Alexis Saelemaekers is one of the more underrated players who has been performing very well and progressing a lot over the last few seasons.
Saelemaekers is a 26-year-old Belgian international who started his career at RSC Anderlecht before moving to Serie A in 2020, joining AC Milan and gradually earning playing time with the team.
Even though Saelemaekers was not a guaranteed starter in Milan’s XI back then, he showed impressive progress season after season, despite inconsistent playing time and being used in various positions.
Crucially, Saelemaekers was then loaned out to Bologna and AS Roma during the 2023/2024 and the 2024/2025 seasons, respectively, making a considerable impact for both teams with compelling performances.
Saelemaekers came back to Milan much stronger for the 2025/2026 season.
The proof for this is that Massimiliano Allegri preferred to start most, if not all, the games with Alexis Saelemaekers as a right winger or wing-back, believing in his ability to help the team throughout the season without needing to sign a left-footed inverted winger.
This Alexis Saelemaekers scout report aims to examine his development and how he has become much more decisive and effective than in his initial seasons in Serie A.
Alexis Saelemaekers Position At AC Milan
The latest match against Pisa confirmed one truth about Saelemaekers’ evolution as a winger: his tactical flexibility allows him to adapt to various positional changes, whether from the start or during games.
In that match, Allegri initially used Saelemaekers as a right wing-back but switched him to the left wing in the second half, since Zachary Athekame was better suited to the right flank.
Saelemaekers showed great adaptability to the switch in position and was as dangerous as on the right flank, combining attacking ability with defensive support.
This was one of many matches in which Saelemaekers was very valuable to the team, especially for filling more than one position in the same match while maintaining almost the same quality, especially on the flanks.
Saelemaekers has already been used as a right-back and left-back, with more defensive duties, and was even more often deployed as a winger.
His outstanding ability to handle these various roles and positions makes him a very underrated player who deserves much more attention, especially this season.
Being underrated helps Alexis Saelemaekers perform even better.
Defences are usually more occupied and preoccupied by the presence of other attacking players, such as Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leão, leaving more space for the Belgian.
His ability and dribbling success rate in 1-v-1s have developed significantly in recent seasons, making him a danger in those scenarios.
The work rate and the team-play mentality are also two aspects that characterise Saelemaekers and make him a special player for Milan.
In Allegri’s Milan, Saelemaekers has become a key player in the team’s 3-5-2 lineup.
He has participated in all of his team’s games so far and is expected to continue adding a lot of dynamism on the right wing.
Furthermore, Alexis Saelemaekers’ reactions when losing the ball and during defensive transitions are extremely important for Milan.
In such cases, he retreats explosively, making sure to intercept or recover the ball as quickly as possible to stop attacks or counterattacking attempts.
Alexis Saelemaekers Stats
With an average of 2.97 interceptions and 6.02 recoveries in the opponent’s half this season, Saelemaekers holds one of the highest averages in Serie A for wingers regarding this aspect.
If we take Pulisic as an example, we find that the American made an average of 1.15 interceptions and 2.67 recoveries in the opponent’s half.
So, the difference between the two players’ defensive contributions is quite apparent, even though Pulisic is also a very quick player whose impact is valuable on the attacking side.
Saelemaekers’ numbers were already compelling last season, as his average of defensive duels won was very high for a winger or wing-back, as shown in the pizza chart below.
The same applies to his aerial duels won despite not being very tall.
In terms of passing, Saelemaekers’ experience in Serie A and his continuous hard work allowed him to develop significantly in this regard.
He became a much better passer, with success rates of 80% on passes to the final third and 77.3% to the penalty box.
That said, the crossing quality and the dangerous passing rates can be improved.
Alexis Saelemaekers should work harder to become a more consistent, dangerous passer, attempt more key passes between the lines, and opt for unexpected passes when needed.
Furthermore, one of Saelemaekers’ mastered roles is ball progression and penetration, which have become key traits in his attack.
Alexis Saelemaekers attempts more progressive runs than in all previous seasons, with 4.71 progressive runs so far this season and an average that does not surpass the three progressive runs during the last few seasons.
Moreover, Alexis Saelemaekers is finding it easier to penetrate thanks not just to his agility but also to his improved dribbling, which he uses very well when running, giving him a remarkable advantage over opponents in such situations.
The only drawback that Saelemaekers might need to keep fixing in this regard is the finishing quality following such penetrations.
It is true that Saelemaekers’ goal contribution rates have become much higher than before, especially compared to the expected goal contribution per 90.
However, his approach to goal-scoring opportunities, whether from inside or outside the box, needs to be further refined.
Decision-making regarding shooting techniques and trajectories has not always been Saelemaekers’ strongest asset.
On numerous occasions, he has failed to conclude as he should, missing golden opportunities due to a lack of shooting technique and a general lack of finishing in tight situations.
But even in this regard, Saelemaekers has improved significantly compared to previous seasons and has the potential to score more goals this season.
Alexis Saelemaekers Pizza Chart
Alexis Saelemaekers Attacking Evolution
Alexis Saelemaekers has become one of Milan’s most powerful and reliable attacking weapons.
His performances become more convincing with each game.
He commits fewer errors and is efficient in all phases of the game.
Allegri, who values this kind of player profile highly and exploits it usefully, did not overlook this reliability and efficiency.
Alexis Saelemaekers Left-Footed Playmaking
In fact, Saelemaekers’ solutions are becoming increasingly diverse as he has worked extensively on his left-footed play.
That gives him a lot more unpredictability on the right wing, knowing that he is obliged to use his left foot for dribbling or crossing from that side many times per match.
We saw Saelemaekers attempt crosses and shots with his left foot with accuracy on numerous occasions, something that was not happening with such consistency during his first seasons with I Rossoneri.
Saelemaekers succeeded in providing an assist using his left foot, crossing this season.
That action confirms the importance of having a right winger who masters using both feet for crossing, passing, dribbling, and shooting.
Alexis Saelemaekers Left-Footed Goalscoring
In addition to providing crosses and passes with his weaker foot, Saelemaekers has also become more dangerous with left-footed shots, with his accuracy improving progressively.
Saelemaekers is becoming very dangerous, shooting from outside the box with both feet, as he does not hesitate to attempt such shots with his left foot.
His left-footed shooting technique and accuracy still need more work to become more decisive.
The following example highlights one of Saelemaekers’ goals from outside the box, using his left foot to finish the action inside the net.
At Roma, Saelemaekers was also capable of scoring with left-footed, curved shots, confirming his ability to finish in multiple ways and making it more difficult for his direct opponents.
His feints and agile movements to cut inside have become his signature, allowing him to aim for a cross, a pass, or a shot, depending on the situation.
And thanks to his agility, quick dribbling reaction, and ball control, defenders might be aware of that move but still cannot intercept the ball from Saelemaekers in such cases, and that’s what makes him a unique right winger.
Alexis Saelemaekers Shooting From Distance
This season, Saelemaekers looked even sharper regarding agility, physical strength, and ability to win offensive and defensive duels.
The sharpness was also obvious in his shooting power, given that Saelemaekers has reinforced his long-range shooting skills, too.
One of his most recent attempts from distance highlights Saelemaekers’ very powerful shooting, without sacrificing accuracy, combining both in a remarkable way.
This would have been one of Saelemaekers’ most beautiful goals if the opposing goalkeeper had not made a miraculous save.
Alexis Saelemaekers Decision-Making & Concentration Inside The Box
Saelemaekers is becoming a more complete player, as his understanding of the game and chemistry with most of his attacking and midfield teammates make Milan’s playmaking process very smooth.
However, Saelemaekers can still work on his decision-making during penetrations.
He still lacks finishing instinct and can miss opportunities by spending too much energy dribbling at times.
Lately, he has done an excellent job in dribbling past several opponents when cutting inside from the left wing in an attempt to score a late winning goal.
However, he failed to shoot on target due to several dribbles, which left him in the box with almost no time to think about his shot.
That’s where Saelemaekers can improve further: scoring goals from difficult situations while having limited time for decision-making.
The key to achieving this would be to start by limiting the number of shots off target per match, then work on the quality of his on-target shots.
Alexis Saelemaekers Defensive Input
Saelemaekers can be considered one of the most efficient and decisive wingers from a defensive perspective.
He ensures thorough coverage of the flank he plays at and can be very valuable in the non-possession phase.
Alexis Saelemaekers Interceptions & Sliding Tackle Recoveries
Alexis Saelemaekers makes full-speed sprints multiple times per match to catch an opponent or to make an interception, which makes him different and more impactful than most Serie A wingers.
Saelemaekers has been working on defensive input even further.
From this perspective, we have already started seeing a very impactful player for Milan at the start of this season.
The following crucial sliding tackle highlights one of Saelemaekers’ many defensive efforts.
Saelemaekers made a very quick acceleration to reach the opponent and win the ball back —an attempt that not all wingers can execute with such determination and success.
Alexis Saelemaekers Use Of Explosive Speed To Win The Advantage In Defensive Duels
Moreover, his ability to catch the ball and avoid losing it after winning it makes Alexis Saelemaekers even more valuable, as it adds more value to his interceptions, even when he is put in complicated situations after winning the ball.
In other words, Saelemaekers can win the ball back thanks to tackles or interceptions, but then be faced by another opponent who tries to get the advantage on him.
In such cases, Saelemaekers usually uses his agility and pace to avoid such opponents’ anticipation attempts.
He succeeds in reaching the ball first and advancing with it, combining interceptions with ball progression that often creates threats.
This perfect example highlights one of the times Saelemaekers won the ball thanks to a sliding tackle, but the ball moved a bit away from him.
With another opponent coming quickly to get to the ball first, Saelemaekers used his instant explosive pace to surprise that opponent by reaching the ball first and winning the duel against two opponents, paving the way for himself to cross.
Conclusion
Alexis Saelemaekers has become one of AC Milan’s most powerful weapons, both defensively and offensively.
With further improvements in finishing, concentration inside the box, and more key passing attempts per game, he can become even more decisive for I Rossoneri this season.
Performing the way he did in the first few games and maintaining this form throughout the season can also secure him key participation with Belgium in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
