After almost two months of negotiations and much tension, Ardon Jashari finally landed in Milan last night: Club Brugge will receive 34 million euros plus 3 million in bonuses, and Milan will get the midfielder they so desired. An undeniably important deal from every point of view, economic and sporting, as well as one of the most expensive signings by the Rossoneri in recent years.
Today’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport discusses it with Fabio Capello, former Milan coach and experienced football man. Don Fabio begins by sharing his impressions:
"I confess I only saw him in the Champions League over the past year, too little to have to give absolute certainties. But the boy seems solid to me, a potential top player in his position in the future. In short, a Milan-style signing, as I see it."
Nice words, even though some fans fear a “De Ketelaere effect”: same team, same league of origin… But Capello disagrees:
"Jashari seems to be cut from a different cloth, honestly. I’m not talking about talent, of course, but about character. That’s what I’ve been told, and even watching him on the pitch, he gives the impression of someone who’s not afraid of anything. The Belgian had never left Bruges before, his hometown. Jashari, on the other hand, is Swiss with Albanian roots. Different situations," the former Rossoneri coach specifies.
"First of all, he already moved away from home once, when he left Switzerland for Belgium last year. That means he already had to prove his worth in a place where no one knew him—and he even won the award for best player in the league, performing well in the Champions League too. Jashari seems to me like the type who doesn’t back down when it’s time to show guts or give that extra bit to win. He may be Swiss, but you can tell Balkan blood runs through his veins (he laughs)."
And Fabio Capello knows a thing or two about players from that part of the world, having coached many during his career:
"Boban, Savicevic, Suker, Mijatovic… It was a different kind of football, but in certain regions they don’t just have talent as a virtue. These are people who do not accept defeat. And in today’s Milan, by adding Modric and Jashari on the pitch and Igli Tare in management, you’ve injected a good dose of personality both on and off the field."
Speaking of Tare, the new Rossoneri Sporting Director, Jashari is so far the most expensive signing of his long career as a director. For Capello, that’s a bonus, not a drawback, as he explains to La Gazzetta:
"And this too leads me to believe it’s the right signing. Igli is an experienced sporting director, he knows what it takes to succeed in a place like Milan. If Tare chose Jashari, it’s because he saw not just an excellent player, but also a reliable man in every aspect. He’s not the kind to leave anything to chance. And let’s not forget Massimiliano Allegri, who surely would have approved the signing."
