The first half of the summer for Milan has been just fine. Its product in the end might be better than it could have been if they opted for flashier and spicier solutions. Signing Alvaro Morata, which is now official, to replace Olivier Giroud is in the same vein as substituting for Stefano Pioli with Paulo Fonseca. It’ll get the job done, he’ll gel well with the other attackers and work hard, he’ll say all the right things and be a good leader, and his numbers will most likely be better than the Frenchman. It’s not a marked improvement, though. It remains to be seen whether he’ll come through in the clutch as the veteran did, and if it’ll amount to much in the end. It’s ultimately another choice that doesn’t get the juices flowing.
The Choice for the Attack
The Rossoneri have been alluding to a sizeable investment in an up-and-coming no.9 for months in the lead-up to the transfer market. However, they quickly pivoted toward somebody affordable and easy to sign once they didn’t land their main target Joshua Zirkzee. In his case, due to the presence of a release clause, it would have been legit if they had come to terms with his camp beforehand. The commissions pushed the deal past a sum they were comfortable spending. That’s simply a judgment call. Not going through with it isn’t a bad look per se, especially if it happened way earlier. Though, haggling for weeks and getting so close to the finish line and then backtracking coming up with excuses instead is.
Moreover, the Manchester United newcomer wasn’t the only high-ceiling center-forward on the market. They have surely tested the waters on names who haven’t come up, which would be a first for the vocal and overly exposed Milan management. Were they possibly all too expensive? In the end, as it happened with their hire, rather than push through the difficulties and open their wallet, they went with comfort over ambition. It’s not a sin, but the promises and the premises were different.
Considering their supposed emphasis on signing players with upside, it’s laughable they are considering double dipping as far as seasoned strikers are concerned since they are in talks to onboard Niclas Fullkrug. He’d be another solid contributor, and he could easily star next to Morata when they want to be more offensive-minded. But they should keep an eye on the future. Having bagged a reliable but not sexy starter, they should take a shot on a prodigy who has wreaked havoc in a secondary league. At this point, it feels like their plan for the position is to tread waters until Francesco Camarda is ready to take over.
The Other Plans
It’s still early in the summer, so Milan have all the time to steer their window toward more alluring destinations. If they were willing to spend €40M on Zirkzee, they have the budget for a few acquisitions now. Their economic firepower has never been in question, but they aren’t acting like it, considering how hard they are bargaining every fee. There’s a fine line between being smart and looking stingy. They have been operating like a team that pays more attention to the bottom line than winning.
Their reinforcement campaign needs some excitement. A flash operation or one without hiccups would provide that. It would also materialize if they landed all their latest rumored targets: Strahinja Pavlovic, Youssouf Fofana, and Lazar Samardzic. They’d be more aligned with the strategy they had last summer, which is supposed to be their MO.
The Defense
The RB Salzburg man isn’t a finished product or spotless. However, they have needed a lefty center-back for ages, even more so after their injury woes last year. Plus, a high-profile addition in the middle would address the right-back role too, as they’d use Pierre Kalulu as a conservative choice there. They’d kill two birds with one stone. They need to pick a lane with the Frenchman to help his development. Despite their chase of Emerson Royal, who wasn’t a linchpin at Tottenham for a reason, Fonseca didn’t sound too enthusiastic about fielding two aggressive fullbacks simultaneously. Theo Hernandez isn’t going anywhere. They might as well listen to their coach, free up their stud, and save some bucks with just one addition in the back.
The Milan Midfield
Their plans here have been rather confusing so far. The future of Ismael Bennacer is still in doubt, which could lead to significant adjustment. Still, they wouldn’t go wrong with such a well-assorted duo. Their boss would have plenty to work with; plus, their other men all have room for growth.
On top of snapping up a major talent, purchasing Samardzic would mean succeeding where other teams have failed. It’d finally be a clear win for the Milan brass, which has yet to prove to be totally up to snuff in its current configuration. They have lined up a trio of signings that, in addition to addressing glaring needs and bolstering the squad, would turn their summer around, placing them closer to where they actually finished last year in the standings in the virtual pecking order. Juventus and Napoli have zoomed past them narrative-wise since they haven’t been afraid to spend and make big decisions to try to close the gap with Inter. There are challenges in every negotiation, but they can ill-afford to cower again at the first sign of trouble if they want to look like a legitimate Scudetto contender.
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