Belgium coach Roberto Martinez believes the ‘extraordinary’ Charles de Ketelaere can become an AC Milan great after Premier League outfit Leeds United missed out on the £30 million Serie A newbie, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Stefano Pioli found himself working with one of the youngest squads in all of Italy’s top flight last season. Though a perceived lack of elite-level nous did not stop a side light on experience but high on exuberance from claiming Milan’s first league title since the heady days of Clarence Seedorf, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Nesta.
And De Ketelaere, at 21, should fit in nicely alongside fellow superstars-in-waiting Rafael Leao, Fikayo Tomori and Sandro Tonali at the San Siro.
The former Club Brugge talisman joined Milan in a £30 million deal earlier in August; The Scudetto winners fighting off ‘concrete’ interest from Leeds United.
And Martinez, the former Everton and Wigan boss who handed De Ketelaere his international bow back in 2020, believes a player dubbed Belgium’s most exciting young talent since Kevin de Bruyne can live up to the expectations of those tipping him to become a £100 million footballer in the very near future.
Will Charles de Ketelaere shine at AC Milan?
“De Ketelaere steals your attention,” says Martinez. “(He) leaves you speechless with technical ability, flexibility, and elegance.
“He has a coordination, a skill in the final pass and in shooting at goal that few others at his age have in Europe.
“Charles has always grown. We have accompanied him in a project from the U21s to the first team, and he has an extraordinary ability to occupy all areas of attack.
“He can adapt to (Milan’s needs mainly because of his technique. Charles, with time, can stay along the wake of the greats in the Rossoneri tradition.”
According to De Ketelaere’s representatives, Arsenal, Newcastle United and West Ham all showed an interest at one point or another. But it was Leeds United who came the closest to snatching the 2021 Jupiler League champion from under Milan’s nose.
“He was our icing on the cake, the special player,” chairman Andrea Radrizzani tells The Athletic. “But we were competing with AC Milan.
“They won the title, they have Champions League (football). The fact that he was 50-50 about Milan or Leeds for a period makes me proud.
“Maybe I should have gone to Belgium 10 days (earlier) to close the deal. We had a period when I knew Milan were sleeping because of the change of ownership and I hesitated. We were agreed with Bruges on 40 million euros.”
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