Coubis 18-minute nightmare against Chelsea reminds AC Milan why they need new defender

If Max Allegri needed any more confirmation how badly need Milan require a replacement for Malick Thiaw, it was provided by a nightmare Andrei Coubis performance against Chelsea.

The Germany international left the training camp this afternoon so he could travel to Newcastle United’s camp, where he can undergo medical tests tomorrow and complete the €40m transfer.

There are several options to replace him, including Koni De Winter of Genoa, Parma’s Giovanni Leoni, and Fiorentina centre-back Pietro Comuzzo.

Coubis disaster in Chelsea vs. Milan

Milan currently have only three central defenders in the whole squad and the lack of strength in depth was hammered home during the opening 18 minutes of today’s friendly with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Coubis was promoted from the Milan Futuro youth team and has never made a competitive appearance for the senior squad, but he received a start in London rather than Matteo Gabbia.

It was a disaster for the 21-year-old, who scored an own goal in the fifth minute when clumsily deflecting a Reece James free kick into the net off his shin.

⚡ James whips the ball inside the box and Coubiș is unlucky to deflect it into his own net. 1️⃣-0️⃣ for Chelsea!

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He was then shown a straight red card at the 18^th minute for hauling down Joao Pedro, who had run onto a basic long ball over the top when they were already 2-0 down.

💥 João Pedro’s run leaves everyone frozen in time, as the doubles the lead for the Blues!

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— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) August 10, 2025

Coubis was not really expected to remain at Milan anyway, as he is on the verge of a move to Cesena in Serie B.