Lacks, Losses and Coin-Flip Tosses

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