Why Nigel de Jong's Decision to Stay Is a Huge Boost for AC Milan

For many months, Nigel de Jong looked set to leave AC Milan. He and his agent wouldn’t immediately sign a contract extension. Time went on.

The fear was very real: Milan had already lost one star to free agency (Andrea Pirlo), and history was ready to repeat itself.

“First of all I want to figure out what Milan’s plans are to get back to being the great club of the past,” he told nu.nl (h/t Football Italia) in March.

Something convinced him, as De Jong quietly re-signed with the Rossoneri on a new three-year deal, per Football Italia.

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✒️✔️ #ForzaMilan #Dedication 🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/gK8S6pvU7U

— Nigel de Jong (@NDJ_Official) June 26, 2015"

The renewal was surprising in many ways. He had every option to leave. Manchester United reportedly had interest in De Jong, per Sky Sports, and he could have easily slotted into their lineup.

A second straight year without top Champions League football could have scared him away from Milan. After all, he is 30 years old and is entering the latter stages of his career, and a player of his class doesn’t have time to waste on a club without proper ambitions.

He could have argued that he had done his all for Milan, and still they had faltered. De Jong was among the top five players in Serie A in interceptions, per WhoScored.com. Beyond that, he was the perfect cover for a weak defence. De Jong would make the necessary crunching tackles, even if a yellow card was on the way, and he would run back to alleviate pressure from an onrushing attack.

But he can help out the strikers too and join his own attack. His passing percentage is always around 90 per cent. Last campaign he scored three goals—one of his best single-season totals. His upbringing as a striker can show its head as well. (Back as a kid, De Jong had aspirations of being the next Dennis Bergkamp.)

Without De Jong in the starting XI last season, Milan had a mediocre 3-2-4 record. His absence was felt.

Re-signing with Milan means keeping a protagonist on the team. But it also hints at something else, something perhaps more important: the semblance of a real plan at Milan, just as De Jong had hoped. Staying with the club is a vote of confidence. It’s probably a more telling sign than any Milan will make this season.

Marco Vasini/Associated Press

The arrival of Andrea Bertolacci from Roma—confirmed on Monday in an interview with Milan’s official channel (h/t Football Italia)—and the imminent capture of Carlos Bacca from Sevilla—confirmed in a recent interview with DeportesEH (h/t Football Italia)—make up for Milan’s early flubs in the transfer market.

Had they lost De Jong as well as Geoffrey Kondogbia, the 22-year-old midfielder who signed with rivals Inter last week, then Milan would have been on the verge of a complete rebuild. De Jong’s stay makes the loss of Kondogbia a little easier to tolerate, as they are both similar players in physique and style.

The Dutchman is also one of the few leaders on this struggling side. He has a great rapport with the fans, making sure he salutes them after every goal he scores. Mostly, he is just the personification of the Milan spirit, with an undying commitment to the colours no matter the situation.

He was signed as the heir to Gennaro Gattuso, but now he has the opportunity to make his own history with the club.