It was July 10 when a clear message filtered through from the Belgian management: “Here in Belgium, we don’t negotiate with words,” almost as if to lock down the silence around the operation. A cold and professional attitude, consistent with the image that Bruges had always wanted to convey in the past as well—at the time, not by chance, of Charles De Ketelaere. But in the last 24 hours, everything has been turned upside down.
Jashari case, an unexpected escalation: coach and captain speak (too much)
In the span of just one day, the coach of Bruges spoke twice about Jashari, using words that were anything but vague. It’s not usual for a coach to speak so openly about a player in the midst of a still-fluid negotiation. But the real short circuit came shortly afterward: even the team captain spoke, going so far as to name a hypothetical price for his teammate.
A surreal dynamic, if you consider the attempt to keep the negotiation under control, away from the spotlight. The message is clear: Bruges is not only talking about Jashari, but doing so strategically—probably to increase the pressure on Milan, try to steer public opinion, and, why not, inflate the value of the Swiss midfielder’s price tag.
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The De Ketelaere precedent teaches a lesson: a new strategy is needed
At Casa Milan, however, someone should start to ask whether it really makes sense to get drawn again into dynamics of this kind—especially with an interlocutor who has already shown—in the recent past—that they know how to play exhausting and wearing games on the negotiating front.
The De Ketelaere case is still there, reminding how long and complicated that tug-of-war was. In the end, the Belgian arrived in Milan with great expectations and a hefty price tag, but without being able to meet expectations in his first season with the Rossoneri. The deal impacted both the balance sheet and the credibility of the sporting management. And today, with Jashari, there is a risk of repeating the same pattern: a club raising the bar, communication turning polemical, and an operation that could wear Milan out before the player even arrives.
When silence is worth more than words
The central issue is not only Jashari’s value, 40 million euros, according to Club Brugge, but the way the Belgian club has decided to manage the affair. First, silence as a style, then a crescendo of statements and internal interferences (the coach, the captain), which ended up confusing and complicating the negotiation. Milan cannot afford to be dragged into this quicksand, as relayed via those at Milan Press.
It is time to start evaluating not only the player’s technical value, but also the context, the negotiation culture of the club being dealt with, and the media and internal impact that certain operations risk generating.
A choice of direction for the future...
For AC Milan management, does it really make sense, today, to invest energy, time, and millions in negotiations that are so expensive in terms of communication? Is it possible that the same resources could be used elsewhere, perhaps with clubs more inclined toward fair, swift, and constructive exchanges? Because the transfer market is not just a matter of numbers, but also of relationships and credibility. And Milan, which needs to consolidate its sporting and managerial project, cannot afford more potentially destabilizing media cases.
As someone said: "In Belgium, we don't negotiate with words." But apparently, at Club Brugge, words have become the main weapon. And perhaps Milan should be the first to stop listening to them...
