Although the 2020/21 Serie A season concluded just a few days ago, AC Milan and Gianluigi Donnarumma have dominated headlines this week.
The 22-year-old’s contract expires next month, and there was no indication leading up to this week that he was moving any closer to agreeing new terms.
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Ultimately, the expectation for most was that if we qualified for the Champions League, which we did on Sunday night, it would make the situation a lot easier to deal with and a solution more forthcoming.
It turns out that simply wasn’t the case as despite our return to Europe’s top table, Donnarumma is heading for the exit door this summer as the Rossoneri have confirmed the signing of Mike Maignan from Lille to replace him.
Disappointment over losing Donnarumma
It’s important to note first that it is bitterly disappointing to see Donnarumma leave. This is a young man who made his breakthrough with us at just 16 and has gone on to make 251 appearances for Milan.
While contract renewal controversy isn’t anything new with him after the debacle in 2017, Donnarumma had the opportunity to be a symbol of the club and a pillar of our long-term future.
Add to that his undeniable qualities as a goalkeeper, and it’s a huge shame that he won’t be building on the foundation set and leading us into a new era where we’re back in the Champions League and hopefully competing at the top level again.
It remains to be seen where he moves on to, but there is naturally concern that he could sour his connection to Milan and the fans further if he were to join a Serie A rival, and that would certainly be a disappointing development if it were to come to fruition.
Maldini and Co should be commended
Putting that frustration and disappointment aside though, Paolo Maldini and the Milan management have been exemplary in this situation, and that starts from putting the club first and standing their ground in that no player is bigger than Milan.
The Rossoneri put their contract offer on the table months ago, and that was ultimately their best offer to convince Donnarumma to renew. That wasn’t accepted, and so we faced a situation where one of our best players was set to leave unless we decided to buckle and give him and his agent what they wanted.
Instead, Milan have brought in a top replacement in Maignan and sent a clear message that they will not be pressured into agreeing to unfavourable financial terms, and so if Donnarumma isn’t happy to stay and play for this club, he can go find his money elsewhere.
The players are mere custodians and they come and go, as do the coaches and management staff. The one constant is that Milan will remain, and those privileged to be at the club must strive to leave us in a better position compared to the one they arrived at.
If Donnarumma’s demands were not in line with our budget and he refused to accept our terms, so be it. We’ve moved swiftly to bring in Maignan to fill that void, and in doing so have stuck to our principals and ethics to put Milan first and we move on.
