Giacomo Bonaventura’s Milan career hasn’t gone too well. When the Italian had joined the club from Atalanta, he was expected to become a key player for the rossoneri. But due to injuries, that promise wasn’t fulfilled and his spell at Milan hasn’t gone as many wanted. And now, it has come to a point where he is close to leaving.
Bonaventura’s contract at San Siro runs out at the end of the current season. But because of that, he’s been linked with a move to Premier League side Arsenal. But a move to the Emirates might not make much sense for the Italian.
At 30, Bonaventura has had a fair share of stoppages in his career. He has missed 66 games due to injury since the start of the 2016-17 season, failing to become a regular for Milan. He had arrived at Milan from La Dea for a fee of €7 million and while that wasn’t a big fee, he came at the age of 24 and was a thriving player.
Even though things haven’t gone to plan, Bonaventura has still contributed to as many as 58 goals in 161 appearances for Milan, a stat not gone unnoticed by online analysts Wincomparator who follow these metrics. That is a very decent number for a midfielder and considering the instability at the club during modern times, that isn’t a bad output at all. There is a raging debate among many Milan fans that if not for injuries, Bonaventura could have been the most important player for the club in modern history.
While whether that carries weight or not is anyone’s guess, but Bonaventura’s numbers show that he is a reliable player on his day. He’s still managed to score three goals in all competitions for them this season, proving to be useful on some occasions.
Back in 2017, former Milan boss Vincenzo Montella made his praise for Jack clear. He said: “He always played outside in a 4-4-2, but he can play anywhere. He’s a guy who wants to learn, is a very precious asset, both for Milan and for the Italian national team.”
His versatility is a bonus- as Montella said. He can play in different systems like he has played in the midfield of a 4-3-3 or on the left in a 4-4-2 under Stefano Pioli and Marco Giampaolo this season.
But all that said, Arsenal don’t really need any more players on short-term deals with a shady injury record or with questionable attributes. They did that with Cedric Soares in the winter, David Luiz in the summer and multiple players in the past. Luiz takes stick for making errors and the same applies for Sokratis too. They have become unreliable deals who turn up on limited times and there is no guarantee of their performances too.
Bonaventura happens to be a similar sort of player. He can make an impact but there is always a big question mark about it. Like the others, he is an ageing player and doesn’t offer much potential improvement or resale value.
Plus, Arsenal don’t need much in the areas he plays in. He can play in the number ten role in the Mikel Arteta 4-2-3-1, but they do have younger players like Joe Willock who can fill the role. Reiss Nelson can also don that position and Emile-Smith Rowe can do that as well. There is no point in sacrificing a younger player for a player who offers no guarantee of being a regular player.
