BREAKING: FABIO CAPELLO WARNS AC MILAN—CHRISTIAN PULISIC CANNOT SAVE THE ROSSONERI ALONE
Fabio Capello warns AC Milan against Pulisic dependency as "Captain America" chases Lautaro Martinez for the 2026 Golden Boot.
AC Milan has been cautioned that Christian Pulisic, their Captain America, can't always save them. According to the legendary coach Fabio Capello, the Rossoneri are becoming overly reliant on their USMNT star, and he is closely monitoring the situation at San Siro. He doubts Pulisic can secure Serie A title glory and the Golden Boot.
Can Pulisic win the top scorer award?
Despite a few injuries this season, the United States international is currently in the running. Pulisic has scored eight goals in the Italian top division and reached double digits across all competitions.
Inter striker Lautaro Martinez leads Serie A at the start of 2026 but is only one goal ahead of Pulisic. The World Cup-winning Argentine is a central striker with a stronger track record in the final third.
Pulisic is proving he can keep up with the best, but can he maintain his impressive individual performance while also contributing to a Scudetto win? He might need to for Milan to finish first.
Is Milan depending too much on Pulisic?
When asked to predict the Serie A leading scorer for 2025-26, with Napoli loanee Rasmus Hojlund, Roma playmaker Matias Soule, and Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz also mentioned, Capello told Gazzetta dello Sport, "Lautaro consistently scores important goals, so he is an easy choice." But I am also very impressed with Hojlund, who is in great form and can give Antonio Conte some confidence about Lukaku's return.
I also see the strikers from Milan, Juventus, and Roma as contenders. The Rossoneri depend too much on Pulisic, especially when Rafael Leao is out, but the American can't always get his teammates out of trouble.
Yildiz is very talented and consistent in scoring goals and providing assists, but we must remember that he is still young. Lastly, Soule has about 11-12 goals, but he hasn't been a game-changer in big matches yet.
Former Milan player and manager Capello has previously commented on Pulisic's value to the Rossoneri and how to get the most out of him: Pulisic can play anywhere; he looks great in the current 3-5-2 formation. He moves well, has quality and speed, and makes vertical runs. I think starting in a central position suits him best because he is more dangerous when he is free to move.
Can Pulisic lead Milan to the Serie A title?
Pulisic is a consistent performer when healthy, and Milan wants to help the 27-year-old add to his medal collection. After winning the Supercoppa Italiana last season, he now has his sights on the Serie A title.
Capello added about their quest, with Milan benefiting from not playing in Europe during the week: Massimiliano Allegri will always have the week to focus his players on one goal since they were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia.
In the first half of the season, Milan lost focus in some games against smaller teams, but I expect Max to fix this and take advantage of the 'lighter' schedule compared to their rivals. This is possible if you have enough time to prepare tactically and psychologically for each match.
Another important point is that cup competitions can drain physical and mental energy and enthusiasm. A bad result or elimination can negatively affect the league campaign because it makes the atmosphere heavier.
Pulisic's contract situation: Still waiting for a San Siro extension
Milan hopes to remain in the title race in 2025-26 so they can persuade Pulisic that they are heading in the right direction. A key player at San Siro has postponed signing a new contract.
New talks are expected in the spring, and the Rossoneri are confident they can reach an agreement. However, they need to match the ambition of a player who will be leading his country in a home World Cup this summer.
RADJA NAINGGOLAN SLAMS NAPOLI’S SCOTT MCTOMINAY AS "JUST AVERAGE" IN TV RANT
Radja Nainggolan has sparked controversy by calling Napoli's Scudetto winner Scott McTominay "average" in a scathing TV interview.
Scott McTominay’s journey from Manchester United to Napoli has been wild. He’s helped the club win a Scudetto, snagged a Ballon d’Or nomination, and his goal tally is impressive. But not everyone’s sold on him. Even with all those honours, one Serie A legend isn’t convinced. Radja Nainggolan slammed him as just “an average player".
After McTominay’s £26 million jump from Old Trafford in 2024, he took off. He won the Serie A MVP, clinched Napoli’s fourth Scudetto with a spectacular overhead goal against Cagliari, and made a big mark in Italy. Still, Nainggolan, never shy with an opinion, tore into him during a TV interview. Despite McTominay racking up 26 goals in 76 games and getting a Ballon d’Or nod, Nainggolan didn’t hold back. “I don’t like him,” he said on Sky Calcio Unplugged. “He gets his goals, 12, 13, 14 a season, but his general play? He doesn’t have the technique to move between the lines. He’s just average.”
And he wasn’t content to leave it at that. Nainggolan compared himself to today’s names, arguing he was better than both McTominay and Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu at his best, though he admitted Nicolo Barella sits above him. “At my peak, I was better than McTominay and Calhanoglu, but Barella is on another level,” Nainggolan said. “He doesn’t always score a lot, but when he does, it matters, and you always feel his presence on the pitch. I like De Bruyne, too; he sees things nobody else does. He’s above me, and Modric...he’s always been world-class.”
Of course, Nainggolan’s take doesn’t really jibe with life in Naples. McTominay has become something of a hero there; his face is on murals around the city, the fans have dubbed him ‘McFratm’ (McBrother), and he helped Napoli win the Supercoppa Italiana in December 2025. Even if Inter seems ready to grab the Serie A crown back, McTominay’s reputation hasn’t dipped. His knack for scoring from midfield has been crucial for Conte’s side.
Nainggolan also touched on Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” and why they didn’t deliver a major trophy, despite stars like Lukaku, Hazard, and De Bruyne. He knows the team well, having made 30 appearances before retiring after he got left out of the 2018 World Cup squad. “We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, and Courtois. Too many superstars, too many egos,” Nainggolan said. “Everyone wanted to be the star, to be the most important guy, and that just doesn’t work.” His take pretty much confirms what fans suspected: there was plenty of talent, but not enough unity.
MANCHESTER UNITED AND CHELSEA ENTER RACE FOR DISCOUNTED €50M-RATED RAFAEL LEãO
Discover why Rafael Leão’s value has plummeted at AC Milan and which Premier League clubs are leading the race to sign him.
Just a year ago, everyone was buzzing about Rafael Leao and his rumoured €120 million move to Chelsea. Fast forward to this summer’s transfer window, and it looks like AC Milan’s ready to let him go for nowhere near that amount. Manchester United, along with a few others, are circling, hoping to get him for much less.
Last week, Gazzetta dello Sport broke the news: Milan now values Leao at just €50 million. That’s a wild drop, especially since six months ago they slapped a €100 million price tag on him.
So what happened? Why did his value tank so quickly?
Perception plays a big part. Leao’s estimated transfer value hasn’t actually changed that much. FootballTransfers’ algorithm had him pegged at €72.5 million last July, and now he’s at €70.7 million. But Milan’s own estimate? That’s fallen off a cliff.
Last summer, Milan wanted €50 million above the algorithm’s number. Now, they’re ready to accept an offer that’s €20 million below it.
Leao once had everything going for him in Milan. In the 2021/22 season, he carried them to the Scudetto, racking up 11 goals and 10 assists. Clubs were fighting over him, and in 2023, Milan rewarded him with a hefty €7 million salary and a massive €175 million release clause. That’s when top European clubs started sniffing around for a record-breaking deal.
But the new contract didn’t spark another big season for Leao. In his next campaign, he scored 15 goals and managed 14 assists, but fans started to turn, especially after two weak outings against Roma in the Europa League.
Things haven’t improved since. Early in the 2024/25 season, Milan benched him for disciplinary reasons, and he seemed pretty unfazed, something that sparked more criticism. He’s had some public clashes with head coach Max Allegri, too. Despite still being Milan’s top scorer, he hasn’t scored in two months. And the fans? They’ve booed him at home games, most recently against Juventus and earlier against Udinese.
Now, Milan looks ready to move on. Leao’s raw talent is still obvious, but at San Siro, the excitement has faded. SciSports, the data analytics folks, show his performance is in “significant decline” based on their SciSkill rating. Still, they think he can bounce back.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan plans to hold off until the World Cup, hoping Leao puts on a big show for Portugal and builds hype again.
He’s still got admirers. Arsenal’s been keeping tabs on him, FootballTransfers said back in February. Chelsea, Liverpool, and United are all in the market for a left-sided attacker and would jump at the chance to grab a rejuvenated Leao.
Sure, the €120 million rumours are a thing of the past. But the old Leão, the top-class player, is still in there somewhere. He just needs the right club, coach, and a fresh start.
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