The Rade Krunic drama is finally coming to an end, with the midfielder ready to join Fenerbahce on a permanent basis, but the manner AC Milan handled the situation warrants criticism.
We begin with a potentially controversial fact: Milan sold Krunic six months late, forcing them to sell him for a price that is perhaps far below the value they should have gotten.
It is crucial to begin with this assumption, established as usual with the advantage of hindsight, in order to fully comprehend the dynamics that prevailed in Milan during the mercato and the mistakes made.
The Krunic transaction does not change the balance dramatically, and if completed at the appropriate time, it may have brought roughly €6-7 million more into Milan’s coffers – as opposed to the reported €3 million plus bonuses – which is not a staggering sum.
However, what happened with the Bosnian represents an anomalous precedent, made up of contradictions and positions that ultimately saw Milan emerge defeated.
The summer
To completely comprehend the situation, we must take a step back, or perhaps two, to the end of last season, which was undoubtedly Krunic’s most successful year at Milan. The Bosnian midfielder had quickly established himself as an important member of Stefano Pioli’s squad, which surprised some.
The former Empoli player was dubbed a ‘balancer’ between the defensive and attacking phases, prompting Pioli to change the 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3, bringing the presence of a deeper-lying player in Krunic.
Ismael Bennacer’s injury undoubtedly did the rest by propelling Krunic even deeper into the realm of Pioli’s most essential players, prompting commentators and experts to coin and repeatedly use the phrase: “Krunic is the only one capable of doing that role so well.”
We must add that Krunic almost always answered to the summons, making him absolutely indispensable for Milan, which sold Tonali in the summer before signing not one, not two, but three midfielders: Yunus Musah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Tijjani Reijnders.
The imponderable arrived along with the heat of mid-August. Krunic, backed by Pioli and management and an important part of the ambitions, determined that his €1.2 million net per season contract was insufficient for a player who was expected to play 40 games in 2023-24.
The renewal
He requested a pay increase, which was compliance with market norms and received appropriate compensation, but was later converted into a theatrical act. CEO Giorgio Furlani responded to his request for renewal with ‘Let’s see’ on the first and second occasions.
On the third occasion, he presented to the meeting with the management a piece of paper with the words ‘€3.5m net each season from Fenerbahce’, which was another twist. After recovering from the shock, management decided to wait for an offer to come at their desks.
The Turkish club’s requests were heard, and they attempted to reduce the price (which eventually reached €10 million), while also attempting to grasp, alongside Pioli, what Krunic’s departure meant tactically.
This is where the first cracks in Milan and the Bosnian’s connection appeared, as they refused to sell him unless they received their price while also refusing to match the wage, and the cracks only widened from there.
The mistakes
Despite the offers, Krunic remained at Milan for the summer, earning the same salary and signing no renewed contract. That was the first mistake.
The season begins similarly to the previous one, with the Bosnian remaining at the center of the project and, given Bennacer’s injury, with no serious alternatives except from intermittent and inconsistent performances from Yacine Adli and Tommaso Pobega. Second error.
Untouchability, on the other hand, is a two-edged sword: it celebrates you when things are going well and condemns you when the boat begins to sink. Krunic’s efforts, particularly in the Champions League when the tempo doubled, became insufficient, if not destructive.
Krunic appeared to be demoted from being an educated and somewhat underappreciated player to simply being a regular member of the rotations as the weeks progressed. A third strike.
The collapse
From then on, it was a vertical collapse. Krunic has yet to get a truly acceptable renewal offer, which fueled his aggravation and, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, drove him to’mentally quit’ his Milan career.
Fenerbahce realized things had turned sour, thus it was no longer the Turkish club’s administration knocking on Milan’s door, but vice versa.
Now that the midfielder has the upper hand, the €10 million from Fener or €12 million from Lyon that could have been secured in the summer gone as swiftly as the midfielder did from rotations.
Unfortunately, Milan was forced to draw a miserable veil at the end of an outgoing operation that satisfied everyone but themselves.
