De Ketelaere has exploded and now Atalanta is enjoying him in Europe and (in the coming months) on the transfer market. Regret for Milan who let him leave after his first, disappointing, season
Against world champions Chelsea he enchanted Europe, earning top-of-the-class reports. Not new to Charles De Ketelaerea former mysterious object of Italian football who in Bergamo has rebuilt an image worthy of his talent.
Devastating, engaging, gifted with great shots and also with an unsuspecting character. The Belgian is a very distant relative of the frightened player who walked through San Siro in the season of great disappointment: he seemed incapable of expressing himself outside Bruges’ comfort zone and, instead, he is becoming an increasingly decisive factor.
That he repeats excellent performances in Palladino’s Atalanta is an important confirmation: it wasn’t just the Gasperini cure that revitalized it, as the critics endlessly implied. De Ketelaere is simply a talent who is blossoming after taking all the time he needs.
De Ketelaere has now exploded, what a regret for Milan
It is a regret for Milan who let him leave in the summer of 2023, deeming him no longer suitable for the project. He had been chased by Paolo Maldini the year before, snatched from Bruges by putting 35 million euros on the table: high figure for Italian habits but not excessive for those in Europe who want to anticipate the explosion of a potential champion.
CDK had done his best to disappoint the expectations of the first year: just enough start and then progressive shutdown despite Stefano Pioli’s continuous attempts to give him space. His negative performance was also one of the issues at the origin of the rift between Maldini and the AC Milan owners, a context which probably accelerated the Belgian’s detachment from the Rossoneri world.
De Ketelaere, the numbers with the Atalanta shirt
At Atalanta De Ketelaere was reborn. 50 games played and 14 goals scored in the first season, which ended with the historic conquest of the Europa League. Another 13 hits (47 appearances) last year with some ups and downs. Now the business card presented in the Champions League showcase with the high point of the sparkling performance against world champion Chelsea.
How much is De Ketelaere worth today? He is not on the market, but it is good to remember that he is still a class of 2001 with room for growth and with the characteristics of a modern footballer. Perfect for attracting the attention of clubs from the Premier League and major Europe. Milan came out of the deal on an equal footing from an economic point of view, but seeing CDK’s talent blossom like this elsewhere cannot help but fuel regrets in Milanello and the surrounding area where, perhaps, the patience to continue waiting and working on the player was lacking.
Atalanta enjoys it and sooner or later monetizes, as is the tradition of the Bergamo club. That of De Ketelaere could become one of the most interesting capital gains in the recent history of a club that has made the ability to develop talent, also combining sporting results, its trademark.
