After announcing the signing of Charles De Ketelaere from Club Brugge, AC Milan have finally addressed a long-standing issue in the current squad.
As per the Rossoneri’s official statement, the 21-year-old has put pen to paper on a contract until June 2027, while he will wear the No.90 shirt this season.
READ MORE: AC Milan sign Charles De Ketelaere, contract and shirt number details
Our pursuit of the Belgian international continued for longer than perhaps anyone expected, but the Milan management team and Stefano Pioli will no doubt be delighted that they have finally landed their man, with De Ketelaere now set to join up with his new teammates and hopefully settle in quickly with the new Serie A season edging ever closer.
At just 21 years of age, the youngster has already shown his quality at Brugge, scoring 25 goals and providing 20 assists in 120 appearances for his boyhood club, and so he’ll now look to take that ability and potential to the next level at Milan and become a fundamental part of our push for continuous success.
As seen in the video below, he boasts excellent attributes that we’ve been lacking in recent times. With his creativity, technical ability, inventiveness and eye for goal, he will add a new dynamic to our attacking play and will hopefully flourish and continue to develop under Pioli.
Whether it’s out wide on the right side or through the middle in a No.10 role, De Ketelaere can adapt and influence games in different positions, and so that flexibility and versatility will also prove to be useful for Milan as we look to compete on multiple fronts again this season.
While we do have Brahim Diaz and Yacine Adli already who are arguably quite similar in profile, De Ketelaere will no doubt be seen as a pivotal part of our plans moving forward, with his touted price tag alone warranting a major role in addition to the clear faith and belief in his talent from all concerned at the club.
Milan have been missing a stand-out talent in the final third for so long, someone that can not only create for himself and score goals, but has the ability to create openings for others on a consistent basis.
Whether it’s playing balls in for Rafael Leao on the opposite flank or deliveries into the box for the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud, De Ketelaere has the all-round passing game and vision to unlock defences and pick holes to cause problems.
Naturally, moving to a new environment, culture and league will be difficult and he’ll need time to adjust and adapt, but once he does, there is a high level of confidence that we’ll have a real player on our hands.
