Milan had a very interesting summer as they changed ownership mid-mercato, but still added 8 new players to the squad of coach Gennaro Gattuso, and said goodbye to over 10 men.
It was a summer of two parts: the first part was under the Chinese ownership, with Yonghong Li still as President, and Marco Fassone & Massimiliano Mirabelli running the show for Milan. The second part was with the new Elliott ownership, who appointed Leonardo and Paolo Maldini.
All in all, it was a bizarre and unusual transfer mercato for the Diavolo, whose number one goal this summer was strengthening the squad of Gattuso while staying within the limits of the Financial Fair Play. 8 new signings were made, 3 of them – all free agents – arrived during the Chinese ownership, while the rest were signed by Leo and Paolo, with the support of the American Elliott.
The full list of arrivals can be found below, with the transfer fees as they were reported in the media:
| Player Name | Role | Age | Arrived From | Details (rumoured) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepe Reina | Goalkeeper | 35 | Napoli | Permanent deal, free agent |
| Ivan Strinić | Defender | 31 | Sampdoria | Permanent deal, free agent |
| Alen Halilović | Midfielder | 22 | Hamburg | Permanent deal, free agent, Hamburg entitled to % of future sale |
| Mattia Caldara | Defender | 24 | Juventus | Permanent deal, €35m, direct exchange with Leonardo Bonucci |
| Gonzalo Higuain | Forward | 30 | Juventus | One year loan with option to buy, €18m loan + €36m option |
| Tiémoué Bakayoko | Midfielder | 24 | Chelsea | One year loan with option to buy, €5m loan + €35m option |
| Diego Laxalt | Defender | 25 | Genoa | Permanent deal, €3m + Gianluca Lapadula + €4m bonuses |
| Samu Castillejo | Forward | 23 | Villarreal | Permanent deal, €18m + Carlos Bacca |
The fans were dreaming about one last big signing, but in the end it proved to be impossible. The Rossoneri’s mercato has ended in terms of new signings, but more players, in addition to those that have already left, could part ways with the club and join teams in leagues where the mercato is open.
| Player Name | Role | Age | Went To | Details (rumoured) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Storari | Goalkeeper | 41 | Free Agent | End of contract |
| Hachim Mastour | Forward | 20 | Free Agent | End of contract |
| Nnamdi Oduamadi | Forward | 27 | Free Agent | End of contract |
| Leonardo Bonucci | Defender | 31 | Juventus | Permanent deal, €35m, direct exchange with Mattia Caldara |
| Gustavo Gomez | Defender | 25 | Palmeiras | Loan with option to extend loan, €1.5m for the first loan |
| Nikola Kalinić | Forward | 30 | Atletico Madrid | Permanent deal, just under €15m |
| Luca Antonelli | Defender | 31 | Empoli | Permanent deal, released from contract |
| André Silva | Forward | 22 | Sevilla | Loan with option to buy, €5m loan + €30m option |
| Manuel Locatelli | Midfielder | 20 | Sassuolo | Loan with obligation to buy, €2m loan +€10m option + €2m bonuses |
| Jherson Vergara | Defender | 24 | Cagliari | Permanent deal, released from contract |
| Gabriel | Goalkeeper | 25 | Perugia | Permanent deal, released from contract |
| Carlos Bacca | Forward | 31 | Villarreal | Permanent deal, used in deal for Samu Castillejo |
| Gianluca Lapadula | Forward | 28 | Genoa | Permanent deal, used in deal for Diego Laxalt |
You’ve got to give it to leonardo and Maldini. They added quality to the squad with the limited transfer budget of Elliot and within ffp regulations.
I hope we win serie a (I never give up hope) or at minimum reach top 4
I admire your optimism but winning the scudetto is unrealistic with this current squad, but if Baka and Papita hit ultimate high along with the rest of the team maybe Milan would be fighting for the title but they still couldn’t win it.
I don’t think it’s unrealistic.
Leicester City win the EPL over the likes of Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Anything can happen
Man city, Man utd and Chelsea all had a poor season that year, while Tottenham and Arsenal had their best chance of winning the league and they choked in the end. It was a funny premier league season and it probably won’t ever be replicated again.
If it happens that way with Leicester it can happen to Milan.. Knowing Juve will more focus on CL, Inter have really strengthen to compete in CL and will want to go far same goes with Roma with their performance last season in the CL. if we can manage not to drop point with the bottom and mid table teams we will have great chance fighting for the league title with this current team.. But my only concern is how Gattuso operate the team and make them play
This if Leicester did it anything is possible argument is stupid. Something like that has only happened one time in football history . Right now we have a chance to finish in the top 4, but we’re not the favorites. Our chances will depend on certain key players having great seasons, in particular Higuain, Suso and Jack.
AK.. that’s my opinion and it isn’t stupid. It’s a fact and Leicester winning the league isn’t once in a lifetime occurrence – other teams have done same. Anything can happen in football. You and I don’t have control over the outcomes.
So if Milan wins serie this session will you still say the hope was stupid.
If Leonardo and Maldini had some more time, probably someone else would have arrived. But so far, I think they did a good job. Cleaning up the garbage from FASSOBELLI. Although, I think that there is still a lot garbage in the team. Strinic, Borini, Bertolacci, Zapata, Abate and Halilovic. They will have to fight for not being sold. Players who in my opinion can be sold are Biglia, Donnarumma, Suso, RR and Bonaventura. These players can or are good enough, but still in average they are average. Besides, they all will have a nice price tag. So LeoDini can… Read more »
Calling ppl garbage!!!! calling abate Garbage! I guess you are the garbage!
Yeah, Abate is garbage.
I laugh when people say Fassobelli Garbage… Which Players?
All the Free Transfers were Fassobelli.
Only Two Fassobelli Players Left. Kalinic and Silva and you really can’t blame them… Montella and a terrible midfield destroyed Milan Last Season.
Bonucci (brought Caldara and Higuian), RicRod, Reina, Kessia, Hakan, Suso (resurgence is basically under Montella), Conti, Mussachio. ALL Fassobelli players.
I’ll give Mirabelli credit for Hakan, Kessie, RicRod, and Bonucci which is no longer with us. That’s like half the budget they had. The rest was squandered, or at best has yet to show us anything.
Suso was signed when Pippo was coach
All Fassobelli players played garbage except for Hakan.
So market is finally over, boy have we had a stressful summer. Can’t wait to get back started in the league. Judging by the amount of time Leonardo and are management had in the market, which was basically less than a month, I would give our mercato a 7.5 perhaps 8 out of 10 To start, Reina was a great addition and I look at it as Mirabelli final sending off. I thank him. Strinic too after his world cup is good. With Leonardo he started off with a bang. To get higuain and caldara and to give money and… Read more »
i totally agree with you. Simic, Gabbia can be loaned as should Mauri as well, i still have little hope for him. The player i’m pissed about is Montolivo, his wife being pregnant isn’t an excuse. The guy got 3M from us each year and come on does anyone believe he will have any financial issues??? I despise players like him who keep leaching off teams that they don’t belong to. People making excuses for him saying he was our captain, so was Muntari and many more rejects during this catastrophic periods under Chinese clowns and Berlu’s final 3-4 years.
Maldini – there’s every reason to believe Milan can qualify for the CL See the difference? The mentality of this society, this is what will be fundamental for the squad, having such great minds around the club as Maldini, Leonardo and probably Kaka I’m really optimistic of this new season ahead, finally Milan has solid and healthy foundations to build something big again And I see Bakayoko is really motivated and grateful. His Instagram post “Ready? Let’s go! Grazie millie Milan!” Laxalt will bench RR remember this words, boy has all the ingredients Gattuso loves – balls, grit heart and… Read more »
Regarding Bakayoko, I also think so, he posted on twitter when he was made official “Thank you for Believing in me Milan”, this trust a player feels from everyone is more important than what some people might think! The same was for Higuain as well, he said that at Chelsea it was only Sarri who wanted him, but at Milan everyone wanted him. Let’s hope they can perform to their maximum, if they do we have truly world class players signed and will help elevate the level of our team.
It’s going to be really tough, but there’s certainly hope. Our starting 11 is stronger than last year due to Higuain, although Bonucci’s departure will hurt us until Caldara/Musa fill the spot. And we definitely got more depth compared to last season. Hope indeed.
Of course with the comeback of Leo and Maldini, I want to give that alone a 10/10. I’d say this mercato when it comes to player signings is a strong 7, perhaps 8, depending on how Castillejo performs, we really needed a quality playmaker, with the exception of Calha I dont know if we have a real fantasista. We did great in getting a quality striker like Higuain. And a strong midfielder like Bakayoko with his versatility in midfield – if he can bring back the Monaco level to his game, perhaps improve further – is a great addition, but… Read more »
Transfer summary in short: Higuain in, and Bonucci out. We added a bit of depth in a backup for Kessie, Suso, and RicRod, and managed to release some back end players (and Loca which is unfortunate). All in all, marquee signing at exactly the right department, at a cost of loss to defense, but still we managed to keep our young talents there in Romag and Donna. Plus, Caldara/Musa could be good competition for the big gap left by Bonucci’s departure. Higuain was a master stroke, but we are still behind Juve (obviously) and Inter (brilliant summer), and perhaps at… Read more »
How can you say we lost a defender when we swapped with another defender?
Apart from Caldara and Higuain deal our mercato was worst possible in years. We signed back ups for Suso, Kessie and RR when we needed replacements for Biglia at CM and Borini at LW. If Bakayoko doesnt get back to his Monaco days, we’re really fucked. To be honest I’d prefer Bernard and Max Meyer instead of Caltillejo and Laxalt, and they were free too. Another miserable season is coming, this time with improved Inter. Sorry guys, cant be positive.
7/10 rated.
Players I would’ve sold: Bertolacci, Zapata, Borini. There were offers for them.
Players wouldn’t have bothered to sign: Strinic and Castillejo.
Players would’ve kept: Gomez, Antonelli.
Players I wouldn’t have allowed the chance of leaving permanently: Silva, Locatelli.
Players would’ve signed: Meyer, Bernard, Kovacic. Were all available and less expensive than the ones we bought.
Even though it’s not a bad mercato, another one is closed without a playmaker.
the only thing i can agree with you is the sale of Borini and the addition of Bernard. we would have gotten +8-10M on our books. Meyer overrated, Kovacic’s transfer to Chelsea gave us Bakayoko, Antonelli old and had too many injuries, Gomez? LOL, Bertolacci is Kessie’s sub and Gatusso will shape him up quite well, Locatelli for 12M is a great deal along with Silva for 40M, Silva would have been 3rd choice and would just become unsellable later on, Loca didn;t show much of his talent, when young talents showed their strengths we always let them play: SES,… Read more »
Agreed
Most of the choices are personal. I however believe that Gomez who’s younger ,earns less and not a bad defender will be more open to being 4th choice than Zapata who I wouldn’t play anyway. Antonelli is old but the same age as Strinic who cannot get fit either and not a better player. I am not sure Leo and Paolo would bother making that swap. We should’ve instead gone for Kovacic first, as the team is needing more creativity than a Bakayoko characteristic but I understand it’s the coach’s request. I will wait to see what influence Bakayoko make… Read more »
A pity we can’t buy mildfielder ..
Mercato 5/10
The five only come from higuain.
We missed to sell zapata, borini, bonaventura, bertolacci, and the most useless fullback RR.
We lost locatelli ( yes the player wished to leave himself. but leo is a good overtalker, why didnt he talk him over? )
We missed AGAIN for the 8th year to sign a true playmaker.
I really agree with you. Its scary to see how many fans dont understand that Milan will not get anywhere with a playmaker…. its like we are banned from signing creative midfielders
And your thumb downs are not because of your words, its because of haters. Let hem keep hating.
To me the players are there for a Top 4 finish. Everything now depends on the team coming together to form a unit and the offense improving compared to last season. I wish all the best for Gattuso in this regard. I’m glad he got the chance.
I feel we’ll come second this season if all goes as it should. Excited to see Conti, Caldara, Cala at his best, Kaba, Higuain and Laxalt. I think the latter could be a surprise!
Forza Milan!!
Donna
Calabria – Musa/Caldara – Roma – RR
Kessie/Baka – Biglia – Bonaventura
Suso – Higuain – Hakan
So really, we dont have backup for hakan, but we do for Suso with Halil/Samu, neither do we have for Bona and Biglia.
Had we gotten SMS, i think the midfield would have been solid(creativity) but without Loca (sadly), its really only Bonaventura or Hakan if he plays deep.
I’d be happy with top 4.
My first comment! Nice to meet you all! Forza Milan!
Back ups for Hakan are Castillejo and Laxalt so Hakan can be used behind the striker
bertolacci says hello.haha
Defender… Ok
Midfielder… Worried (esp if gattuso still use old player)
Biglia… Too old and slowly to cover defence area by him self)
Kessie… Physic 10, intelegent -10 ( minus 10)
Jack…. Still dont know what exactly he did last season)..
I hope bakayoko becone starter..
Striker…. Good (i wish castillo, suso and higuain)
Suso… Make some improvment and get frustation at 10 last games… Maybe cause the other player cant give support to him)…
Higuain need good passing….
Castillo…. I wish he can givegood contribution for team…
Considering we lost half the mercato time due to the Mr Li debacle and the EL decision not to mention the FFP constraints I still feel we had a great mercato, all thanks to LeoDini. The signings made were to address the issues of the squad as a whole from last season. For instance Reina is a great and experienced vice/mentor for Donna. Caladara comes in as a direct replacement for the aging Bonucci. Strinic provides the needed competition to RR at LB. Bakayoko is the vice/competition for Kessié which Gattuso requested. Halilovic+Castillejo+Laxalt solve our left winger/vice Suso/lack of pace/creativity… Read more »
For us to have a good season our last 3 signings have to be able to adapt to different positions on the pitch. Our squad still lacks depth and that has to be compensated by versatility of the players. Laxalt needs to be ready to play at any position on left flank. That will ensure back up for hakan, bonaventura and competition for RR. Samu needs to be up to his game on both wings. That gives us cover for suso and hakan. Maldini praised him, so I am curious to see what he can do? Bakayoko has to be… Read more »
Although we are not playing 1st round. I still wish
Lazio- Napoli to draw their game
Shinter to loose
Roma to loose
Juve can go f**k themselves because I can’t see them loosing to chievo with CR7 on board.
Like, mr Kent
This has been a good transfer window as far as uncertainties that surrounded milan…though a bit worried about our mid field and creativity but Gattuso should deliver and no more excuses….with changes Napoli and Roma had gone through i am expecting at least 4th finish in the league…..for me it’s juventus and our noisey neighbours inter may be getting that second spot but third and fourth spot is up for grab…if Gattuso fails to deliver in first half of the season than its high time we should say good bye to him….keeping sentiments aside milan needs to come back to… Read more »
So many people are underrating Napoli. They only lost Jorginho and Sarri which don’t get me wrong are HUGE losses. But the rest of the team that achieved 91 points is exactly the same and they replaced Jorginho with a fine player in Fabian Ruiz and Sarri was replaced with a great coach in Ancelotti.
Our best chance is Roma and Lazio underperforming this year. But if immobile continues to prove he is a guaranteed 20 goal a season striker and SMS justifies his valuation, then this will be very tough.
It may be a long shot but I think napoli will fall out this year. Sure they only lost jorginho reina and sarri but they lost everything that represents napoli! A coach who plays amazing attack fluent football, a midfielder where everything starts from him and a keeper who could use his feet and start the plays with calm. Ancelotti is a great coach, but I question if he’s the man that can continue that formula of play they’ve had over the years
I believe this will be with subs and rotations:
Donna/Reina
Calabria/Conti-Musa/Caldara-Roma/Zapata-RR/Laxalt/Strinic
Kessie/Berto/Mauri-Biglia/Baka/Mauri-Baka/Hakan/Jack/Laxalt
Suso/Hali/Castillejo-Higuain/Cutro/Borini-Hakan/Castillejo/Jack/Laxalt/Borini
Milan announced that Ivan Strinic must halt at least temporarily sporting activity after he was diagnosed with a heart condition. Get well soon Ivan.
why is everyone saying atlist 4th position what happen to first position are we not team infact the best team in Italy when it comes to European football seven times cl holder I believe in the team the list I can accept is second position anything less than that is a failure we need all the support and moral this season best of luck forza Milan
get well soon strinic your health more important than your carrier at the moment all the rossoneries which you the best of luck and fast recovery.but I still don’t know why we are all saying fourth place is hard for us to accomplish Milan is the best club in Europe in Italian league we have history and traditions to me any thing less than first or second is a failure we must context for the title or atmost second place believe or not with the right mentality we will achieve it forza Milan
Comment: second match for sevilla and andre silva scores a hatrick
Andre silva hatrick… Did we know what a stricker need… A good passing…
I hope higuain will get good ball too…