he’s clearly not good enough to be at Milan. This season has been a huge confirmation of that, especially the last few months, and it would be strange if he doesn’t leave this summer.
January 2022
Pietro Pellegri, €500k loan fee, from Monaco (2.5/10): Six games, 127 minutes, and zero goals. A clear swing and a miss by Maldini, who wanted to reinforce the team with another striker to give Giroud some rest.
Antonio Mirante on a free transfer (6/10): He’s a decent goalkeeper and also has a very low salary. He’s expected to be the third-choice goalkeeper next season and it’s hard to argue against that.
Marko Lazetic, €4.5m, from Red Star Belgrade (6/10): He clearly has a lot of potential and it remains to be seen what he can make of it. It’s still too early to judge him properly, so we have to wait and see.
Summer 2022
Yacine Adli, €8.5m, from Bordeaux (6/10): Milan will likely be able to sell him at the same price or perhaps with a slight capital gain, and thus we perhaps cannot criticise this deal too much. The midfielder hasn’t been used at all by Pioli and we’re not so sure that can be attributed to Maldini.
Divock Origi on a free transfer (4/10): He has been very bad, truth be told, for Milan thus far and he has a hefty salary of €4m net per year. He could be sold this summer and at the very least, he will generate a capital gain for the Rossoneri, which saves his rating a bit.
Charles De Ketelaere, €35.5m, from Club Brugge (5/10): He has the potential to become a very good player, but he hasn’t shown his best side yet. And the €35m spent, in hindsight, was not justified. We can only hope that he can find his stride this summer and do well next season.
Malick Thiaw, €8.6m, from Schalke 04 (7/10): A defensive crisis was needed for the youngster to get a chance, but he certainly took it. He’s still quite raw and needs more time to fully settle, but the future is bright for him and it must be considered a good signing by Maldini.
Aster Vranckx, €2m loan fee, from Wolfsburg (4.5/10): He wasn’t good enough this season and will thus return to Germany, by the looks of it. Milan could have used someone more experienced for that position.
Sergino Dest, loan, from Barcelona (2/10): Very high salary and dreadful on the pitch. His attitude didn’t help either, which is why Pioli barely used him in the second half of the season. He was an emergency signing by Maldini, but clearly not a good one.
Devis Vasquez, €470k, from Guaranì (4/10): Tough one to rate given that he hasn’t even played for the first team. He’s also expected to leave this summer because Milan could use the non-EU spot he currently occupies.