AC Milan: The Rossoneri shift Boateng to create room for a stellar deal

Boateng ready to restart his Bundesliga adventure

It was with the help of Kevin Prince-Boateng that AC Milan breezed past PSV Eindhoven and into the Champions League group stages on Wednesday night, easing the growing pressure on Massimiliano Allegri in the process.

Having lost the Serie A season opener to newly-promoted Hellas Verona, under-21 coach Devis Mangia was primed to succeed Allegri as the ruthless axe of Silvio Berlusconi seemed again about to fall. Allegri summoned a performance that brushed aside Eindhoven in the 2nd leg of the Champions League qualifier and with group stage participation now assured, he can relax and settle down to the task of forming a squad good enough to return to validly challenging for the Serie A title.

Boateng scored twice for Milan in the 3-0 victory over Eindhoven, striking early in the first half with a low drive before a quick turn of feet saw him finish off a neat move late in the second. The well-taken second goal turned out to be his last meaningful contribution in the shirt of the Rossoneri as the German born Ghanian has joined Schalke in a move that will be welcomed with surprise by many, but not to Boateng who revealed via his Twitter account that the move was proposed a year ago.

The transfer, for a fee in the region of £10 million, brings to an end a three-year spell at the San Siro in which he made 74 appearances and scored 10 goals. After helping Ghana to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, it was in Milan where he eventually settled after an erratic career that had seen him turn out for four clubs by the age of 23.

Boateng started his career off in Germany with Hertha Berlin before moving to Tottenham where he found his progress stifled with just 14 appearances in two years in north London. After an unsuccessful loan spell at Borussia Dortmund and a year with Portsmouth in 2009, the Ghanian moved to Genoa before being immediately loaned in by Milan only to see the deal turned permanent a year later.

Now the 26-year-old is back in the Bundesliga after signing a four-year deal and he is pleased, “I am happy to be back home in Germany, in the best league in the world” said the midfielder. As Milan’s former number 10 was seeing the Rossoneri through to the Champions League on Wednesday, Schalke were also making it there and Boateng will be legible to play for the Royal Blues due to UEFA rulings.