Rafael Leao announced in an explicit way that he hopes to quit Milan and have a new experience next season.

His declarations come at a time of great confusion at Milan following the sack of the head coach Massimiliano Allegri and of several members of the management too.

These sacking decisions were taken due to the negative results and the failure to achieve the seasonal target, which was the qualification to the UEFA Champions League.

Leao publicly expressed his desire to leave Milan and join an English or a Spanish team, believing that he would find a better environment and room for performing better.

Leao Adding A Layer To AC Milan Chaos

These declarations intensified the chaos that Milan have been suffering from during the latest few weeks, mainly due to the absence of a sporting director, the failure to appoint a head coach quickly, and the absence of a leader within the club.

The fact that both the owner Gerry Cardinale and the senior adviser Zlatan Ibrahimovic are not daily present at the club and did not appoint a sporting director until now makes the situation very blurry for everyone.

This situation pushed Leao to express his thoughts publicly and add a layer to Milan issues, knowing that he is considered as the team’s most important player: has the number 10 and is the most expensive player at Milan with a contract until 2028.

Leao Expressing Interest In EPL & La Liga

Leao failed to wait until the opening of the summer transfer window and decided to express his interest of joining an EPL or La Liga team for the coming seasons.

Although his declarations lacked maturity, they exposed the Portuguese international’s desire to leave Serie A and play in the EPL.

He justified his statement by the fact that he suffered from groin pain and from a 3-5-2 formation that did not help him a lot to play at his best.

That made the season complicated for him and made him want to have a new experience away from Italy, especially since Milan will not be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season.

In fact, Allegri’s playing system was not very suitable to Leao, and using him as a main striker was not very rewarding for the Portuguese who failed to maintain consistency in terms of goalscoring.

The Portuguese is known for preferring to play as a left winger where he finds more spaces and gets the opportunity to use his pace and one vs one abilities to dribble past direct markers and provide key passes or cut inside and shoot.

Playing as a striker limited his potential and restricted his movements with the ball.

Furthermore, his lack of chemistry and lack of understanding with his teammate Christian Pulisic further impacted the team’s attacking performances, and eventually both players’ performances too.

What Rafael Leao Said About His Future

"I felt I could make a difference, but the way the team played didn't put me in a position to do so. I need a new challenge.

In Italy, the league is evolving, but for my style of football, the Premier League or La Liga would better showcase my talent and me as a player.

If the opportunity in the Premier League were to come my way, I would be very happy: I think I would be able to match my talent with players who are at a very high level."

"It was a difficult season. I played injured for 4-5 months with groin pain, in a position that isn't my style. The tactical system didn't help me.

I felt I could make a difference, but the way the team played didn't put me in a position to do so. In the end, it becomes exhausting.”

These were Leao’s words regarding his current situation.