Since the 2015/16 season, the two most effective reserve strikers in the Premier League are (were) Olivier Giroud and Divock Origi. The French scored 17 goals coming off the bench, the Kenyan/Belgian 11.And as of today, the two will fight for playing time and goals in the AC Milan shirt. Giroud arrived at the San Siro last summer and was one of the key players in winning the title, and Origi was officially presented as the new Rossoneri player this afternoon.The champions of Italy just made official the deal that was signed a few months ago. Origi’s contract with Liverpool expired and he moved to Milan as a free agent. He had numerous offers but the Rossoneri were the most persistent and director Paolo Maldini convinced the Belgian to accept the deal.Making an 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶nal entry 😉📸 Our new signing’s first steps at Casa Milan#ReadyToLeaveAMark #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/l1A758em2h— AC Milan (@acmilan) July 5, 2022 Origi signed a contract with Milan until 2026, according to which he will earn 4 million euros net per season. At the gross level, he will cost the club “only” 5.25 million euros per year. In question are tax related benefits for clubs that bring players from abroad. For example, if Milan were to sign Paulo Dybala for 6 million euros net per season, the Argentine would cost them as much as 11.1 million euros at the gross level because he has been earning a salary in Italy for years and does not qualify for any tax benefits. It is clear then why Origi was a profitable option for Milan. It will only cost them 21 million in four years. Dybala would cost them close to 45 million euros for the same period…And apart from financial reasons, Milan also had strong football motives for hiring Origi. It’s true that he hasn’t played almost at all in Liverpool lately, but the competition in the Reds’ attack is incredible. It always was when Origi was there, but even so he left a deep mark on Anfield.##NAJAVA_MECA_6490264##He was the scorer of some iconic goals such as the two in the famous turnaround (4-0) and the elimination of Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League. He also scored a goal in the final of the Champions League against Tottenham, with which Liverpool became European champions. We also remember the goals in the 95th minute against West Brom, in the 96th minute for the victory in the city derby against Everton, in the 94th minute for the crazy 5-5 draw against Arsenal… And it is interesting that last season he was the scorer of the winning goal in the group stage against Milan (2-1), which eliminated the Rossoneri from the European elite tournament. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AC Milan (@acmilan) Even in Milan, he will not be guaranteed a place in the starting line-up, but he will definitely play more than in Liverpool. Giroud will probably be the starter, but he is too old to play the whole season. It is uncertain what will be the status of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose contract has expired. Milan’s plan is to offer him a deal for another year and for the Swede to play when needed. If all three are in the team for the next season, Stefano Pioli will not have problems like last season when he occasionally had to resort to forced solutions in the center forward position like Leao or Rebić.Origi is officially AC Milan’s first signing this summer. And it is expected that there will be more – they are looking for a sweeper, a centre midfielder and a right winger.
