After losing his place in the starting XI this past season, speculation is now raising doubt over Alessio Romagnoli’s future at AC Milan.
Since joining us in 2015, Romagnoli has gone on to make 221 appearances for the club, establishing himself as a pillar of our defence over the course of six years.
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Named club captain and ultimately now being one of the senior figures despite still only being 26 years of age himself, the classy centre-half has been a vital piece in the side for several seasons and undoubtedly played a big role in our eventual return to the Champions League.
That’s not to mask his flaws and weaknesses, though. Romagnoli’s lack of pace has always been a concern, while he does often run the risk of losing a physical battle. Combine those two together and facing a striker like Romelu Lukaku is always going to be a difficult challenge, one that ended up contributing to him dropping out of the line-up last season.
Add to the mix his expiring contract which ends in 2022 and uncertainty over his long-term future at Milan, it has unsurprisingly led to speculation regarding an exit, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that Barcelona could be a potential destination for the Italian international this summer.
If Romagnoli has no intention of signing a new contract and wishes to leave, so be it. Milan have no choice in the matter and rather than lose him for nothing in 12 months time, it makes business sense to either demand a decent fee in the coming months or use him as part of a transfer strategy to land a desired target.
However, if he doesn’t wish to leave, that is arguably a better position for the Rossoneri to be in and it’s hoped that new terms are agreed upon between the two parties in order to extend his stay at San Siro.
As noted above, Romagnoli has weaknesses. These are known to the fans, Stefano Pioli, the coaching staff and most likely the man himself. Nevertheless, he has been a consistent performer for us over the years having overcome his injury and discipline troubles, and his attributes and strengths far outweigh the negatives.
He is still a classy distributor on the ball when building out from the back. He has improved significantly in his reading of the game, the timing of his tackles and interceptions and his marshalling of the backline.
Milan need at least three top level centre-halves in the squad next season if we wish to be competitive across multiple fronts with Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League to consider.
Simon Kjaer has firmly established himself as the rock in our defence, but at 32 and with his injury history, he’s not going to play every game.
The hope is that Milan sign Fikayo Tomori on a permanent basis this summer as his loan deal ends, and he sits on the other end of the spectrum in that at 23 years of age, he’s going to have his ups and downs in terms of form and confidence too.
Mattia Caldara will return from Atalanta while Matteo Gabbia and Pierre Kalulu are also options in the current squad. With that in mind, Pioli isn’t short of alternatives to his preferred pairing, but Romagnoli absolutely should be part of that battle for a starting berth.
He’ll have his struggles again down the line against certain opposition, but his professionalism and commitment have never been doubted, and his experience and presence as a senior man in the Milan dressing room shouldn’t be underestimated either. In turn, the Rossoneri should be planning on how to keep Romagnoli at the club rather than considering exit options in the coming months and having to spend money on a replacement.
