The winger’s impressive rise hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially in England. But the Rossoneri can count on two key factors…
In recent months, many have pricked up their ears, springing to attention like dogs and cats when something interesting happens. That something interesting is happening at Milan, where there’s a young man who, in the space of a semester, has gone from Serie C to Serie A and shows no signs of slowing down. Davide Bartesaghi is living a personal fairy tale that has become the guiding star for many young players navigating their way from the youth ranks to the first team. In his case, it’s practically a perfect Rossoneri story because Davide, aside from a couple of years spent at Atalanta, has gone through every step of the Diavolo’s youth academy before breaking into the big leagues.
His role is a complex one: that of the left-back is a unique, delicate position, and at Milan on that flank, one must still contend with the memory of Theo Hernandez’s scorching runs—before his tires went flat and sent him off the road. Of course, Davide has little or nothing to do with Theo. They are two different types of players and two even more different people. However, even though the style of play exhibited by number 33 is decidedly less “arrogant” and flashy than that of the Frenchman, his name is now circulating in the upper echelons of European soccer. Especially in the Premier League, which doesn’t ask too many questions about a player’s potential cost. If profiles they like appear on the radar, an offer is made, despite the thousand—understandable—financial concerns of Italian clubs when it comes to signing new players.
What’s Bartesaghi’s rating?—  His brace against Sassuolo further turned the spotlight on Bartesaghi, but the spotlight was already quite bright. This is thanks to a season in which Davide, game after game, has proven himself increasingly valuable and mature, effectively taking the starting spot from Estupinan, who was the designated starter. Just consider that his season average rating is 6.5: only Modric (6.72) and Rabiot (6.63) have done better. Davide is right behind these two legends, on the third step of the podium, even higher than Pulisic (6.42). A year ago, he was on the Milan Futuro roster, which was later relegated but fulfilled its primary mission: to deliver a promising young player to the first team. And even to the national team, judging by Gattuso’s very open remarks about him. All that remains, then, is to be wary of foreign suitors, to avoid temptations that are unlikely to arise anytime soon. Meanwhile, Davide renewed his contract in May through 2030 and is therefore firmly secured by the Rossoneri. And then, quite simply, he is considered by the club to be one of the cornerstones around which to build the team of the future, aside from the fact that the winger is enjoying the good fortune of playing for the club where he was raised and developed and is perfectly happy where he is. English clubs, however, remain on the lookout, especially Arsenal, which had already set its sights on him last summer. For now, the issue isn’t pressing, but one thing is certain: the more Bartesaghi makes headlines, the harder it will be to resist the temptations.