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Charles De Ketelaere’s second act in Serie A

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Some months ago, it seemed as if Charles De Ketelaere’s stint at the highest level of football was going to be short-lived after a horrendous season at Milan. But the Belgian is thriving and exciting at Atalanta and is quickly becoming a regret for Milan.

By Kaustubh Pandey

If there’s something which is common between Lucas Paquetá and De Ketelaere, it is that they joined Milan while being unfairly compared to the legendary Kaka but they could never truly make an impact at the Rossoneri. But after leaving, they grew in stature and while Paquetá was linked with a move to Manchester City last summer, De Ketelaere might well be preparing for a major move in the future too.

That move may not come right away, as Atalanta seem set to land him permanently in the summer and considering how much of a mark the Belgian has made, he deserves to become a permanent feature of La Dea’s project.

Milan days

At Milan, it never felt as if the Rossoneri were not supporting De Ketelaere. Till the very end of last season, manager Stefano Pioli backed him to the hilt despite his tally of no goals in all competitions. Pioli was also constantly complimentary of De Ketelaere’s abilities too and this gave the impression that the Rossoneri would be ready to bide their time with the player.

But right from the very beginning of the stint at San Siro, there was a feeling that De Ketelaere’s best position wasn’t quite known. Franck Kessié was used in the attacking midfield spot towards the end of time at Milan and Brahim Díaz hadn’t quite been consistent in the same role. And De Ketelaere was played in that position at various points of the season, but he failed to make a mark. He was also played upfront at times, while also being used on the right. In every role that he played, dilemmas persisted.

He perhaps wasn’t quick enough to play as an out-and-out winger and didn’t have the instincts to play as a proper striker. At No. 10, the game often seemed to pass him by. It was ironic because during his time at Club Brugge, De Ketelaere would play on either flanks, upfront or in attacking midfield. In his younger days, he even played in central midfield. At Milan, his strength turned into a weakness.

Paolo Maldini departed the club in the summer of 2023 and that didn’t help De Ketelaere’s case. During his time as club director, Maldini had signed De Ketelaere and had later stated that signing him made more sense for the Rossoneri than signing Paulo Dybala, even though La Joya would’ve been easier to land.

He told Sky Italia: “We have an idea and want to build a young and talented team. It is risky to sign young players. Sandro [Tonali] struggled in his first season; the same happened with Charles this year. But this is our idea of football, our idea of investment.”

Maldini’s exit, though, brought the end of De Ketelaere’s time at Milan. And if not for that, the 23-year-old might still be at the club and would’ve been handed the right time to make a mark at a massive footballing institution.

Atalanta move

Atalanta presented a completely new context to the ex-Brugge man and it has arguably been a big reason for his success in Bergamo.

The Belgian arrived at La Dea when Rasmus Højlund had departed the club for Manchester United and Duván Zapata sealed a late move to Torino. The duo was the chief source of goals for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side and Jérémie Boga was also sold to Nice after a rather underwhelming spell in Bergamo. Luis Muriel’s waning influence at the club also meant that attacking signings were needed.

On top of that, El Bilal Touré was signed from Almería but he picked up a long-term injury very early on. This put a fair amount of burden on De Ketelaere (and Gianluca Scamacca) to get the goals and while some players could have struggled, De Ketelaere took to the situation like a fish to water. He didn’t let a turbulent first season in Italy impact whatever was about to unfold at Atalanta.

De Ketelaere seems so much more involved in the final third in what is a possession-based, high-pressing and a sometimes full-throttle attacking setup under Gasperini. That is why his touches are in the 95 percentile and he’s also creating chances in the 99 percentile.

In Atalanta’s narrow front three that usually operates in a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-1-2, De Ketelaere has shown that he’s capable of playing everywhere. When Atalanta have played two upfront, he has played as the centre-forward. When they’ve played one man upfront, he has played as an attacking midfielder usually alongside Teun Koopmeiners. 

In Atalanta’s setup under Gasperini, the two behind the striker are arguably the most important players and that is precisely why the likes of Papu Gómez and Josip Iličić gained so much acclaim. The system relies on the overloads they create in the final third and out wide and on the goals they provide to the side. De Ketelaere’s dynamism makes him a perfect fit for this and his tally of six goals and six assists shows that.

He is regularly involved in the final third and he is getting 52.6 touches per 90 minutes and also getting 6.10 touches in the opposition’s box per 90 minutes. For a player who couldn’t find his best at Milan, Atalanta’s system has helped him gain a huge boost of confidence at a crucial point of his career. Because he gets a high amount of touches, De Ketelaere can create more and score more too.

The 23-year-old has created 2.22 chances per 90 minutes, which is an excellent number. While he has completed 0.40 crosses per 90 minutes, Atalanta don’t rely on crosses. And De Ketelaere isn’t a crosser either. He is someone who uses shorter grounded passes to create and combine and that also is a natural demand from La Dea.

De Ketelaere is only slightly overperforming on his xG metric and that is actually a positive and suggests that he is finishing exactly as he can should. When Scamacca has often been in and out of the side, De Ketelaere has definitely been of help to Gasperini.

He is oozing confidence too, something which was unheard of last season when he looked like a shadow of his true self. Gasperini said exactly that after Atalanta beat Lazio earlier in the season and De Ketelaere grabbed a brace.

“He found an environment where he feels comfortable and in the last few months has gained confidence exponentially. You just have to look at the way he converted that penalty, how he tries moves that are not simple. He loses the ball rarely and is starting to win it back too.

“We always knew De Ketelaere was a quality player, but he is now playing with confidence and becoming a real reference point for the squad. I can think of no better compliment for him.”

In a way, Gasperini nails it. Atalanta have acquired the reputation for providing forward players the right environment to progress and become better than they were. Quite the same has happened for De Ketelaere. 

He might yet prove to be an enigma once he leaves Atalanta because of his rather unique profile and stature but as far as living in the moment goes, the club have given him exactly the sort of foundation he needed to recover.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Serie A game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.

Charles De Ketelaere’s second act in Serie A

Some months ago, it seemed as if Charles De Ketelaere’s stint at the highest level of football was going to be short-lived after a horrendous season at Milan. But the Belgian is thriving and exciting at Atalanta and is quickly becoming a regret for Milan.

By Kaustubh Pandey

If there’s something which is common between Lucas Paquetá and De Ketelaere, it is that they joined Milan while being unfairly compared to the legendary Kaka but they could never truly make an impact at the Rossoneri. But after leaving, they grew in stature and while Paquetá was linked with a move to Manchester City last summer, De Ketelaere might well be preparing for a major move in the future too.

That move may not come right away, as Atalanta seem set to land him permanently in the summer and considering how much of a mark the Belgian has made, he deserves to become a permanent feature of La Dea’s project.

Milan days

At Milan, it never felt as if the Rossoneri were not supporting De Ketelaere. Till the very end of last season, manager Stefano Pioli backed him to the hilt despite his tally of no goals in all competitions. Pioli was also constantly complimentary of De Ketelaere’s abilities too and this gave the impression that the Rossoneri would be ready to bide their time with the player.

But right from the very beginning of the stint at San Siro, there was a feeling that De Ketelaere’s best position wasn’t quite known. Franck Kessié was used in the attacking midfield spot towards the end of time at Milan and Brahim Díaz hadn’t quite been consistent in the same role. And De Ketelaere was played in that position at various points of the season, but he failed to make a mark. He was also played upfront at times, while also being used on the right. In every role that he played, dilemmas persisted.

He perhaps wasn’t quick enough to play as an out-and-out winger and didn’t have the instincts to play as a proper striker. At No. 10, the game often seemed to pass him by. It was ironic because during his time at Club Brugge, De Ketelaere would play on either flanks, upfront or in attacking midfield. In his younger days, he even played in central midfield. At Milan, his strength turned into a weakness.

Paolo Maldini departed the club in the summer of 2023 and that didn’t help De Ketelaere’s case. During his time as club director, Maldini had signed De Ketelaere and had later stated that signing him made more sense for the Rossoneri than signing Paulo Dybala, even though La Joya would’ve been easier to land.

He told Sky Italia: “We have an idea and want to build a young and talented team. It is risky to sign young players. Sandro [Tonali] struggled in his first season; the same happened with Charles this year. But this is our idea of football, our idea of investment.”

Maldini’s exit, though, brought the end of De Ketelaere’s time at Milan. And if not for that, the 23-year-old might still be at the club and would’ve been handed the right time to make a mark at a massive footballing institution.

Atalanta move

Atalanta presented a completely new context to the ex-Brugge man and it has arguably been a big reason for his success in Bergamo.

The Belgian arrived at La Dea when Rasmus Højlund had departed the club for Manchester United and Duván Zapata sealed a late move to Torino. The duo was the chief source of goals for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side and Jérémie Boga was also sold to Nice after a rather underwhelming spell in Bergamo. Luis Muriel’s waning influence at the club also meant that attacking signings were needed.

On top of that, El Bilal Touré was signed from Almería but he picked up a long-term injury very early on. This put a fair amount of burden on De Ketelaere (and Gianluca Scamacca) to get the goals and while some players could have struggled, De Ketelaere took to the situation like a fish to water. He didn’t let a turbulent first season in Italy impact whatever was about to unfold at Atalanta.

De Ketelaere seems so much more involved in the final third in what is a possession-based, high-pressing and a sometimes full-throttle attacking setup under Gasperini. That is why his touches are in the 95 percentile and he’s also creating chances in the 99 percentile.

In Atalanta’s narrow front three that usually operates in a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-1-2, De Ketelaere has shown that he’s capable of playing everywhere. When Atalanta have played two upfront, he has played as the centre-forward. When they’ve played one man upfront, he has played as an attacking midfielder usually alongside Teun Koopmeiners. 

In Atalanta’s setup under Gasperini, the two behind the striker are arguably the most important players and that is precisely why the likes of Papu Gómez and Josip Iličić gained so much acclaim. The system relies on the overloads they create in the final third and out wide and on the goals they provide to the side. De Ketelaere’s dynamism makes him a perfect fit for this and his tally of six goals and six assists shows that.

He is regularly involved in the final third and he is getting 52.6 touches per 90 minutes and also getting 6.10 touches in the opposition’s box per 90 minutes. For a player who couldn’t find his best at Milan, Atalanta’s system has helped him gain a huge boost of confidence at a crucial point of his career. Because he gets a high amount of touches, De Ketelaere can create more and score more too.

The 23-year-old has created 2.22 chances per 90 minutes, which is an excellent number. While he has completed 0.40 crosses per 90 minutes, Atalanta don’t rely on crosses. And De Ketelaere isn’t a crosser either. He is someone who uses shorter grounded passes to create and combine and that also is a natural demand from La Dea.

De Ketelaere is only slightly overperforming on his xG metric and that is actually a positive and suggests that he is finishing exactly as he can should. When Scamacca has often been in and out of the side, De Ketelaere has definitely been of help to Gasperini.

He is oozing confidence too, something which was unheard of last season when he looked like a shadow of his true self. Gasperini said exactly that after Atalanta beat Lazio earlier in the season and De Ketelaere grabbed a brace.

“He found an environment where he feels comfortable and in the last few months has gained confidence exponentially. You just have to look at the way he converted that penalty, how he tries moves that are not simple. He loses the ball rarely and is starting to win it back too.

“We always knew De Ketelaere was a quality player, but he is now playing with confidence and becoming a real reference point for the squad. I can think of no better compliment for him.”

In a way, Gasperini nails it. Atalanta have acquired the reputation for providing forward players the right environment to progress and become better than they were. Quite the same has happened for De Ketelaere. 

He might yet prove to be an enigma once he leaves Atalanta because of his rather unique profile and stature but as far as living in the moment goes, the club have given him exactly the sort of foundation he needed to recover.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Serie A game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.