Gerard Deulofeu assures “I won’t forget my experience with Milan” after explaining San Siro was where “I became a man.”
Deulofeu had been struggling at Everton until he was loaned to Milan for the second half of last season, his four goals in 18 appearances for the Rossoneri consequently earning him a permanent transfer back to Barcelona.
“Playing for clubs other than Barcelona has served me well,” the Spanish attacker told Mundo Deportivo.
“At Milan, for example, I became a man. I won’t forget my experience with the Rossoneri as it also coincided with the birth of my daughter.”
For Gerard Deulofeu, one of the brightest talents to emerge from La Masia since a certain Lionel Messi, the route to playing for his childhood team regularly was an unconventional one.
Loaned to Everton, who eventually bought him, the Spanish winger struggled under Ronald Koeman at Goodison Park, and a loan move to AC Milan was sorted out last January, where he found some form again, forcing Barcelona to use their buy-back clause at the end of the 2016-17 season.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport Extra this week, the 23-year-old went back over the past year or so, and was quite candid about his experience at Everton.
He said: “At Milan, I played a lot and I was happy on the pitch. Those five months were marvellous. For some time I hadn’t enjoyed myself playing football, and at Milan, I started to feel good on and off the pitch again.“Milan gave me everything. I went there from England, where I was suffering, and with Milan, I saw the light again.”
On top of all this, his form in Italy (four goals and three assists in 18 appearances) whilst on loan from Everton earned him a recall to the Spain squad, where he scored one goal and assisted another in a 2-0 friendly win over France.
However, his early struggles at Barcelona, where he’s found himself on the bench more often than not of late, mean that he wasn’t called up to the last two squads picked by Julian Lopetegui.
Ousmane Dembélé’s injury, which has ruled him out for a large chunk of the season, was the perfect opportunity for Deulofeu to step in and make himself a spot in Barcelona’s first-team.
Gerard Deulofeu, who it’s believed has a good market in Italy. Deulofeu went to AC Milan last season on loan from Everton, and probably would have returned had it not been for Barcelona’s buying option.
Any sale needs Everton’s permission, and will see a big chunk of the fee going to Goodison Park.
Former Everton manager Roberto Martinez explained the clause back in 2015: “If they take him back they can’t sell him for a season, so he has to stay in the first-team squad for a season. At the end of that if they decide to sell him we have got first rights of getting him back or we have got a big percentage of that deal. There is nothing we can do if they activate it. That was the deal and the only way we could access the player in the terms that we wanted. I’m delighted with the deal.”
Tuesday’s edition of another Catalan newspaper, Mundo Deportivo, reiterates that Deulofeu is being edged towards the exit, now that Barcelona’s ‘patience has worn out’. The 23 year old isn’t doing anything particularly irritating behind the scenes, he just hasn’t fulfilled his potential, explain Mundo, and isn’t at the required level for Barcelona.
That would lead to Everton being asked for permission over a sale, something they have no obvious reason to hold back, and then Deulofeu needs to find a new club. However, with the recent managerial change at AC Milan, it’s stated that route is now less likely.
Mundo Deportivo don’t believe, perhaps wrongly, Deulofeu is the type of player Genaro Gatusso, Milan’s latest manager, will want.
Gerard Deulofeu was one of the best players on the pitch against Real Murcia in the Copa del Rey. But he failed to make an impact when it actually counted, in front of goal. He got no less than 4 opportunities to score, and he failed to convert any of these chances.
In three of them, he had to curl the ball around the goalkeeper, and he rushed it. It resulted in the defenders blocking the shots. If he had had a bit more composure, he could easily have buried it. In the other chance, he failed to connect with a volley from a cross.
This is the only reason Deulofeu does not feature for the first-team day in day out. He lacks the ability to finish off chances. He can create opportunities for others with ease, but he does need to learn how to keep a cool head in front of goal.
This is an area that Deulofeu needs to work on immediately. If he wants to have a bright future at the club, he needs to convince Ernesto Valverde that Ousmane Dembélé would need to work to get back into the starting lineup.
Dembélé was an expensive signing, and the management will be eager to re-introduce him into the first-team when he returns from injury. But it is up to Gerard Deulofeu to prove that money doesn’t always buy success. And he cannot do that while being unable to convert chances.
Napoli could ask Barcelona to take Gerard Deulofeu on loan in January after his successful stint at Milan.
According to Rai Sport, the Spain international would be open to the switch in order to get more regular playing time.
So far this season, he has two goals and three assists in 16 competitive games for the Blaugrana.
Deulofeu can play on the right or left wing, so would be a suitable alternative to Jose Callejon or Lorenzo Insigne.
The move would only be completed if Emanuele Giaccherini were to find a new club in the January transfer window, as it has become clear he does not fit into Maurizio Sarri’s tactics.