Charles De Ketelaere is reborn from his ashes in Bergamo!

Only 60 kilometers separate San Siro, the legendary stadium of AC Milan, from the Gewiss Stadium, the current home of the Bergamo team. However, it is clear that this relative change of scenery changed the life of a certain Charles De Ketelaere (22 years old). Transferred to the Rossoneri for more than 35 million euros in August 2022, the young striker trained in Bruges seems, in fact, to find a second wind under the colors of the Dea. After a more than complicated start in Milan, where his contract runs until June 2027, the one who made his mark in the Jupiler Pro League (25 goals and 20 offerings in 120 matches in all competitions with the Blauw en Zwart) does not had, in fact, not met the high expectations placed on him.

The reunion with Milan as a tipping point!

Among the Lombards, the Red Devil quickly became disillusioned. Under pressure and quickly criticized for his performance, the 1m92 left-hander ultimately only delivered one assist in 40 appearances on the pitch. A record far too meager to hope to continue the adventure under the Milanese tunic. In full doubt, the Belgian international (14 caps, 2 goals) was sent last summer to Atalanta Bergamo. Now under the orders of Gian Piero Gasperini – who always believed in him – De Ketelaere is completely reborn. Scorer for his first outing with the Dea, CDK nevertheless took time to fully convince. And for good reason. After several weeks of starvation in front of the goal, the defector from Bruges has not escaped criticism with Atalanta either.

The culmination of the doubts expressed against him? Last December 9 when the number 17 of the current 4th in Serie A missed the inevitable, at the start of the match, for his reunion with AC Milan. Despite a final victory (3-2) and an assist delivered during this shock, De Ketelaere (again) awakened the most skeptical about him. Yes, but today, the situation has completely changed and the figures are unequivocal. Since that evening, the versatile Dea midfielder – capable of playing in a right winger or even center forward role – has become the most decisive player in Italy with 7 goals and 5 assists. , including the one against Milan, in 602 minutes, or once every 52 minutes.

An impressive dynamic, confirmed during the last two days of the championship where the person concerned offered himself two assists against Udinese before scoring his second double with Atalanta (the first dating from January 3 against Sassuolo on the occasion of the round of 16 of the Italian Cup) against Lazio (3-1). Now at the head of 9 goals and 7 offerings in 26 matches in all competitions, the Belgian seems unstoppable. A confusing metamorphosis which can, despite everything, be explained by its repositioning in recent months. Today aligned as a second attacker or even as a false 9, CDK is no longer the same player. “I feel good in this style of play and in this position. The striker position also gives me more confidence in the game.confided, in this regard, the main person concerned during an interview granted to DAZN.

Euro 2024 in sight…

Asked, in turn, about the current performances of his protégé, Luca Percassi, the general director of Atalanta, did not hide his enthusiasm. “He is a very talented player. Sometimes you have to have the patience to wait because he is young, but that is part of the growth path of a boy who has great talent and Atalanta is very happy that he is there. And we think he can still improve.” Enough to imagine the Dea exercising the purchase option next June? Lately, La Gazzetta dello Sport confirmed, in any case, this trend while the player, valued at €25M on the specialty site Transfermarkt, confided his well-being to Bergamo. “I’m happy here, I’d be happy to grow up here”.

If all the signals therefore seem green to see the talented Belgian midfielder settle, over time, with the Nerazzurri, this rise in power is also excellent news for his future in the selection. Absent from the last gathering of the national team, the Red Devil should, barring any major surprises, quickly make its return to Domenico Tedesco’s group. An unexpected renaissance only a few months ago and inevitably welcome just over four months before the start of Euro 2024, organized in Germany from June 14 to July 14. It now remains to be seen whether the former Leipzig coach – who has still not found a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne – will decide to focus on Charles (de Ketelaere) the Great, in terms of size and talent.