Mercato Rossonero: Milan Transfer Activity Inside Out

ES wrote:Di Stefano (Sky): Milan will target a forward rather than a midfielder

At this point, i don't know what to think

I do agree this is pretty worrying given the overall image of the midfield , but we must not forget that Menez hasn't played in 8 months or so and Balotelli isn't really ours . And he's played like what 3-4 games so far?

I know it seems just like the usual , trust me i understand fully well , but at this moment and under the circumstances , i also understand if they did so .

This may or may not be a failure signing that will complicate things , or may or may not prove to be a particularly insightful move . It will deeply depend on mostly how Menez-Balotelli return from injury . I hope , especially Menez , comes back 100% , even if we get a new forward. That said , it's really been a while and it's right to have doubts and concerns.

Under this light , i fully understand the notion . I cannot say i approve 100% that a striker should be our first concern before at least one really important signing in the midfield.. but yeah , this really isn't same old same old , even if it does look like it

Anyhow , there's time yet. My 2 cents , for once i really hope our forward signing is a player we already have , Menez . Talked a lot of shit about him last season , but i came to realize we badly need him in the lineup. But after so many months out... i also have big doubts .

In the end , i won't complain if we do actually get a new forward , however it could complicate things if both Menez and Balotelli have recovered fully . Because if they do , there really would be no need for a new forward .

I do understand the concern , however . Whatever happens , what i hope is at the very least Menez returns healthy once more and at least a serious midfielder to join. If it's Luiz Adriano sitting on the bench or someone else doesn't matter that much to me. At least the new forward won't be earning 4m to sit on the bench anyway .

All that said . If Balotelli and Menez do manage a quick recovery during January , i do think we won't be signing a new forward . And if they don't , a new forward would be , for the most part , a justified move .

I thought Di Stefano died last year.

So Galliani says that SES is likely to return after Monaco Aquilani'd us.

I remember everyone here lambasting his sale this summer, claiming that this club obviously has no direction if we're willing to sell off our 'best' youth talent. Meanwhile, the little coke fiend couldn't even get playing time at Monaco. Idk guys. Maybe, just maybe, sometimes we all actually have no idea what we're talking about.

Galliani says a lot of things . Just yesterday he said El Shaarawy was close to Roma . He also said Witsel would be a free agent in the summer , which is simply wrong. Old Adriano must have been thinking about one of his real targets instead  

As for our coke fiend , i am not gonna say anything right now . I will just wait . We'll see who knows what eventually .

Why do people talk about this coke thing like its a fact? I swear I've looked everywhere and the only place I've heard it is Twitter. No actual publication is saying this.

We got a 28 year old LB from Argentina. Explain [50 marks]

The cancer is going to Genoa tomorrow, finally

With Cerci set to join Genoa tomorrow, and assuming El Shaarawy leaves as well, Milan will be all in on Ajax's El Ghazi. (via @DiMarzio)

ES wrote:We got a 28 year old LB from Argentina. Explain [50 marks]

1. No more De Sciglio on the left
2. Some welcomed competition for Antonelli
3. If he joins in January it will be dirt cheap , free in June
4. At his peak , should by all means contribute when called upon
5. Seems decent with the ball at his feet , seems very much like another Antonelli , more or less

All in all i am fine with the signing for one reason , i fully agree with the reasoning behind it . Untill we can find a really interesting talent for LB , which won't be easy at all , i am happy to have 2 players in Antonelli and Vangioni at the peak of their game , who cost us very little to join and keep and also can , and will , be easily replaced once we find our future LB . It also creates depth , which we badly need at LB given De Sciglio's performances there in the last 2 years now .

We must be reasonable , we can't realistically speaking always expect a talent or a key player in every signing we make .

I for once approve we are right to put our faith in Antonelli for the time being , who has been one of our best players this season and let him share what playing time he will with a player who's more or less the exact same mold as him , an offensive fullback at the peak of his game who will be able to help us right now , untill we find that promising LB that will eventually bench both of them when the time comes.

I do think he will be a good roster player to have and anything more will be added bonus . I'll have River's main LB to back up Antonelli than LB De Sciglio any day of the week ; especially for what little he will cost us.

But why? This just further reduces Calabria's chances, between MDS and Calabria as RB options (along with Abate) i'd prefer Calabria. I mean, we have a 16 year old starting between the sticks i'm sure Cala can nudge himself there at some point. Antonelli always shows humility when he plays, always gives 120%, never takes anything for granted. Competition for his place is all and well, but not at the expense of Calabria imo

ES wrote:With Cerci set to join Genoa tomorrow, and assuming El Shaarawy leaves as well, Milan will be all in on Ajax's El Ghazi. (via @DiMarzio)

Finally ..

As for El Ghazi , i am not impressed with his creepy CR7 acting and copy paste of play style .. seems really immature to me . He's got great athleticism and can run fast , but as far as end product end goes , i remain very skeptical . He has a good eye for goal , however he'll be in for a surprise if he isn't going to improve dramatically , considering how Serie A will handle his ways . Compared to the amusing Eredevisie defensive display , it could well turn out to be a nightmare for him to adapt.

I don't expect anything in particular , if he does come he did , however he doesn't strike me at all as a wide midfielder , he's a forward through and through , therefore i am not sure if he's really our answer at RW . Given how young he is and how transitioning from the Eredevisie to more tactical leagues doesn't always go well , i have a lot of doubts about this move , even though it's certainly pleasant we're going after a young talented player , who's also been part of a winning side and also had CL and EL experience .

Let's see , the days pass by , at 18 of January , it won't be long till news start coming out .

ES wrote:But why? This just further reduces Calabria's chances, between MDS and Calabria as RB options (along with Abate) i'd prefer Calabria. I mean, we have a 16 year old starting between the sticks i'm sure Cala can nudge himself there at some point. Antonelli always shows humility when he plays, always gives 120%, never takes anything for granted. Competition for his place is all and well, but not at the expense of Calabria imo

Antonelli will stay as the main LB , i have no doubts as far as this goes , unless Vangioni magically turns out to be some sort of revelation , no . We didn't sign him because Antonelli wasn't good enough , we signed him exactly to be a back up to Antonelli . What happens after is on their hands and i won't mind one bit , the more in form the better , our left wing will stay consistent for once .

As for Calabria , he showed us promising glimpses of what he can do when he was called upon earlier in the season and in my honest opinion , we cannot truly depend on him at this point . Just because Donnarumma does it doesn't mean Calabria would turn out the same . I get you're talking about getting chances , though . Extended exposure however , especially starting games in front of DS or Abate , could severely risk Ely'ing him and ironically , that was the very same thing i had said about Ely some time ago . Calabria fared a lot better , truth be told , but i for once have no qualms as to who deserves to really play with Mihajlovic so far .  

There's also the matter of Abate and De Sciglio , 2 players that are ahead of him and are , in all fairness , more dependable . We can't keep suffering with De Sciglio at LB whenever Antonelli is out just to give Calabria playing time, not at this point in time . For a 16 year old , he got plenty playing time earlier in the season and it was by all means and invaluable experience . Just the fact he's around with the first team is highly encouraging and enough for the time being.

Calabria is very very young and by the time he's actually ready there will be plenty of space for him . It will show when he will be ready to start more games . Even Donnarumma was pretty lucky to find himself starting games at first , with Diego's injuries and what not. It worked out, and it's simply fantastic . But i don't agree we should keep misusing De Sciglio just to have Calabria as 2nd choice .

At this point in time , Calabria is far from a pressing matter. By the time he's just 19-20 Abate will be , or very near , a bench player . He has future ahead of him and we really shouldn't be forcing another 16 year old in the lineup , especially during this time of immense pressure to achieve results .

Antonelli/Vangioni and Abate/De Sciglio is better than any alternative with Calabria right now , Calabria although promising enough , isn't a player that can actually bench any of MDS or Abate , right now. And Mihajlovic has proven this , whoever is worth it , gets to play . Donnarumma 16 years old is our keeper , as you said . If he deserves to play , he will regardless of De Sciglio or Abate .

Calabria simply isn't ready yet and should by all means be spared from the pressure of having to adequately replace Abate or De Sciglio at any given point in any game . And in any case , we actually needed a depth LB to save us from DS at LB. I don't see what Calabria has to do with it , even though i do share the notion he probably won't play again this season , if there aren't any big injuries.

But Calabria's future isn't at stake here in any case . Just because De Sciglio can fill a position doesn't mean we should waste him there for Calabria , who's just 16 years old and tactically really not prepared for a full season , certainly not this critically important season . Again by the time Calabria will be just 19 , Abate will most likely be on his last legs once his speed starts abandoning him , he doesn't offer much else truth be told. Signing a LB doesn't hinder him if that's what you're afraid , signing a LB probably saved De Sciglio , if anything .

Sorry for the long post but i liked the matter you brought about and wanted to expand my thoughts a little more ; but i honestly don't think Calabria would play another minute this season , Vangioni and what not , therefore i don't agree this will necessarily be bad news for him . Damn , even if he gets to play a full loan season in Serie B next season , (assumingly) , even better if you ask me. He's still very raw to be considered frequently ahead of either De Sciglio or Abate either way .

I don't understand the SES dilemma. 6 months ago loaning him out was the worst decision we ever made. Now he's a coke fiend who no one wants...

He didn't have the greatest time at Monaco, but we know what he is capable of. The primary reason he left (as far as I know) was that back in the summer, Miha was planning to go with a 4-3-1-2 and there was talk of him moving SES to the middle. However, now things are different, we are playing with wingers and SES would be perfectly suited to the 4-4-2.

Even if he is shit, I doubt it's humanly possible to be shittier that Cerci, so I'll be happy if we replace Cerci with SES.

don't worry , if it's true that Spalletti wants to keep Gervinho and with Roma having agreed terms with Perotti , only needing Cerci to join Genoa to move things along , it simply leaves little space for SES at Roma .

Even Fiorentina who were interested , reportedly , are looking to get Tello and a few other midfielders .. certainly won't be able to get SES too . And if they get Tello it's all but definitive , they won't be going for El Shaarawy too .

All in all anything new may come by until January is over , since El Shaarawy doesn't want to stay at Milan according to his agent.. but the possibility of him staying at Milan is real and the possibility of him being better than Cerci , or benching Honda eventually is also real . Very real indeed.

Let's see how things unfold , because one way or the other , with us or without us , El Shaarawy will get to settle once again . We'll see then how over rated he really was , after all .

hmm i may have to retract just some of that ES

I just remembered that Calabria is 19 years old , not 16 years old , sry my bad

Even so , even if this does add some to your point , i don't think Calabria is what should concern us with getting a back up LB . I don't want to see De Sciglio wasted at LB and my point still stands , if Calabria is worth it , he'll play .

Or when he's ready to do so anyway .

Abate is 29 , (checked to be sure smh) and he , whether we like it or not , will fall pretty hard when he loses his speed . Even these days his speed isn't the same like 10-11 , or 11-12 for instance. He'll probably end up Antonini v.2 in his early 30s , though i also wish he fares better anyway.. In short , and at least for my part , i think there will be plenty room for Calabria eventually ; and i still stand by what i said that he wouldn't play anymore this season anyway , i don't think he will even if Vangioni does not come now.

In all seriousness De Sciglio should stick to the right wing and settle there for good . He was a liability at LB most of the time and he wasn't making any progress there , he actually regressed being misused so much , no stability in his game. For all the above reasons i do think for the foreseeable future Vangioni is a decent signing , Calabria is an entirely different matter imho . Just because De Sciglio can fill a position doesn't mean we should waste his potential on purpose . No his place is RB and let them all fight it out , Calabria costs us nothing in any case.

I personally would want De Sciglio and Calabria to rotate as our main RBs eventually , but Abate's time isn't up just yet .

Troll club AC Milan. Welcome back Luiz Adriano.

Luiz Adriano could return to Milan. He hasn't reached an agreement with the Chinese club. (via @DiMarzio)

Ayy lmao

Im sorry, I just can't take this club seriously anymore

From Kaka being sold

Ibra and T. Silva

Mr. X saga

Galliani finally leaving

Maldini promised a position

Biabiany deal blocked by Zaccardo, which then got us Bonaventura

Seedorf retiring to coach, only to be fired at the end of the season

Promoting Inzaghi

New stadium

Mr. Bee's deadline dates

Jackson Martinez refusing us and we sign Bacca

Kondogbia signed by Inter

El Shaarawy leaving all of a sudden; El Shaarawy coming back

Witsel rumors

Galliani admiring the tree in old trafford

and now this...    

To be fair, it wasn't a problem with the club, the disagreement was between LA and Jiangsu

Thats true but our club is still involved somehow

What about taking Torres on loan, only to loan him to Atleti 6 months later?

There are too many troll moments. I think Galliani and Berlusconi decided that the best way to keep the club relevant despite losing money is to make it into a joke.

Either that, or they are just deluded.

let's wait for confirmation first .

If true this is really bad news for Milan , since i can't see us getting any potential RW without the Luiz Adriano money . Or all these players sitting on the bench .

As for Luiz Adriano , i don't know what he imagined all this time , but giving your ok to a deal worth millions and days later backing out is highly unprofessional and should be severely punished by our side .

He had every right to reject it all from the start , since nobody would have forced him to say yes anyway. Then he took his time to think about it and still said yes .He said his goodbyes , flew to China to sign the papers .

You can't just change your mind and mess up with the entire club's plans , as if everyone is hanging from his balls. If this is true , i don't want to see him play for Milan again . I don't expect him too either way.

Even if he somehow gets off lightly , because i bet anything you want B&G won't be amused , with Menez and Balotelli back , even Boateng in the mix too , he won't even be called up for games.

If that's on his part and it's true he changed his mind , we're losing millions here and will be forced to pay his ass the rest of the 3.5m to do nothing for the rest of the season . He couldn't even get into the lineup without Menez and Balotelli and Boateng in the scene , now he's just useless to us .

I am eagerly waiting something official about this but i really hope it's bollocks , elsewise it cannot and will not possibly end well for Luiz . And i don't even care about him , i care because if this is legit , it's almost guaranteed it will severely complicate our business in the mercato .

Diego Lopez moving to Besiktas.

#Milan, per Diego Lopez al #Besiktas si può chiudere entro venerdì
https://t.co/lxCqKVqdUJ

— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) January 19, 2016

Best of luck to him. He was a great keeper for us last season.

Diego Lopez to Besiktas is no longer possible. The goalkeeper asked for €5m/year from the Turkish club [Sky].