Nigel de Jong’s new contract with Milan is the first step towards a bright future for the rossoneri.
When Nigel de Jong signed his three year extension with Milan last week, most supporters may have just shrugged their shoulders and moved on with their day. In his first three years at the San Siro, de Jong played well, but was never quite able to reach the supporters’ lofty standards. Had the rumors been true, and he had left, there are few milanisti who’s hearts would have been broken. At one point in time, Milan was set to capture the signatures of Monaco standout Geoffrey Kondogbia, Axel Witsel, and Giannelli Imbula, all of whom were younger than the Dutch defensive midfielder and could take up his mantle immediately. As it turned out, Milan lost Kondogbia to cross-town rivals Inter, Imbula signed with Porto, and the rumors about Witsel have cooled off immensely.
de Jong went from being replaceable to being a necessary signing for a Milan mercato that was quickly falling apart. Sporting director Umberto Gandini was able to right the ship once the mercato got going on Wednesday, bringing in Andrea Bertolacci, Carlos Bacca, and Luiz Adriano. As Milan’s squad for 2015-16 continues to fill out, de Jong looks more and more vital to the operation.
Before the season ended, it was very uncertain where de Jong would land. He definitely had options. Juventus, Manchester United, and Manchester City were all after his signature. He made it very clear to Milan’s upper management that his signing would require a clear cut plan to get the team back to the success of its glory days. New minority owner Bee Taechaubol provided the monetary means to carry out that plan, and the first step was to get de Jong back on board. The new direction of the club convinced the 30 year-old to sign a new contract, thus beginning the rebirth of not only the once great club, but the rebirth of de Jong’s career.
The most difficult thing about building a young team is finding leadership. That aspect is what makes signing de Jong most valuable. Being able to put players like 24 year-old Bertolacci, 22 year-old Stephan El Shaarawy, and possibly 19 year-old Jose Mauri under the tutelage of a hardened, experienced midfielder like de Jong, will allow new manager Sinisa Mihajlovic to concentrate more on tactics and formations. It will make the transition to the new club easier for the former Sampdoria manager.
One of the many other things that make de Jong special is that he can not only help out Milan’s defenders, who struggled last season, but he can also link up play between the midfield and the club’s new strikers in Mihajlovic’s proposed 4-3-1-2 formation.
It is a great possibility that de Jong could get the captains armband for Milan next season. Whether he does or not, this new contract will aid the rebirth of Milan as well as give the player a new start. One in which he can step out of the shadow cast by Gennaro Gattuso, the man that he was brought on to replace, and allow him to write his own destiny as a legend of the rossoneri.
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