AC Milan and Juventus share a problem: they both cannot get goals from their forwards, despite having spent a lot to assemble the respective casts.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) begin an analysis by putting Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic to one side, because they are wingers forced into the striker role by Massimiliano Allegri’s 3-5-2. The same applies to Yildiz and Boga, who were also deployed as false nines under Luciano Spalletti.
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They only consider those who are natural strikers (Santiago Gimenez, Niclas Füllkrug and Vlahovic) or those who were presented as such upon arrival in Italy (Christopher Nkunku, Jonathan David and Openda). These deals cost a lot, but the results were questionable.
Little return for the Rossoneri
Adding together the goals scored in 2025-26 by Gimenez, Füllkrug and Nkunku, you get eight. The Frenchman scored six, but he also played significantly more than his two team-mates.
Doing a quick calculation that includes their salaries and amortisation rates so far, each goal from the trio has cost the Rossoneri a whopping €2.18m net. While the financial results of the three signings (Füllkrug is actually only in Milan on loan) may raise eyebrows, the sporting element alarms fans.
More was expected from Gimenez and Nkunku in particular. The Mexican arrived for €28.5m plus bonuses at the end of the 2025 winter window, with the belief that he would be Milan’s top scorer for years to come.
The illusion was short-lived: after a few months, Luka Jovic had overtaken him in Conceiçao’s pecking order. Under Allegri, after starting due to injuries (Leao in particular), he was sidelined by an ankle problem that kept him out for about five months. He has zero league goals this season so far.
Nkunku was the surprise signing of the late summer, costing €37m. The former Chelsea man has provided a few highlights here and there, but the player admired at RB Leipzig – before a couple of serious injuries – was a different beast. Nkunku has never established himself as a starter, just like Füllkrug.
The German giant was the only January addition, but his only notable achievement remains the decisive goal in the victory over Lecce. It’s a given that he’ll be sent back to West Ham at the end of the season without paying the €5m option to buy.
Juve’s woes
Juventus invested over €40m in Lois Openda, between a loan and a mandatory buy-out. The Belgian has only scored two goals, against Roma and Bodo/Glimt, costing the club approximately €6m per goal.
Despite being a last-minute signing last summer, much more was expected from the former Leipzig star, especially given his two years with Lens and the German club, which saw him score well over 20 goals this season.
gazzetta dello sport 22 april goals
Dusan Vlahovic, on the other hand, has been plagued by injuries, particularly a high-grade tear to his left adductor longus muscle and a low-grade tear to his left calf soleus muscle. The result has been a season of 18 games and eight goals, which don’t match his €70m fee and €12m net salary.
Finally, Jonathan David: fresh off his eighth goal of the season, has been heavily used compared to his colleagues. Arriving in the summer on a free transfer but rewarded with a €6m salary, he was supposed to be the centre-forward of the future, but instead he too cannot score.