After undergoing a miserable loan spell with Monaco in Ligue 1, Stephan El Shaarawy has returned to Italy with Roma, thriving under new manager Luciano Spalletti. The 23-year old Italian has bagged 4 goals in six matches with the giallorossi since his move, leaving fans of his former club, Milan, asking: was his sale a mistake? Italian Football Daily’s own Matt Santangelo and Michael Timineri debate.
Background:
Stephan El Shaarawy was loaned to Monaco this past summer for an estimated €2m for the season, with the principality holding an obligation at 16 million euros contingent on him making 25 appearances across all competitions. After Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim did not observe El Shaarawy as a component for the future, he froze him out from making his 25th appearance, thus sending him back to Milan last January. The azzurri winger was then loaned out to Roma for the remainder of the 2015-16 season with the giallorossi holding a €13m option to buy him in the summer. Since arriving to the capital club, the 23-year old has scored 4 goals in six total matches.
Matt Santangelo:
Once Pippo Inzaghi was sacked and Siniša Mihajlović was hired, things were about to change for Milan. Mihajlović looked at his squad, top to bottom and observed what type of personnel he had to work with in his first season. In the pre-season months of the season, the former Serbia manager declared that the 4-3-1-2 formation was the setup for him, which then left El Shaarawy in limbo. El Shaarawy had been injury plagued the past two years and has struggled to stay fit let alone score goals. It also didn’t help his cause that Giacomo Bonaventura was versatile enough to play in the midfield and on the left, making El Shaarawy expendable.
Once he was sold and began to struggle heavily in France despite being fit, Milan fans knew the club had made the right decision to cash in on a declining asset while value was still significant; and I agreed.
Many times, Milan had been burned by holding on a little to long to their prized assets, most notably with Alexandre Pato who had clubs lining up to buy off his stellar 2010-11 season. With the new formation and major concerns surrounding El Shaarawy, I fully understood why Adriano Galliani sold him. His production had slipped dramatically, having scored just 4 goals in thirty matches in the previous two seasons combined. In my eyes, it was time to move on, and they did.
Now that he’s returned to Italy with Roma and is producing, it’s easy for fans to say “See, we should have kept him. He’s producing for a club we are fighting against for 3rd.” While this is a valid point, it’s unfair to assume that under Mihajlović – as oppose to Luciano Spalletti – he would have been performing the same. Plus, Milan were playing well since his loan with Monaco was terminated and Bonaventura has cemented down the left-wing/left-midfield spot in the 4-4-2 setup. Would this really be the time to force El Shaarawy – who wants to start – into the side while the club is surging towards a European spot? I don’t think so. Now, some people argue that he could be tried out on the right side, providing a pacy, goal scoring upgrade over Keisuke Honda. However, from a manager’s perspective coaching under serious pressure for Milan, you just can’t afford to use meaningful matches to experiment. Each point is deemed priceless and your job is on the line here. On the other end, Milan could have maybe used him as depth on the left side, allowing Mihajlović to use Bonaventura’s versatility in the middle of the park. But, can you really start moving around Bonaventura who’s been a “Jack of All Trades” type player for Milan? Again, given the position the club is in and the aspirations they have, now would not have been the right time to retain El Shaarawy who actually asked for a move away.
Trust me, if there was a way to keep El Shaarawy and let him contribute to a successful season, I would have been all for it. But, he’s a gifted player and deserves the starting minutes. He is battling to restore his career and play for a spot on Antonio Conte’s Italy squad for Euro 2016. Unfortunately, in the modern era of football, you have to evaluate a player from all angles; his ability, struggles and value. At Milan, it wasn’t the proper place – or time – for El Shaarawy to thrive and return to stardom, which is why I can’t fault the club for allowing him to depart.
Michael Timineri:
Siniša Mihajlović stated his intentions to play the 4312 with Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano being signed in July and instantly, the media started to talk of a player exodus at the club with players leaving; one of them being Stephen El Shaarawy. But the 4312 doesn’t suit a player like El Shaarawy? In the 11/12 and 12/13 seasons under Max Allegri, “Il Faraone” came to prominence playing in the 4312 system as the secondary striker with 7 goals in 19 games.
The decision to bring in Luiz Adriano asked questions of the plans in place especially at the fee it cost, Niang was returning to the club and El Shaarawy was fully fit and coming back off a successful two game return at the end of last season where he scored twice against Torino. Both players were adapt at playing the second striker so why the need to bring in Luiz Adriano and keep on a player like Alessio Cerci as well. Having scored 27 goals and contributed with 14 assists in 102 appearances for Milan, he would have to start all over again and forget about the past.
After an injury hit two seasons ago, El Shaarawy would need to prove himself again and before he could even do that, he went out on loan to Monaco with a clause of 16m euros to make the move permanent. A disappointing six month spell in Ligue 1 would follow, and El Shaarawy was back again at Milanello. The talk began that he would be staying at the club, with Mihajlović playing a system that suited his style. Cerci and Honda were struggling on the right side and with the lack of wingers at the club, El Shaarawy could be playing the second half of the season at the club.
And so he should have been, Milan was in contention for the Champions League places and with several players leaving out on loan including Cerci and Suso. El Shaarawy should have been retained at the club to compete with Honda and Bonaventura for a place in the side. His form at Roma shows he is back at a level at which he’s comfortable at, playing from the left side and his stats back it up with four goals in five matches. Some say that Giacomo Bonaventura was the reason he wasn’t kept in January with “Jack of All Trades” in excellent form playing on the left side, but he’s known for his versatility across midfield and with Honda struggling, I believe Bonaventura should have been moved to the right side to accommodate El Shaarawy into the team. Both players are incredibly hard workers, great dribblers of the ball going inside and can score goals from any area into the pitch.
Silvio Berlusconi wants an “all Italian team” for the future and highlighted key areas of the squad that he was happy with, Donnarumma as goalkeeper, Mattia De Sciglio and Alessio Romagnoli in defence, Locatelli as one for the future but one position he was unhappy with was the attack with only Mario Balotelli to choose from. Stephen El Shaarawy has been an important player for Milan over the years and to quickly end that relationship after a difficult period with injury was unfair on the player. He’s the future of Italian football and should have been a focal point in the rebuilding of the squad in the summer and a key player in Milan’s vision for an all Italian team.
Do you agree with Matt that offloading the gifted winger was the appropriate course of action, or does Michael’s point on his previous success as a second striker convince you he could have found his way into the side?
Let us know which side you are on by voting or tweeting at us on Twitter!
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