AC Milan appear set to welcome Mattia Caldara back to the club this summer, with his agent Beppe Riso confirming their plan this week.
The 26-year-old joined us in 2018 with big expectations and even bigger hopes that he could establish himself in the heart of the Rossoneri backline alongside Alessio Romagnoli for years to come.
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Unfortunately for the Atalanta loanee, an injury-plagued stint at San Siro saw him make just two appearances for us before an 18-month loan move back to Bergamo was agreed in January last year.
Sadly for Caldara, his injury woes have continued this season and have contributed to the fact that he has made just eight appearances for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, and as noted by Football Italia, Riso has now confirmed that his client will return to Milan at the end of the season.
On one hand, it would be easy to just dismiss the idea of bringing Caldara back into the fold as ultimately his injury track record suggests that he isn’t reliable.
That said, it could also work against us in terms of a lack of interest for that very same reason, and so time will tell whether offloading the Italian defender for an acceptable offer is even on the table.
Conversely, Milan could decide to keep hold of him. With Romagnoli, Simon Kjaer, Matteo Gabbia and loanee Fikayo Tomori currently at Stefano Pioli’s disposal, he isn’t short of options in that department.
First and foremost, the hope is that Tomori’s loan spell from Chelsea is turned into a permanent move, such has been the impressive nature of his performances since joining us.
With the Rossoneri pushing to secure Champions League qualification, we’ll be looking to compete on multiple fronts next season and with that comes the necessity of squad depth to cope with the extra workload and to be in a strong position in the event of injuries.
Five centre-halves is perhaps one too many, but with Caldara seemingly having to work his way back to full health, peak condition and top form, staying at Milan and competing for a starting berth might actually suit him if he finds alternative offers scarce.
Given his career is arguably on the line as he looks to showcase the quality that he possesses before it’s too late, there is a slight hope that Milan give Caldara another chance. We may not have a choice in the matter with the most promising avenue for an exit now closed by Atalanta, while there is no guarantee at this stage that Milan agree terms to pay the fee required to sign Tomori outright.
It’s a long road back for Caldara to return to the level that he produced before injuries struck so mercilessly, but there is still a chance yet that his road to redemption comes in a Milan shirt.