By Rasaq Oboirien
Former Inter Milan manager, Fabio Capello has given concrete reasons why Super Eagles winger, Samuel Chuwkueze is yet to prove his worth with his dashing and dribbling skills in a Rossoneri shirt, despite his €20million price tag.
The former best African Player award winner in the Spanish LaLiga for last season, joined the Italian Serie A giant from Villarreall on a five-year deal in the summer.
Chukwueze, since joining Milan, has struggled in the red and black shirt. In his column for Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Milan manager Capello highlighted that fact, using Chukwueze as an example. Time is still needed to understand the quality of these players, but errors were made in the acclimatization evaluation.
“The heavy turnover in the summer was a risk for Milan. The owners invested €132m in ten players, but not all of them have proved to be up to the task, at least not for now. I think of Chukwueze who in Spain, with the Villarreal shirt, did wonderful things.
“At Milan, however, he’s still a shy player.
A question of settling in, of course, but also of pressure. Because the Rossoneri shirt weighs more than the others, withstanding the impact of a stadium like San Siro requires a considerable amount of personality.
Like the Nigerian, other newcomers are also struggling.
“It’s a sign that the summer Mercato was important, but that perhaps some evaluation errors were made in the planning phase. No matter how innovative and fascinating, the ‘Moneyball’ system is evidently not immune to mistakes,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Chukwueze will get the chance to start against Fiorentina amid the absences of Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao. In short, it’s a big opportunity for the Nigerian to show his qualities and convince the Milan management. So far, he has just made an assist.
In short, it’s a big opportunity for the Nigerian to show his qualities and convince the Milan management. So far, he has just collected an assist.