Former AC Milan full-back Alex Jimenez has confirmed he sent a message calling Massimiliano Allegri a "f***ing coach" towards the end of his time at the Rossoneri, has apologised for the incident and revealed the reason he decided to leave San Siro to join Bournemouth in the Premier League in the summer.
Jimenez gave an in-depth interview to Gianluca Di Marzio and Sky Sport Italia, published on Tuesday, where he spoke about his start in the Premier League and his turbulent departure from Milan.
He was formed at Real Madrid's academy before being loaned out and then finally transferred to Milan in 2023 and 2024.
Jimenez made 22 appearances in the final 24 games of the 2024-25 season, despite the arrival of Kyle Walker in January, making a good impression with the first team, but was then sold to Bournemouth at the end of the transfer window.
"It's a dream for me to play in the Premier League. I'm happy with the way things are going," he said.
"It's true that the Premier League is more physical than Serie A and LaLiga, but I feel good here. My main quality is speed and this is the right environment to show it."
"I grew up at two of the biggest clubs in the world. Life here at Bournemouth is more relaxed, there's less pressure. The fans are always with us, for better or for worse.
"My relationship with Andoni Iraola is excellent, I am very happy to have a leader like him and I hope to play under his leadership for a long time."
When asked what he would say to Milan fans, he replied: "Thank you."
"It's the club that gave me the opportunity in the first team, a team that I loved and still love. I had great moments there, I didn't want to leave. But when the season started, I realized that I wouldn't be a key player; there were some situations that I didn't like."
Elaborating further, he said: "They didn't give me the responsibility I thought I deserved, they should have trusted me more."
"I'll give you an example: at the beginning of the season I asked for the number 2 shirt. I wanted it for the tradition of great defenders. They told me no, that I wasn't ready and that I was too immature. They were wrong. From there, it's true, I lost concentration and arrived late a few times."
At the end of the summer transfer window, images circulated on social media showing Jimenez criticizing Allegri in a message, calling him a "f***ing coach."
Six months later, he has taken full responsibility for that mistake.
"It was stupid, I don't think Allegri is a bad coach and his history shows that. I had just come out of a match where I didn't play and I was angry, I chose the wrong person to send the message to.
"From day one I apologized. I didn't think about what I was writing. He accepted my apology."
"All these situations disturbed my peace and I was the one who asked the club to find a solution in the transfer market. Milan is a club that I love and I didn't want to feel bad or negatively affect the team with my bad phase."
During his final spell at Milan, Jimenez played under three coaches: Stefano Pioli, Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao.
The 2024-25 season was difficult for the Rossoneri, who finished the championship in eighth place, remaining out of European competitions for the 2025-26 season.
“I don't think the problem was with the coaches, but with the team,” he concluded. “We should have had more confidence in ourselves.
"That's how football is, one year it goes badly and the next year it goes well. Look at how it is now."/Express newspaper/
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