According to a recent report from Calciomercato, a number of clubs are interested in the services of Krzysztof Piatek – but Milan would be wise to keep him at the club.
What’s the word, then?
The Italian outlet confirmed that there are three clubs currently fighting for the signature of the young Polish centre-forward: Bayern Leverkusen, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
Piatek has been struggling in the ongoing campaign and with only four goals to his name in 18 Serie A appearances, he’s not exactly firing on all cylinders.
For that reason, and with the recent incorporation of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, his place in the team very much feels under threat and it remains to be seen what the Rossoneri have planned for him.
But they should put some faith into the 24-year-old and keep him around.
A rough patch
Piatek is a classic fox in the box type of player. He will bring you goals if you surround him with the right players that can assist him and create opportunities.
The stats do confirm that thesis – as per Whoscored, Piatek is averaging 2.7 shots per game in the ongoing campaign and has four goals to his name. But he is not much of a link-up player or a creator – only 0.9 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per game with no assists can attest to that.
So Milan’s ultimate problem isn’t the striker’s current rough patch, because when given the right service, Piatek will, more often than not, meet expectations.
Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….
That much was seen when he scored 19 goals in 21 games for Genoa or his total of 30 goals in 42 games across all competitions when shifting between Milan and his former side in 2018/19.
The bigger issue is the amount of creativity surrounding him – tellingly, no Milan player has made more than two assists in Serie A this season.
It remains to be seen what kind of an impact Ibrahimovic ends up having at the club but his arrival should not signal the end of Piatek’s time there.
After all, how long can the 38-year-old Swede actually last and perform on the top level? The Polish international, on the other hand, is 14 years his junior.
Aston Villa, Newcastle and Bayer appear to appreciate that and their interest does show that they aspire to add some reliable firepower into their squad.
But if Piatek’s current struggles prove anything, it’s that those clubs will need the creativity to match his predatory instincts.
Meanwhile, many Aston Villa fans were not really happy with recent links with a man who’s “way past his prime”…