C’est fini for Philippe but is Mexes the man for Milan?

by David Swan

The cruciate ligament injury Philippe Mexès suffered against Juventus last weekend did not just signal the end of his participation in the current campaign, it signalled the end of his Roma career. The player himself confirmed his desire to leave the club in the summer when his contract expires, meaning that there will be quite a rush to acquire his services.

If reports are to be believed, a deal with AC Milan is close to completion. The Frenchman thought that was his most likely destination, based on what he had read in the Italian press, though it sounded more like a bit of spin from a player trying to generate further competition for his services.

His injury could now throw all of that into doubt. An anterior cruciate ligament repair normally sees a player out for around six months – even an optimistic four months will mean he misses the vast majority of pre-season. Milan’s intention is to sign the defender as a long-term solution for covering Alessandro Nesta, who admitted recently that playing a game every three days is perhaps beyond him now (although he has managed superbly this season). Mexès cannot cover Nesta from the treatment table.

As such, it gives the club a chance to re-evaluate their choice of defender this summer. There is no doubt that a centre-back is needed, and one good enough to succeed Nesta when he retires, but it is questionable whether Mexès should be that man.

The Frenchman would arrive on a free transfer, perfect for the Rossoneri hierarchy who are looking to balance the books a little better in view of Financial Fair Play coming into force. But his wages, although not baulked at by Milan, appear excessive. It is suggested that any contract will pay him €4.5m per year – only Andrea Pirlo and Zlatan Ibrahimović earn more in the squad, and it is a larger sum than what he earns now at Roma.

Offering him €4.5m could also lead to issues with Nesta’s own contract renewal, due this summer. Tuesday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani had jokingly asked Nesta at the club’s training ground: “would you like to renew for €2.5m?” He currently earns €4.5m per season, but the club policy insists on a salary reduction of at least 33% when renewing the contracts of older players.

Even though the offer was in jest, a way of gauging Nesta’s salary expectations, the 35-year-old’s response was interesting, and gave an indication into his mindset: “why does he want to give me €2.5m, while he recently gave Mexès €4.5m a year?” That response was, by all accounts, also in jest, supposedly said with a smile on his face. But it highlights the dangers of offering such a large amount to an injured player – one who is not as important to the club as Nesta.

In any case, the wages will be offset by the lack of a transfer fee, but it is a considerable amount for a player who, despite having games where he looks like a rock, is prone to a number of errors.

And it is the errors that are of a concern. Nesta, despite his age, has been nothing short of incredible since he returned from a year out of the game with a back injury. Mexès is capable of reaching the heights set by the World Cup winner, but practically guaranteeing at least three major mistakes in a season counterbalances the fact that he can be a supremely talented defender.

For Milan, there is an alternative to Mexès, and his injury might now cause a rethink to the benefit of Davide Astori. The 24-year-old central defender has age on his side (he is five years younger than Mexès), and is co-owned by Milan and Cagliari, where he has been playing his football for the past three years. He has made huge improvements to his game, enough to warrant a first Italy cap in the recent friendly against Ukraine in which he was sent-off.

His recognition by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli is now causing interest from bigger clubs. Indeed, Roma are looking at him as a possible replacement for Mexès, and yet Milan has a clear advantage with half of the player’s contract under their control. It would seem silly to waste that advantage in order to sign somebody who is older, and whose salary would be at least double that of Astori’s.

Of course, Mexès is a more developed defender at this moment. Five years more experience, regular appearances in the Champions League and 22 caps for France are bound to give him the edge, but the potential lies in Astori. Nesta has stated his intention to hang around for at least another year, and there is no better person for him to learn from than that man. Thiago Silva has already spoken of the importance the No.13 has played in his development, and he can undoubtedly have the same impact on Astori.

The co-ownership agreement means Cagliari can name their price, and it will not be cheap, but it is a price worth paying for Milan to reclaim one of their own (he joined their youth system at 14). It has been a long time since the club had a genuine success story rise from within their own ranks, and then go on to make a name for themselves in the first-team – they now have a chance to put that right.

David Swan is Just Football’s Italian football correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @DavidlSwan

(pic via Indigena Racista on Flickr)

AC Milan, AS Roma, Davide Astori, France, Italian Serie A, Philippe Mexes