With a goal against Hellas Verona and a bright performance against Fiorentina, Samu Chukwueze has finally started to show himself for what he is: a player who has the qualities to make an impact.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write how it seems that Chukwueze had been ‘enveloped by the De Ketelaere spell’. The most expensive purchase of the 2022 summer window, Charles De Ketelaere, did not manage even a single goal and was sent to Atalanta to recover confidence.
Chukwueze chased away the ghosts. The goal against Verona was his first in the league and against Fiorentina he kept the good run going, even if he didn’t get on the scoresheet.
His plays were appreciated everywhere: by the Rossoneri fans, by the owner Gerry Cardinale in the United States and by the CEO Giorgio Furlani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic who were away away Dubai.
Samu’s performance is an issue that is particularly close to the club’s heart, as they invested €28m in him: all the other top-level signings have repaid the expense, but the Nigerian is still in debt.
When possible calculations about an upcoming resale began to emerge, the former Villarreal man show his worth. Someone who knows about talent and achieving potential, Rafa Leao, complimented him.
“I want to talk about Chukwueze because against Fiorentina he played a great game. I am very happy for him because he has lived through delicate moments and now he is finally demonstrating his worth,” he said.
Pioli also thinks like Rafa: “The goal in Verona certainly did him good. He is a very positive guy, he stayed with us and worked hard during the break.
“He deserved these opportunities and made the most of them very well. He is a player who will give us satisfaction because he has quality. He needed more time to settle in but he knows what we want from him and what he can give to the team.”
In LaLiga Chukwueze stood out for the unpredictability of his dribbling whereas with the Rossoneri he seemed to be telegraphing his moves too much. Once things clicked, his imagination began to take hold again.
Milan will look to keep winning in the league and the Europa League, so Chukwueze will be needed in addition to Christian Pulisic. In Florence, for example, the American asked not to start due to fatigue from the international break.
The result was a balanced Milan: Leao sprinting on the left, Chukwueze’s runs on the right. That is without forgetting his goals against Dortmund and Newcastle in the Champions League, the latter being the one that allowed the team to remain in the Europa League.
Chukwueze is being rewarded for a stellar attitude too. He was smiling even when he could have had a long face, and was the soul of the locker room even when he was less involved on the pitch.
“It’s right that Pulisic plays, he’s doing very well,” he said after his goal against Verona. Pulisic was then absent on Saturday, a chance that Chukwu seized.
Sempremilan
