Over the past few weeks, there’s not been one bit of good news in Italy about Charles De Ketelaere, who was a Leeds United target this summer.
The player was wanted by Jesse Marsch at Elland Road, with bids made to try and convince Club Brugge to sell him, but the player was also wanted by Milan, who ended up winning the race.
That’s because De Ketelaere actively wanted the move to Italy, where the San Siro side had just won the Serie A title and were set to play in the Champions League.
Those were good reasons to choose them over Leeds United, except the fact that he hasn’t played well at all since arriving.
He has just the one assist since arriving in 15 appearances, which isn’t at all what Milan will have wanted from a €35m investment.
It appears the pressure is getting to him, as explained by Arrigo Sacchi to Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview over the weekend.
He said: “These days, he is a confused boy. You have to be patient. He’s afraid to play. He comes in with anxiety of having to prove his worth. I hope he can start to show his qualities.”
If that is the case at Milan, who are currently near the top of the table, we have to wonder how De Ketelaere would have reacted at Leeds United, if he had signed there and the club were in a similar situation to their current one, hovering around the relegation zone.
At this moment in time, despite the talent at the player’s disposal, it appears Leeds might have dodged a bullet by seeing him go to Milan.
