Milan waits for top earner Chukwueze’s breakthrough
AC Milan’s summer Mercato has been considered a success so far as the Rossoneri are first in the standings with 21 points out of 24 points. They are still waiting on two breakthroughs of Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze and Nigeria-born Swiss forward Noah Okafor according to highlights Carlo Pellegatti a top Italian media personality.
The Rossoneri moved to the top of the standings thanks to their dramatic 1-0 win against Genoa. The new signing Christian Pulisic scored the winner in the 87th minute, assisted by Yunus Musah who also arrived at the club this summer.
In his latest editorial for MilanNews, the well-known journalist Pellegatti spoke about the success of the summer signings so far. He stated that two of them are still waiting for their proper breakthrough, though.
“We now await the growth of Okafor and Chukwueze, who are showing positive signs of improvement. I await, with great confidence, especially the breakthrough “Chucky”, who must find the consistency, fundamental for his definitive explosion.
“I like his liveliness and his imagination. I want to surprise you with a statistic that certifies his desire to follow the coach’s tactical orders. The Nigerian has won more defensive duels than last season, at Villarreal, on average” he stated.
Okafor was forced to leave the Switzerland camp after a minor car accident, causing a cut to his eyebrow. He will return to Mianello in the coming days and will also be available against Juventus after the break.
Unsurprisingly, Rafael Leao is the highest earner thanks to his renewal at the end of last season, with €5m per year as a base. He’s clearly the star of the team and deserves the salary, considering
his price tag on the market but Chukwueze is not far behind, he is also among the top earners in Milan.
Calcio e Finanza published the whole wage bill at the start of September and you can see the full list below. While Leao isn’t a surprise, some might be a tad surprised to see Samuel Chukwueze at €4m per year. His breakthrough has not arrived yet, but he has looked promising.
For new players who arrived after 2 July, the tax relief is applied only for 2024 (and therefore for half the season, increasing the gross figure).
➤ Rafael Leao – 5 million net (6.55 gross)
➤ Theo Hernandez – 4 million net (5.24 gross)
➤ Ismael Bennacer – 4 million net (7.4 gross)
➤ Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 4 million net (5.24 gross)
➤ Christian Pulisic – 4 million net (6.32 gross)
➤ Samuel Chukwueze – 4 million net (6.32 gross)
➤ Fikayo Tomori – 3.5 million net (4.59 gross)
➤ Olivier Giroud – 3.5 million net (4.59 gross)
➤ Alessandro Florenzi – 3 million net (5.55 gross)
➤ Mike Maignan – 2.8 million net (3.67 gross)
➤ Luka Jovic – 2.5 million net (3.28 gross)
➤ Mattia Caldara – 2.2 million net (4.07 gross)
➤ Davide Calabria – 2 million net (3.7 gross)
➤ Pierre Kalulu – 2 million net (2.62 gross)
➤ Yunus Musah – 2 million net (3.16 gross)
➤ Noah Okafor – 2 million net (3.16 gross)
➤ Tijjani Rejinders – 1.7 million net (2.69 gross)
➤ Simon Kjaer – 1.5 million net (1.97 gross)
➤ Rade Krunic – 1.1 million net (2.04 gross)
➤ Tommaso Pobega – 1 million net (1.85 gross)
➤ Malick Thiaw – 800 thousand euros net (1.05 gross)
➤ Yacine Adli – 800 thousand euros net (1.05 gross)
➤ Luka Romero – 800 thousand euros net (1.05 gross)
➤ Antonio Mirante – 700 thousand euros net (1.3 gross)
➤ Marco Sportiello – 500 thousand euros net (925 thousand gross)
➤ Marco Pellegrino – 300 thousand euros net (555 thousand gross)
Total: €59.7m net (€89.9m gross).
