Milan market, Santiago Gimenez’s message does not go unnoticed: the situation

The message posted by Santiago Gimenez on his own social channels, just hours after his ankle surgery, is more than just an update on his condition. It is a sign of personal resilience, but also a reminder for his club, AC Milan, grappling with an offensive sector in emergency on the immediate eve of the winter soccer market. The Mexican striker, who thanked fans and teammates for their support, will have to stay in the pits for at least two months: a heavy absence, which comes at the end of a complicated 2025 and opens up rather clear scenarios at the Rossoneri.

Gimenez, who arrived just under a year ago for about 30 million euros, has never managed to impose himself as expected. The numbers don’t lie: 30 total appearances and 7 goals, including 5 in Serie A. A haul far from expectations, certainly lower than what he showed in his experience in the Netherlands, at PSV. The adaptation to Italian soccer proved more difficult than expected, and the ankle problem, dragged on for months, ended up conditioning his performance, continuity and confidence. The decision to undergo surgery, which matured after a specialist consultation in Amsterdam, was inevitable, but for Milan it represents a huge problem.

Francesco Lucivero

Massimiliano Allegri, already struggling with a depleted offensive department, now finds himself with only one role forward Christopher Nkunku. The Frenchman, however, has not yet found his size in Serie A and is going through an obvious period of difficulty. The rest of the attack lives on adaptations and emergency solutions, with Christian Pulisic forced to shoulder a burden he cannot carry alone for the whole season, as demonstrated in the Super Cup against Napoli. In this context, Gimenez’s message, full of optimism and spirituality (he even quoted a passage from the Bible), is not enough to reassure the environment.

The Rossoneri management, aware of the situation, has already started a series of evaluations for weeks to identify a new center forward, and Gimenez’s injury has accelerated everything. Among the names circulated, that of Niclas Füllkrug has become the most concrete: the 32-year-old German striker from West Ham represents an ideal profile in terms of characteristics, experience and willingness to change air. From the slums of the Premier League to the Scudetto race: a leap that the player would gladly accept, and that Milan sees as a low-risk opportunity.

The overall picture is not so clear.

The big picture, however, goes beyond the single name. Gimenez’s injury has exposed the structural fragility of the offensive department, already evident on other occasions and “masked” by the individual qualities of players like Pulisic and Rafael Leao. Allegri and sporting director Igli Tare have repeatedly reiterated their confidence in the Mexican, but the reality is that Milan has no intention of facing the second half of the season without a role center forward.