Soualiho joined AC Milan in January on loan from Torino. He was never a consistent starter, although not expected to be one. Meite was brought in due to injury concerns in Milan’s midfield, as well as the slowed growth of younger Sandro Tonali. After a successful season finishing second, Milan have decided to not pursue a permanent deal (or activate their clause of 9 million Euros) for Meite according to Manuele Baiocchini of Sky Sport and Nicolo Schira.
Soualiho Meite Not Returning to AC Milan
Soualiho Meite’s Season
In 16 appearances for Milan (578 minutes), Soualiho Meite did not score or assist a goal. He came close to an assist in the last match of the season, but Rafael Leão could not finish the opportunity versus Atalanta and hit the post. With this being said, those kinds of statistics aren’t expected from Meite.
He came in to bring in midfield depth and did just that. Although he never particularly shined, Meite was solid overall.
He can be proud of his contributions for the Rossoneri. Meite was part of a squad that finished in second place and finally returned to the Champions League. He also accepted his role and was open to playing whenever needed.
AC Milan’s Options
Milan have new ambitions due to their Champions League qualification. With all due respect to Meite, he simply is not part of those plans.
The Rossoneri‘s midfield is already set with Franck Kessie and Ismael Bennacer. Sandro Tonali remains as well. In all likelihood, those three will be the main centre midfielders.
Tommaso Pobega, the youngster, may also return. He had a strong season with Spezia, scoring six goals and notching three assists in 20 matches. Lastly, utility player Rade Krunic is a favorite of manager Stefano Pioli.
Milan are also planning ahead. It’s likely that Kessie and Bennacer miss time due to the AFCON tournament. The club may choose to focus on finding players who can start, in both Serie A and possibly Champions League, while the aforementioned duo is missing. One target to keep an eye on is Orkun Kökçü. The Feyenoord man is just 20-years-old and one to watch for the future.
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