With speculation all but confirming AC Milan have agreed to part ways with forward Stephan El Shaarawy to Ligue 1 side AS Monaco, it frustratingly comes as another smack in the face to Milanistas around the world and indicative of the club’s senseless transfer policy.
Nicknamed ‘Il Faraone’, or ‘The Pharaoh’ due to his Egyptian heritage, El Shaarawy immediately endeared himself to the Rossoneri faithful when he scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Udinese back in 2011. It was just his second match for the San Siro outfit, but already the then 18-year-old, sporting a distinctive Mohawk, was turning heads. From a goals perspective the 2011-12 campaign was not his most productive season with AC Milan, scoring four times in 28 appearances. However, he was merely finding his feet in the Serie A, with fans having good reason to be excited about the promise shown by the former Genoa star.
Following the heavily criticised sales of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer of 2012 – in an attempt to balance the club’s books – and the exodus of five experienced campaigners, a new era in the Diavolo’s decorated history was transpiring. The Rossoneri started the 2012-13 season inconsistently, after failing to adequately replace the likes of Silva, Ibrahimovic, Alessandro Nesta, Filippo Inzaghi, Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso. The squad was mediocre at best, with only a handful of footballers worthy of representing a once revered team.
El Shaarawy was an obvious exception, as he single-handedly carried the team on his shoulders in the first-half of the season, until reinforcements were acquired in January 2013. The 22-year-old was in career best form in the months of August 2012 through to February 2013 and this coincided with the prodigy making his senior debut for the Italian national team against England. El Shaarawy netted an impressive 16 goals in all competitions during this period and was virtually the sole reason Milan were not languishing above the relegation zone. What was so astonishing about the Italian’s goal-scoring exploits was that no one had expected him to burst onto the scene so quickly and score with regularity.
His rich vein of form was more than just a flash in the pan, as he demonstrated he could compete and dominate his opponents on a weekly basis when free from injury. El Shaarawy’s confidence was contagious and it had many spectators believing the Rossoneri had truly discovered a diamond, capable of returning the fallen giant back to its former glory.
Unfortunately, as alluded to earlier, the arrival of Mario Balotelli from Manchester City disrupted El Shaarawy’s exceptional form and converted his final goal of the season against Inter in the Derby della Madonnina on February 24. While the eccentric striker began scoring goals in abundance, it simultaneously dried up the 22-year-old’s tally, as he was not the focal point of the team anymore.
To only compound the Pharaoh’s woes, persistent foot injuries hampered the player of consistently featuring in the starting line-up. The 2013-14 campaign saw El Shaarawy’s run cruelly savaged by injury, playing a meagre nine matches and scoring once in a Champions League qualifier. The subsequent 2014-15 term was also less than auspicious. El Shaarawy suffered yet another foot complaint, forcing him to miss a large portion of the season again and also struggled for form. The ex-Padova man managed only three strikes in 18 domestic games, as the Milan hierarchy appeared increasingly irritated and impatient over his inability to overcome his fitness issues.
Sadly Milanistas have thus far not witnessed El Shaarawy live up to his full potential, rather the attacker gave us glimpses of the brilliance he can produce. After a second successive year of limited match time as a result of injuries, the 22-year-old’s fate was consigned and his indifferent performances were the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
Perhaps the motive behind selling El Shaarawy is courtesy of the comprehensive upheaval which has taken place at the Milanello this summer transfer window. They have desperately completed several deals, following investment by Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol, in a bid to return to the summit of Italian and European football. The acquisitions of strikers Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano have seemingly rendered El Shaarawy surplus to requirements by newly appointed boss Sinisa Mihajlovic and club CEO Adriano Galliani.
Milan are still strapped for funds, despite the substantial expenditure on players, but the decision to cash in on El Shaarawy is as perplexing as a duck who forgets how to swim. At just 22, age was obviously on the Egyptian’s side, therefore the agreement with the Principality outfit is a testament of Milan’s perpetual mistakes committed in its transfer dealings.
Although any Milan supporter would know, this is not the first, nor will it be the last time the Diavolo will regret offloading one of its rising stars due to impatience. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Matteo Darmian, Riccardo Saponara and Alberto Paloschi are all prime examples of Milan not giving its youth players a sufficient chance, with all now enjoying success at their respective teams since leaving the Rossoneri.
If the club is needing to raise funds in order to sign a centre-back, someone like Jeremy Menez would have made more sense. Firstly, the Frenchman was a free transfer, hence a sale would amount to an automatic profit and demonstrated ill-discipline on more than one occasion to boot. Menez has been known for his unselfish behaviour on the field too and was castigated by fans for unnecessarily hogging the ball and not passing to teammates.
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But more confounding are the details surrounding the fee of El Shaarawy. Goal.com are reporting the player will join the Red and Whites on an initial loan agreement for a fee of €2 million and must pay the remaining €16 million if the Savona-born forward makes at least 15 appearances. This means Milan will not receive the total money upfront anyway – halting the progress of possibly purchasing defender Alessio Romagnoli.
El Shaarawy was meant to be the poster boy of Milan for the next five or so years, but a combination of unfortunate setbacks, coupled with Milan’s bizarre transfer policy has signified the end of the 22-year-old’s stay at the San Siro. Nevertheless, the Italian may just have the last laugh when he finalises his move to Monaco, with the Serie A side likely to be again left red faced if he can remain injury-free.
And as El Shaarawy appropriately told Corriere della Sera, “I go where I am wanted.”
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