AC Milan confirmed the loan signing of Pietro Pellegri from Monaco this week in a move that will likely raise both scepticism and promise.
As per the club’s official site, the 20-year-old joins on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy included in the agreement, although it could become an obligation if certain conditions are met.
READ MORE: Talking tactics: Maignan, Brahim Diaz influential in Milan win over Sampdoria
Further, Pellegri will wear the No. 64 shirt, as he now embarks on the biggest opportunity of his career thus far having left Serie A and Genoa for Monaco in 2018.
Pressure off, but Pellegri must deliver when given chance by Pioli
Despite signing Olivier Giroud earlier this summer, the Rossoneri needed a third option in attack to ensure Stefano Pioli has enough depth and cover behind the Frenchman and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Pellegri fits the profile of that third striker given his age and potential to be a long-term solution, and so he’ll be on hand to come in if injuries strike or perhaps if Pioli wishes to rotate and rest his veteran duo.
In that sense, the pressure is off for Pellegri as he has two senior forwards ahead of him in the pecking order who will be responsible for scoring the bulk of our goals this season, and he can ultimately gain a lot from training alongside them and learning as he goes to develop his own game.
With that in mind, it’s a good move from Milan and one that could prove to be successful in the coming years, but it’s wholly dependent on if Pellegri fulfils the potential he showed with Genoa.
Having now made 72 career appearances at all age levels, the Italian forward has managed just 13 goals and one assist.
Further, he has missed 99 games due to injury since joining Monaco in 2018, and so evidently he has had a hard time keeping himself healthy and fully fit.
Those are two alarming statistics, and so the jury is essentially still out on Pellegri until he produces in a Milan shirt and shows that he can deliver when called upon.
It’s a gamble from the Milan hierarchy. There were arguably countless similar options on the market who fit the profile of what we were looking for, and perhaps many of them had a better record than Pellegri at this stage of his career.
Nevertheless, Paolo Maldini and Co. have evidently seen something they like, have made their decision and this is where we’re at. It’s another striker which is what was needed, but time will tell whether or not our new recruit is going to stay fit and be at Pioli’s disposal throughout the campaign, and if he overcomes that obstacle, whether or not he’s going to do enough to warrant a permanent stay at San Siro.
