QS: Reserves usurp €32m man – how Milan’s striker paradox developed | OneFootball

The striker situation has become a rather strange paradox for AC Milan, as the two ‘reserve’ options have overtaken the big winter investment.

As Quotidiano Sportivo write this morning, Santiago Gimenez has been excluded three times in a row from the starting XI, and is heading towards a fourth on Friday against Udinese. This time it is more physical-based, given he is training alone after taking a blow to the side in the Fiorentina draw.

Gimenez’s rocky start

It has been a ‘red and black rollercoaster’ for Gimenez. He is the second most expensive investment by RedBird, who agreed to pay €32m plus bonuses (€37.5m for Charles De Ketelaere still leads) to get him in January.

He signed a contract until 2029 at €2.5m net per season and made an immediate impact: assist on debut in the Coppa Italia, then goals in the first league match against Empoli and in the second against Verona. Only Christian Pulisic and Andriy Shevchenko had managed the same.

The 23-year-old has also inherited the No.7 from the Ukrainian, his idol like Kakà, Ronaldinho and Ibrahimovic. The Mexican netted 20 goals with Feyenoord two seasons ago, 26 last year and 16 up until January before moving to Milan, so the signs were good.

His last goal for the Diavolo came against his old club Feyenoord in the Champions League on February 18. Since then, he has not scored for eight games, including five starts. Gimenez even missed a penalty against Napoli, something that had not happened to him in over a year.

Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images

Conceicao’s choice

The coach tried to protect him: “He scores in training, he did it when he arrived too. Many struggled at the beginning in Italy, it’s normal… Let’s give him his space.” He has had less and less of it, at least in terms of playing time.

More space, however, has been given to Tammy Abraham. The recent goals in the Coppa Italia derby and against Fiorentina have brought him into double figures. The improved numbers, however, represent a snag in signing him permanently.

Roma have set a valuation around €25m and Abraham has a salary of €4.5m net per year. The parties will talk about things in a few weeks, just like Alexis Saelemaekers who went the opposite wau (and is highly regarded by the Giallorossi).

Luka Jovic has had a strange season too. He spent months on the sidelines, so much so that he was not included in the Champions League squad list, also held back by injuries. He has amassed just 200 minutes of playing time.

In the last 78 minutes, however, he has made a mark by scoring against Napoli and Fiorentina. “I want to play”, the Serbian recently said in an interview with a Serbian newspaper. His salary has been reduced (€1.3m) and his contract expires this summer.

Among the many situations to be evaluated, there are also decisions to be made on Francesco Camarda – who will be with Milan Futuro until the end of the season – and Divock Origi, under contract until June 2026 with a €4m salary.