While Milan fans will be experiencing fresh frustration over seemingly never-ending speculation over Gianluigi Donnarumma this summer, there is also other business to attend to.
Our shot-stopper’s current contract expires in 2021, and as he edges closer to the final 12 months of that deal, his future will no doubt become more of a talking point, just as it was in 2017, with Calciomercato touting a list of possible replacements already.
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It’s something that we could really do without. With so much uncertainly and risk-taking in our transfer strategy, it would be ideal to have a fundamental base in the squad with no question marks hanging over their futures.
Key pieces such as Ismael Bennacer and Theo Hernandez are locked in. In contrast, it remains to be seen what happens with Donnarumma this summer, while captain Alessio Romagnoli’s contract is set to expire in 2022.
Crucial to secure Romagnoli’s long-term future
Injuries disrupted the classy centre-half in the 2016/17 campaign. Since then though he has been an ever-present in the side making over 40 appearances in the last two seasons while he’s featured 29 times so far this season with more than a handful of games still to be played.
Now 25 years of age, he has gained experience and maturity with that regular playing time and will soon be hitting his peak. He’s more composed on and off the ball, has improved his awareness and positioning and has become an all-round dependable figure for us at the back.
Of course, he still has his flaws. He’ll never develop more pace, his lack of physicality perhaps is his downfall at times and he isn’t flawless in his defensive work every week.
Nevertheless, he has firmly established himself as a fundamental figure in this Milan side, is a developing leader on and off the pitch as captain and remains one of the faces of the club.
All that results in a necessity to not lose our best players and secure his long-term future as going into next season with that cloud hanging over us as he heads towards the final 12 months of his deal is something that we could all surely do without.
Add to the mix that he’s represented by none other than Mino Raiola, we can all certainly be spared the agent’s public statements and hints too as uncertainty grows, and so for CEO Ivan Gazidis and whoever else remains as part of the management set-up this summer, Romagnoli’s future should very much be on the agenda too.
MilanNews, via the paper edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, reported this week that renewal discussions will take place soon, and so while question marks remain over various other issues at the club at this moment in time, it would be a welcome boost if Romagnoli’s future wasn’t something up for debate.
It would be good for Gazidis in terms of his lack of popularity with Milan fans to deliver something for us to pat him on the back for. In truth, Milan have failed Romagnoli and Donnarumma with our lack of progress over the past three or four years, and while it would be ideal to keep them forever, the longer we struggle the more likely it is that these could be the last deals that they sign with us.