Former Milan full-back Alex Jimenez has confirmed that he did send a text message calling Massimiliano Allegri a ‘sh**’ coach’ towards the end of his time with the Rossoneri, has apologised for the incident and has also revealed the reason why he decided to leave San Siro to join Bournemouth in the Premier League over the summer.
Jimenez sat down for an in-depth interview with Gianluca Di Marzio and Sky Sport Italia, released on Tuesday, discussing his start to life in the Premier League and his turbulent exit from Milan during the summer transfer window.
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Jimenez came through the youth system at Real Madrid before being loaned and later signed permanently by Milan in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 15: Rafael Leao and Alex Jimenez of AC Milan are pictured talking during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Verona at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 15, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
He made 22 appearances in Milan’s final 24 matches of the 2024-25 season, despite the club’s signing of Kyle Walker that January, and had made a solid impression during his time in the Rossoneri first-team, but was then sold to Bournemouth at the end of the following transfer window.
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“It’s a dream for me to play in the Premier League. I’m happy with how things are going at the moment,” Jimenez told Gianluca Di Marzio.
“It’s true that the Premier League is more physical than Serie A and LaLiga, but I feel good here. My main quality is my speed and this is the right environment to show that.
“I grew up at the two biggest clubs in the world. Life is more calm here in Bournemouth, there’s less pressure. The fans are always by our side, for better or for worse.
“My relationship with Andoni Iraola is excellent, I’m very happy to have a leader like him and I hope to play under him for a long time.”
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Jimenez on Milan departure: ‘There were various situations I didn’t appreciate, I’ll give you an example’
MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 20: Alex Jimenez of AC Milan warms up prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and Atalanta at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 20, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Jimenez asked what he would say if he could say one thing to the Milan supporters, to which he replied: “Thank you.”
“It’s the club that launched me in the first team, a team that I loved and still love. I had a great time at Milan, I didn’t want to leave. But when the season started I realised that I wouldn’t be a key player, there were various situations that I didn’t appreciate.”
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When asked to elaborate, Jimenez said: “I wasn’t given the responsibility I thought I deserved, they needed to believe in me more.
“I’ll give you an example. At the beginning of the season, I asked for the no.2 shirt. I wanted it because of the tradition of great full-backs. 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.”
Towards the end of the summer transfer window, images circulated on social media that appeared to show Jimenez criticising Milan head coach Allegri. The image in question appeared to show Jimenez calling Allegri a ‘sh** coach’ over a text message.
Six months down the line, Jimenez has accepted full responsibility for that error in judgement.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 03: Massimiliano Allegri head coach of AC Milan during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and AC Milan at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on February 03, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
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“It was rubbish, I don’t think Allegri is a ‘sh** coach’ and his history proves that. I was coming out of a game, I hadn’t played and I was angry, I chose the wrong person to send that message to.
“From day one, I apologised to Allegri, I didn’t think about what I was writing. He accepted my apology.
“All these situations took away from my sense of serenity, and I was the one who told the club to look for solutions (on the transfer market). Milan is a club that I love and I didn’t want to feel bad or negatively impact the team with my bad phase.”
Jimenez played under three different coaches in just over a year during the end of his Milan spell: Stefano Pioli, Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao. The 2024-25 campaign was a turbulent one for the Rossoneri, and the team ultimately finished the season in eighth place, missing out on European football altogether for 2025-26.
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“I don’t think it was ever a problem with the coaches, it was a team problem” Jimenez said. “We needed to have more confidence in ourselves.
“That’s how it is in football, one year you do badly and the next you do well. Look how it is now.”
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