Never on the scoresheet, now he’s not even working for the team.  A strong signal is needed or they could part ways

As the clock ticks inexorably on, Santi remains motionless: a quarter of the season has practically passed and Gimenez has not scored a single goal in Serie A. He has spent 627 minutes on the pitch, over ten hours of play, but without ever scoring: an eternity for a professional center forward. The alarm clock has been ringing for a while.

However, there is still another half of the season left to wake up: there are eight games between now and January, possibly nine with the Italian Super Cup final, including the derby, which also has the special power to stop time. A goal against Inter after the November break would allow the issue to be reconsidered in other terms. But how can a striker who doesn’t shoot on goal find the net? This is the question surrounding the fate of Santiago Gimenez, who arrived at Milan last January for €28.5 million and is already on his way out. He has two months to convince the club and earn more time: Santi is a Milan fan, he enthusiastically seized the opportunity to play at San Siro, and in the summer he held on to his Rossoneri shirt despite the club’s initial attempts to sell him elsewhere. Gimenez felt his time at Milan had been too short and convinced the club to give him another chance. Events had played in his favor: he seemed out of the picture when Leao’s injury brought him back in. Then Nkunku’s subpar condition and Pulisic’s injury did the rest: Gimenez has always been indispensable. That’s why he started eight of the nine Serie A games, and the only time he was on the bench—against Fiorentina—was not a technical decision but a strategic one: Milan, lacking backup strikers, left Santi out to allow Max to have a hypothetical reserve striker. Gimenez repaid the trust with generous performances and sacrifice for the team. The penalty that won the game against Fiorentina, which he let Leao take, was the prime example of his selflessness.

Reduced service—  But then his service to the team was lacking, both against Pisa and Atalanta, and the goals, which had previously failed to come due to bad luck or inaccuracy, became a mirage. A few statistics suffice: in Bergamo, he never shot on goal. It’s difficult to break the deadlock without even trying. And his service to the team? Reduced. In less than half the time available, Loftus-Cheek recovered the same number of balls (3), won more aerial duels (2 to 0), and suffered the same number of fouls. Loftus’ share of balls played was slightly lower, but the feeling of physical dominance and danger was much higher. Against Roma, Santi is in doubt: both because of a sore ankle and because of the competition that is advancing. To find the only time Gimenez was decisive in the goal area, we have to go back to the end of September and the Coppa Italia match against Lecce. So far, it is his only goal of the season. Since joining Milan, he has scored six more in 30 games: one in the Champions League against his former club Feyenoord and five in last season’s league (against Empoli, Verona, Venezia, and two against Bologna: basically none of the big teams). Milan had counted on him to catch up with the Champions League competition, backed by a very respectable resume: 65 goals in 105 appearances with Feyenoord, seven in nine Champions League games with the Dutch side. And more: 23 goals in 30 games in the Dutch league in 23-24, seven in 11 appearances the following season, which was interrupted in January when he flew to Milan. January, here we go again. The winter transfer window is approaching, and for Santi, it could be another key moment in his career: with no sign of interest from the Rossoneri, his time with Milan is really running out. The club—which now denies it—is reportedly looking for a replacement on the market with characteristics more suited to Max’s style of play (who publicly defends Santi: “Don’t worry, he’s always scored and he’ll do the same with Milan”). If, on the other hand, the goals start coming, time will pass much more slowly. According to his contract, he can keep his jersey until the summer of 2029.