GdS: Tomori and Kalulu will stay despite ‘cracks in the wall’ – the plan for the defence | OneFootball
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Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu were two of the strong points for AC Milan last season in the run-up to the Scudetto victory, but this season has seen both drop off.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) recall that Tomori and Kalulu were the starting centre-back pairing for most of the second half of the season, and Milan ended it with 31 goals conceded in the league which was the joint-lowest along with Napoli.
Tomori closed with an average score of 6.37 out of 10 in their player ratings, while Kalulu was even higher at 6.39. This season, the Englishman stands at 6.01 and the Frenchman at 5.73 after a disappointing campaign for both.
Due to the credit accumulated last year it does not mean that some inconsistency could spell the end of their time at Milan. However, the emergence of Malick Thiaw has given the coaching staff and management some opportunity to reflect.
After signing him for just €7m from Schalke 04 last summer the German has been the most impressive player who arrived during a generally disappointing window, and it seems he is now considered a starter.
Simon Kjaer’s story is different. He has made starts in Serie A and the Champions League (such as in the two legs of the quarter-finals and in the first leg of the derby) but at 34 he cannot be the lighthouse of next year’s defence.
Both Tomori and Kalulu remain non-transferable because the club have no intention of signing another centre-back. The summer budget will instead be dedicated to strengthening the other departments.
The only thing that could change that is if truly irrefutable offers arrived. Kalulu joined on a free from Lyon so would guarantee a substantial capital gain, whereas Tomori cost €29m and therefore has a slightly higher valuation.