UNBELIEVABLE: Not enough at Chelsea, but crucial at Milan, the €65 million foursome reappears as Rossoneri.

Over the past few years, AC Milan and Chelsea have done a lot of business together, and there appears to be a recurring theme—one that works better for the former than the latter.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic have shared common roads, either traveled together or a few months apart. The meeting point is the Rossoneri rebirth, given that the pillars of today’s Milan arrived from Chelsea and were reborn at San Siro thanks to the touch of Stefano Pioli.

Thanks to a newfound confidence and the desire to demonstrate that, with hindsight, the assessments made on them in London were perhaps too hasty or even incorrect.

Tomori’s resurgence

The Tomori deal went through in January 2021: a loan with option to buy that then turned into a permanent deal a few months later given his convincing performances in the second half of that season.

Under Pioli’s direction, Tomori—who had previously cost €28 million—was revitalized and became a vital member of the 2022 Scudetto winning defense.

When I first arrived, I observed how much thought was put into the defense. He stated in an interview with the Players’ Tribune, “And how important it is to defend with your teammates, knowing where the team is or where the opponents are.”

He has made 136 appearances for Milan so far, scoring six goals. For many, he is the team’s most valuable center back.

Giroud’s second childhood

Olivier Giroud, the second player acquired from the Blues, is the focal point of the team’s amazing sliding door.

I was not a regular player at Chelsea. God intended me to select Milan, but I could have left sooner and signed for Inter during the 2020 winter transfer window,” he said to UEFA.

In the summer of 2021, the Frenchman traveled to Italy, where he was acquired by Diavolo for €1 million. He is instantly trusted by Pioli, who places him and Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the center of the idea.

Giroud demonstrated his faith by scoring significant goals, like those in the derby on February 5, 2022. All things considered, a brace was worth a significant portion of the 19th league championship.

So far he has made 123 appearances for the Rossoneri, with 47 goals (he also scored yesterday against Lecce) and 20 assists to his name

Ruben’s rebirth

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has a great feeling with Italian coaches given that he thrived with Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea in the 2018-19 season. The former Lazio coach had used him as a mezzala with the license to throw himself into the attack, and he scored 10 goals.

Pioli took notes and gave him back his smile, transforming him into an essential key to breaking defences and unlocking matches. He cost €16m (plus €4m in bonuses) and so far he has made 35 appearances, already scoring 10 goals for the season.

A few days ago, he described his Italian breakthrough in this way to Cronache di Spogliatoio: “I have played in many positions in my career, in the current role I feel good

“Pioli keeps providing me with feedback, including through videos, and his English gets better every day.” I collaborate with the coach and his team to analyze my play; I believe this is a crucial tool for modern football.

The explosion of Pulisic

Pulisic, who cost €20 million, is having the best season of his career in Milan. His stats for the Rossoneri are as follows: 41 appearances, 13 goals (the most recent coming against Lecce yesterday), and 8 assists.

Pioli looks up to Captain America, who has shifted him to the right side and even utilized him as a playmaker yesterday.

Some interesting works came from his father Mark, who spoke to La Gazzetta: “Christian had everyone’s trust: Pioli trusts him, he always lets him play and doesn’t replace him immediately if things go wrong.

“Then He likes Milan and always speaks well of his team-mates: Tomori and Giroud helped him a lot when it came to choosing Milan.”

To embrace the Rossoneri project, a Zoom call with the coach was fundamental: “It went very well, Christian understood what the project was for him and said yes.”

Pulisic also represents a strategic coup for the American owners: the 25-year-old is the star of Gregg Berhalter’s US national team and in March he won the third consecutive CONCACAF Nations League as a protagonist

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