IT IS NO SECRET that in recent years Milan’s squad has lacked a little bit of depth in the defense department, specialy at the full back position and it is no secret either that the squad that played three UEFA Champions League finals in five years has decayed.
This summer mercato is going t be pretty dynamic for Milan : players going out, possible players coming in, loan transfers ending and contract renewals. Over the last few years the main concern was Milan’s passivity in the mercato, but what worries me now is the transfers that might be done. In recent weeks big names have been linked with the rossoneri : Kaka, Robben, Ganso, Mexès, Sergio Ramos, Sakho, Cissokho, Taiwo and many many others. I’m pleased for once to hear so many players possibly coming to Milan and even if it is speculation, I’ve learrned not to discard any rumours if Galliani is involved. Although the names are many, the needs are few : a young goalkeeper, a left back, a young center back, one or two midfielders and an attacker as I see it. Some might say we need less, some might say we need more, it’s a personal opinion.
There are rumours that Marchetti might come in the summer, although my favourite choice is Sirigu. This is not a must right now since Abbiati’s performance has been outstanding this season and I think he has a couple of good seasons left. At the center back if we manage to sign Mexès I think we can buy ourselves some time before finding a true heir of Nesta’s place in the starting eleven. As for the attacker to fill Pippo’s void in the roster and in Milan fans’ heart in the future, I think the best choice is one of the many promising youngsters from Milan’ youth system : Beretta, Verdi, Oduamandi or Paloschi.
Ibrahimovic gets ban; Milan ready to appeal
Zlatan Ibrahimovic risks derby ban
Now, the left back and the midfielders should be Milan’s priority in the summer, and for the left back position I think our best option might be Criscito. Why ? Because Criscito complements Abate. He is more defensively gifted than Abate,but he also has a few offensive skills. Criscito helping in the defense might allow Abate to push forward and help in the final third with his lightning speed. Cissokho is a good option but Criscito is far better an more consistent and Bale is too expensive. Besides, who needs him if we have Abate.
In perfect world, where Milan would have as much money as Manchester City or Chelsea, for midfield reinforcement I would buy Bastian Schweinsteiger. He has the vision, the physical attributes, the technique and the experience to play side by side with Flamini and K.P. Boateng. He would give us that mobility, that dynamism we so desperately need in midfield. I would rather see a really composed player that gives his best and delivers every match as Schweinsteiger does than spending 20 mill on Ganso and hoping he develops as much as he promises or hoping he doesn’t get injured again, it’s a risky gamble. We also need another worker, like our very own Rino Gattuso to make the dirty work on the midfield and Strasser has still a lot to learn on that role. Mvila would be perfect for the future, and he has that killer pace and technique that Gattuso lacks. This transfers would form a more fluid and solid midfield.
There’s also the Ibrahimovic situation in hand. I’m going to be honest and tell you I’m not eager to see him next year at San Siro. His attitude seems to create unnecessary tensions in the locker room and even worst on the pitch, I mean thanks for the memories but it is obvious that he really doesn’t fit in our squad. I think the money that would be spent on his humongous wages and his transfer can be better used to reinforce the team roster ; this would also help Pato to develop in a pressure-free environment. Although, his departure means that we would need to buy two forwards instead of one and that’s where the possible arrival of Arjen Robben might be pretty important.
There’s also the renewals matter. Nesta, Pirlo, Van Bommel, Ambrosini, Jankulovski and Seedorf run out of contract in the summer, and I think that half of them should be kept ( do I really need to say who we need to renew ? ). They might be valuable tutors for our youngsters, and they also bring the experience needed in big matches, it would also help to have some depth in our squad…Oh! And I almost forgot, even at their advanced age they are still outstanding(even better than most) at their position.
Finally and maybe the most important point is that I think Allegri should give the youngsters more playing time. I think it’s ridiculous to spend 20 million euros on Ganso when we have rising stars at our disposal like Merkel, Verdi or Strasser, to name a few. I for once would be extremely proud to see our squad in three or five years in time and see some of our young promises grown up, more mature and giving the world an image of what I think Milan’s values are : respect for our players, young or old, but all of them with a red and black passion.
Just a few notes to end this post :
– Flamini does not seem to have full consent of the rossoneri, however I feel he has improved a lot, and he’s quite good doing the dirty job at the midfield (and I don’t mean doing reckless tackles)
-the core of the squad in the next years should be made by Thiago, Abate, Boateng, Merkel and Pato (although it seems that it’s starting to be that way)
-not buying Ibra is a crucial point for us to have a prolific summer mercato, he was a good loan transfer but I’d rather see those 20 million euros spent on a younger forward
-the possible return of Kakà to San Siro doesn’t please everyone and I say to those who don’t want him back, that he lead us for about five years, and even if he is not as good as he used to, I’d rather have a mediocre Kakà on our squad, than a full-strength Ibrahimovic. Nothing better than reminiscing old times.
By Francisco Vasquez, Rossoneri Blog
My ideal transfer market.
Sakho/Astori; Cissokho; Moussa Sissoko; Ganso; if Ibra sold then Balotelli or maybe Chamakh.
Bring back KAKA, he’s a proven WINNER and he knows what it takes to lead the rossoneri attack. Ibra is a choker, and he’ll never win a champions league. I am thankful that he has brought the scudetto (hopefully we can hang on) back to Milan (AC that is), BUT he doesnt know what it takes to win in Europe. N plus Cassano can replace him as the striker along side pato.. on a random note, i think milan should take a run at camporese, the young CB at fiorentina. I think he will develop into a good defender… FORZA… Read more »
For goalkeeper i want Sirigu
in defense Abate-Thiago-?-Criscito
will be the best to get Ranocchia even for 20m
in midfield Schweinsteiger-Montolivo-Boateng
attacker midfielder i really like Ozil, but it will be good with KAKA
and forward anyone Balotelli Chamakh or Rossi with Pato or Cassano
i would see milan’s ideal transfer campaign like this, goalkeeper= vito mannone and sirigu, defenders= sakho,criscito,maybe another young left back to back-up criscito, midfielders= schweinsteiger,poli,moussa sissoko or mvila, forwards= paloschi,another young striker to back up pato and robinho
Good Article
Great Article. I agree with you on the Ibra issue. He is not suited for our team. There is no doubting his quality but the fact is that his individual brilliance isnt enough to compensate for Milan not to be playing as a team. The attacks are not fluid and ‘play the ball to Ibra’ isnt working anymore. For me the two major issues we need to address are: 1) The lack of a reliable left-back. 2) The lack of creativity in our midfield. The first problem is obvious and known to all of us. With regard to the second… Read more »
Cito is not better than Cissokho?…Genoa have been poor this year, and their defense has been far from impressive.
def L.b – criscito / ansaldi / cissokho.
D.M – yan mvila. . we also have strasser.
A.M – ganso / hazard / lucas mercilinho. .
creative central midfeildr – SAHIN!!!!
forward – balotelli if he matures. . n keep pato as long as we can!!
great blog
i agree with all of it.
hope uncle fester reads this 2
I’m not gonna articulate. (Str8 2 da point) 1. Send back ibra(thanks for your goals earlier in the season but your attitude is unhealthy and most of all unacceptable) 2. Give Seedorf a role in the club as either a scout or advisor to Milan. Probably even a midfielder’s coach. (His quality and leadership is crucial) 3. Renew Inzaghi’s contract 4. Purchase a good left back: Ally Sissoko(Spelling?), Cricito. 5. Sell Flamini for he is just not of Milan’s quality. I could come on and control the ball better and even do a better defensive job. The good thing is… Read more »
Future Milan Squad
GK lloris, Donnarumma
LB Cissokho, Devito
RB Abate, Antonini
CB T.Silva, Astori, Albertazzi, Papa
DM M’Vila, Strasser
CM Clavano, Boateng, Fossati, Emanuelson
AM Ganso, Merkel
FW Pato, Robinho, Balotelli, Verdi
what a shit article. Ibra doesn’t fit in the squad? he is singlehandedly and consistently delivering… what more do you want from a player? It is obvious that we need to offload pato, and invest with his money. 40-50 mil is a decent amount, even if too optimistic. Chelsea and real would buy.
Half decent article if not an obvious one, every Milan could have written that.
Getting rid of Zlatan? WTF? He’s Milans best player, he’s the player that they rely on to get you the goals, I was at the san siro this past sunday and I pretty much kept one eye on his movement and it was great, he set up a disollowed goal and scored one that also seemed legit to me?
I guarantee that you didn’t think this way before Christmas when he kept the team at the top of the league?
gr8 article.i hope we don’t buy ibra. He is not reliable and create unnecessary tension as well.
those guys who says this is a bad article so dont know how to read.. i think its a great article.. and if ibra goes. its not the end of milan.. if he does go i prefer if milan gets romelu lukaku to replace him.. hes strong, tall, great header ability, a bit fast, and has a great eye and leg for goals.. oh and hes only 17.. (he turns 18 in may) he’ll be awesome! oh and it would be great to get kaka back because we really need a trequartista.. (sorry if spelled it wrong) or at least… Read more »
I think the person who wrote this article dose not know anything about football. Agree with with Elmickio “half decent article”. Re-inforcmant in different departments yes, but don’t agree on recommendations on who to get or getting rid of Ibra. Besides why not spend 20mil if needed on a player like Ganso?! its not like your paying from your pocket sorry to say but Milan must understand that they must spend big bucks on grate players if you want to build a future team and start winning everything. I don’t need to recommend players as i have done in different… Read more »
Romelo Lukako is a dream to come true kieltherossonerifan.
@ Francisco Vasquez
I am thinking we need a better coach with far more experience and the guts to call his shots, not one who is being afraid of a self proclaimed star and doesn’t know how to utilize his team.
With Allegri around IBRA will stay and the squad will be the same. A coach with a different mindset who can instill values of wearing a Milan shirt and acts as the real leader is a must for Milan next season or its all the same again
Finnaly some one to point out that ganso isn’t so crucial. Of course that we dont’ need him, he is to expensive and unproven,and with bad injury. Plus, he is competition to our’s Merkel, Verdi…You guys want our young players, but in the same time you have list’s of 10 new players to buy!!Thats not the way to develop our youngsters…
I would like to see Kaka back but playing more of Pirlo role as he seems to have lost his pace he had. You imagine someone of his ilk in front of the defence. An attacking MF would be torn to shreds by him with killer through balls from deep midfield. That is what made Milan so dangerous from 2003-2007. Bring back the diamond in the midfield and you will bring back the scudetto and the UCl.
To whoever who said.. *we should offload pato and bring someone beter* .. seriously, what is this people thinking? whos better than pato actually? Chamakh? NO. Lukaku? Not yet. Benzema? PFFFFF come on, stop dreaming, we have a world class striker in him, yes is true he and ibra dont get along pretty well.. but that doesnt mean they gotta kick one of them, just work in trainings.. something that apparently allegri is not doig. Also ibras attitude in the last matches is unacceptable, if he keeps this way id rather see him out of Milanello for the sake of… Read more »
One more thing, 40m-50m is what torres is worth this days.. and hes a crap, a shit. Selling pato wouldnt make you brin any messi, nor cristiano ronaldo. For me ganso is a dream, Milan is pretty aware of his constant injuries.. Possible buys his summer? Cissokho. A good buy no1 has talked about, Matheu Valbuena? why noy? K.P boateng has done a good job. hes far a constant good player, maybe not a star. but he should be renew. renew prilo, inzaghi, nesta. let ambrosini jankulovski and seedorf leave… thanks to them, but is enough, we have strasser urby… Read more »
great article, but i must disagree on one thing. Ibra leaving does not create a pressure free enviroment for Pato, it will add more pressure. When Pato arrived he was 18 years old, he had played a handful on top flight games, all in Brazilian league, and all of a sudden he was burdened with leading the offence of a European powerhouse. Ibrahimovic may have his flaws, but he has given us what we have not had since Shevchenko and that is a leader (all due respect to Gila, Borriello and Huntelaar), someone to burden the offence duties and someone… Read more »
lukaku is going to chelsea…if not chelsea-EPL for sure….that his own words….but i agree that would be a great transfer…and i got enough all you ibra lovers………!!!!!!!! CANT YOU REALLY SEE WHATS GOING ON IN OUR TEAM BECAUSE OF HIM?!?!!?!??! YEA HE MIGHT HAVE SCORED SOME GOALS FOR US BUT WHERE THE FUCK HAS HE BEEN FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS???!?!! hes tired?!?!!!?! to be ridiculous!!!! player like him tired??!! the best in the world????? HAHAHAHA heve you ever heard messi or ronaldo saying that??? massi who is the best in the world never said things like that!!!! instead he… Read more »
@ rossonero23 If you think Genoa’s defense is poor you should see Olympique Lyonnais’. I can tell you Criscito is far more consistent, I watch them very often. As for the Ibrahimovic matter, it’s a matter of personal opinion, some want him to stay, some don’t. He’s a rotten apple and I wouldn’t like to see Pato pick up his bad habits or gettin bullied by someone who has just arrived to our squad, let’s not forget who was there first. As for Allegri I think h shoul be given more time, I wouldn’t like our team to become like… Read more »
We only need to get two great centre-back (Mexes n Astori), one left back (Criscito), and one midfielders (maybe Ganso). Young GK? no need for that! look at Van Der Sar, is he young? nope, but i don’t see any young GK playing like him. Also, Bastian Schweinsteiger? as a panzer fans i want him wear Milan shirt but we already had Merkel. So used him cause his our rising star.
For Ibra, just keep him. If not than call back Borriello from Roma. Forza Milan!
say whatever.milan need youngsters like merkel,verdinho,strasser,paloschi.for LB de vito is a terrific prospect+urby+didac vila….as 4 ibra..dats d problem …milan play 4 ibra…long balls….not as a team …dey don’t play 4 d millions of fans……just 4 ibra…lets hope 4 d best.forza milan!!!!
Tiredness is not a excuse…Man look at messi..played almost each n every game….Never complain…he played around 41 games..was even injured in btw…Ibra should go…Get an youngster or Kaka ..he is a Gamble..but he will play with soul..he is a true Milanista….
Thiago, Abate, Boateng, Merkel and Pato – These guys are untouchable.
Everyone else is open for discussion. If done right Milan should have a team ready to contend in Europe of 5+ years.
We shouldn’t abuse the article , it was an honest try to share some opinions of a rossoneri fan . We all should appreciate this . Coming back to Ibrahimovic’s situation , there are some pretty evident things we need to analyse . First of all our wonder boy Mr.Pato ever since he came to the club from 2007-2008 season, Milan couldn’t go pass the second round of CL .With all his skill ,flair ,charisma and the promise for future I personally strongly believe he just wouldn’t be able to win a CL single handed like Kaka did in 2007… Read more »
Good News Guys .. if he goes I want Pato to stay !!! http://www.footballpress.net/?action=read&idsel=80986
@tcl_00
pato is just 21….sheva nad kaka were much older when thay came in…and kaka didnt win 2007 cl on his own….!!! dont be ridiculous!!!
@Francisco Vasquez…This was a good article regardless if some things were obvious. I also believe Ibra is a bad apple in the squad and Pato’s demeanor suggests that their maybe some underlying problems. This is why I believe Inter and Barca were better off without Ibra and so will Milan. I am bias when it comes to Italian defenders because of greats like Baresi, Tassotti, Panucci, Maldini, and Inters great Bergomi. So Criscito is always my first choice For central defenders I really like Sakho and Rafael Toloi but they may be very costly. Milan should look at Astori and… Read more »
@ tcl_00 You said that we should get rid off pato and ibra, and in that way earn around 60 mil. euros, and then with that money that we should buy 3 world class players…Man,in what world are you living in??Sold 2 top players to buy 3??How on earth are we going to do that??Maybe you see a world class player a bit different than I, but seriously, you think that true world class player can be bought for an average of 20mil each??Look at prices of carrol and torres in winter transfer window,and in my opinion they aren’t top… Read more »
Well written bro!
@100%MILAN .. I was bit hasty saying Kaka won it by himself in 2007 but up until quarter finals that season Milan was struggling you have to admit that ….. Kaka was the spark .. the match against Celtic it was his goal in the extra time . And also Milan Got the spark from him that season , he stood up when it was needed …but unlike this season when we had 3 potential top class player no one stood up … All I am saying I am disappointed with Pato I dont want him to leave either but… Read more »
For the last few season it was embarrassing to say we are Milan Fans. Players came, players went, Coaches came and coaches went and the situation hasn’t improved. You forgot about all the real problems that you have, the big list of injury, the ageing players, the useless midfield, the unreliable defense, the immature Pato, the funny joke called Robinho, and a coach who is following Berlusconi orders even if does not work. Ibrahimovic arrived and he gave his all for Milan to rise to the top in spite of all these problems. It didn’t take him any time to… Read more »
I’m pretty sure, secretly, Ibra runs the team..haha
hes young and need to mature and get some experiance…and most importantly he needs backup!!! player whos missing in our team!!!you know who im talking about…like i said before send ibra back to barca and bring in lucas or sahin….im not a fan of ganso because of his injury…at least bring kaka back…uncle fester do so magic please and bring him cheap…but you will see how good pato will be in couple of years…believe me!!
I have written at great length about this particular situation; the team has been putting a band-aid on a problem for years and it just is not working. The team as currently comprised will consistently compete for lo scudetto because Serie A is so down across the board. This team will never compete for titles in Europe because of the problem that rests solely on Galliani’s shoulders. The team is not built properly. Here is my step-by-step plan for how to build the team. A. Determine if Allegri will be the manager for the next 4-7 years. 1. Identify if… Read more »
I agree that we should not buy Ibra rather buy this:
Lamela(AM) 15 milion,Lass(DM,CM) 10-15 milions,Granero(CM,AM) 10-15 milions, return Astori and Paloschi sell Antonini and Flamini renew:Seedorf,Pirlo,Ambrosini,Nesta and Inzhagi for one more year also give a chance to Sokratis,Merkel,Straser,Odu,Verdi,Calvano,De Vito.
we need ganso and coentrao
All i gat 2say is…
You Ibra haters are stinkin sHIT,Huge sack of flesh,Red NECKS.Um i think u’re nothin other than dirty fools,Men just drop dhe sHiTTT…I dnt care wat u gon say bout me.I only care bout dhe sHit u’re made of.i Can really tell dhe way u’re talkin.Do u knw what passion and football is? Goats…
No offense Francisco Vasquez, but that is the worst article ever. Build our squad around ABATE!! are you kidding me ?!. Second, there is an information mistake in your article I hope you correct it, Milan doesn’t have the “option” of signing Ibra. according to the Loan deal we are “Obligated” to buy him at the end of his loan spell, it’s too shameful for a big Milan site like this to have such a mistake, no offense again. Third, getting back Kaka. I absolutely think that selling Kaka was one of the smartest decision ever done by Galliani, we… Read more »
Coldy – little life lesson for you here. When calling someone a [SIC] Red NECKS, it is usually wise to do so while not appearing as an illiterate fool yourself whose grammatical and syntax ability falls second to that of an armadillo.
Your writing is indicative of the denigration the internet has had on the brains of so many.
Waiting for GIANCARLO’s take on this.
ok look. first of all milan are obliged to sign ibra, and he is a player the club has been dreaming of seeing in a milan shirt since 06. granted he does not have the best attitude but only because he wants to win. his determination and stats are incredible and he is a born winner. the club are planning to sign mexes and maybe another central def(if sokratis/bonera leave) and a left back. antonini and abate will be the rbs for next season(no need to talk about pecking order:P) and seedorf, gattuso, ambrosini and pirlos contracts will probably not… Read more »
@Francisco Vasquez
Don’t pay attention to what some might say. It’s easy to say the most nonsensical comment, but It takes more courage to actually right it. Some are just quick to kill anyone with out analyzing every angle of a situation. Just keep at it.
And welcome to the team!
~Tremendousice
The main person we should buy inthe market for midfield is nui sahin who completely destroyed bayern. he cn pass shoot defend and most importantly he’s cheaper and younger then schwiensteiger.
@sidthekid Thank you!! Every one of us is guilty of bashing galliani and berlusconi for the past few seasons for not signing big players, and we all got put in our place this past summer. now all we’re doing is complaining about small things.. Ibra is a leader! He is an established superstar and feared striker across europe. And for all of you blasting this long ball to Ibra, that is not how milan play, i can only think of 2 instances when it was a direct long ball to ibra and they were against genoa and against lecce, and… Read more »