Mercato Rossonero: Milan Transfer Activity Inside Out

Calhanoglu and Suso as wings would offer 0 width. I guess you would rely on Conti and Rodriguez but then a DM is needed imo. Can't have Montolivo protecting a defense when the 2 fullback push up so high if the mezzalas are Bonavetura and Kessie. Need a destroyer there.

Biglia and Krichowiak were good ideas.

The disappointing part is we were heavily linked with better alternatives like Keita and Forsberg.

That is a stupid move shoehorning him into LW, we won't get the best out of him. This is the most important signing we will have to make, if the attack doesn't click then we are done for. We needed a big name like Hames to come in and have an Ozil/Balo effect and elevate the team to another level. I hope he doesn't suck but what im reading about him that isn't pubsmack talk is not enlightening

Borini ( ) , Calhanoglu , Conti done dealio

....

Very well so far , but of course , spend moar #Yuans ; we not quite there just yet .. amount spent needs to look and sound filthy , only then it will be enough

On Borini : If we sell Lapadula for anything above 10m as is reported , Borini was a good call for 1m loan plus 6m next summer and that's IF we want him permanently by then. As i see it , the moment Lapadula gets sold for 10m+ , we just got 10m without losing anything. Both are just permabench options , Borini won't do any worse than him. As a bonus , he can cover more positions than Lapadula if needed.

IMO : this transfer looks pure banter but was actually smart business. We're going to get above 10m and still have more or less the same impact out of our 3rd substitute or something.

On Calhanoglu : been a while since i've watched him play , so i can't say much. I used to think of him as one to look out for back in the day , quite happy we got him actually. It means no James of course . There's no room for James anymore and probably the player is after seriously big money anyway... others will have surely offered more to him. Other than that , all i understand is we got a player who can easily move the ball around and will provide a serious boost in our set piece chances. Hakan seems like a bargain , good stuff.

IMO: quality midfielder , can't have enough if you ask me. He's welcome . For good money too . 100% James idea is dead now and that's fine. We won't lack in creativity with him , Bonaventura and Andre Silva around.

Rumours about Kjaer ... hmm , since Paletta is leaving , i like the idea.

Biglia seems on ice at the moment .. i don't like this. Just give them more #yuan , wtf is the problem? His agent will be in Italy soon , hopefully he can move things along and Biglia signs sooner than later. I don't like Badelj as first option and i don't think Krychowiak is what we really need from our DM , but i've been wrong before , idk .

Vangioni wants to go back to River Plate. Ok.

Poli left. Thanks for everything bah baeee

Niang for 18m to Everton , still not official though... a sudden cold shiver runs through my spine whenever i think we might actually miss the chance to sell him for 18m ... please Niang. Sign it already. Just do it

SO FAR , mercato has been 8/10 . If we can sell fodders/missfits , easy 9/10 .

Something is missing though....

Welcome Hakan!!

Boy do we have the most handsome squad in all of europe

Rumors going around that Milan and Dollarumma have reached an agreement on a 5 year contract worth 6million per year and his brother Antonio will also be signed with wages of 1million per year. It also mooted a release clause was fixed for 50 million euros if we don't make the CL and 100million if we finish top four

We still need a DM, CM and LW/RW who can rotate Suso and Hakan

This is under the assumption that we are going with a 4-3-3


RW/LW=Di Maria/Costa
CDM=Badelj/William Carvalho
CM=Ceballos/Modric

Also, Sky says we are not giving up chase on Kalinic/Aubameyang, if thats the case then we can kiss the 4-3-3 goodbye, offload Suso to Spurs and reinforce the midfield further

ES i dont know if we have the will to get those players you listed in THIS mercato, but i do have a feeling Modric is a distinct possibility next year. DI maria seems slated toward Inter and Ceballos the same with one of the big Spanish teams. Costa would propably expect champions league football so we should wait a season and go for him (i hope anyway)

Badelj was one i thought would be our first signing but still no action, maybe the turmoil in Florence with ownership has something to do with it, he does want to join.

I know they (F&M) said the squad is 2/3 complete but im fine with the way it is now so that we can see how these 6 new guys fit in before we get any more. If Montella can bring last seasons squad to 4th, id like to see him work his way with this team. Once we gel, and properly identify our holes it would be better to solidify our needs. No sense in running into further issues with FFP if we do decide to underachieve.

We do need a pivot to balance this side out for sure, and unfortunately it will be Montolivo if we dont hurry, maybe he can regain his 2012 form? lol he should just stay one more season to be scapegoated when we fail on an objective.

Also Conti should be arriving this week.

Fassone said a very interesting thing today, did anyone else notice?

He said we have some budget left, and it's up to Montella to decide whether to spend it on ONE superstar or on a number of players...

My interpretation of this rather cryptic remark is that Montella has two choices: Either Aubameyang (70m) or e.g. Kjaer+Krychowiak+Forsberg+Kalinic (10m+Loan+25m+25m).

I, for one, wouldn't think one moment and go for quantity, which covers our ass much better.

Which one would you go for?

On the issue of the last striker position, I think Kalinic, Bacca, or (this may sound ridiculous) even Lapadula won't be THAT MUCH different if they were to starve for service. I already said this a while back: we need creators MUCH MORE than we need finishers. Lewandowski, one of the world's best foxes-in-the-box, wasted 60-goddamn-% of his chances last season, and yet he scored 30 in the league alone...
There is a lesson in that fact: if the creative forces of a team perform well enough, the identity of the striker won't be that big of a worry.

I'm all for getting another creative midfielder to complement Suso, Calhanoglu and Bonaventura, than wasting money on average strikers like Kalinic. Forsberg, Mahrez, or someone like that. Keep Bacca for God's sake if it saves us money.

Iras, totally agree about the budget thing, id rather spread it out over 3-4 signings like krchoywiak, forsberg biglia etc

On the other hand it might be smart to spend big now and get someone who may not be on the market next time around. Aubameyang would certainly help us, id imagine we would flourish with him.

Im not too brushed up on my FFP decorum but I feel like these investments this summer of over 150m can be written off in the transfer of club ownership. I recall reading this somewhere, it means that because the club has taken in so much money via takeover, that their funds now are abnormally inflated, just for the fiscal year.

Anyway i dont expect us to be throwing around this kind of money again anytime soon (until we win something/qualify for champions league/sell gigio), the squad is 2/3 complete but again we arent going to buy 6 new players in the next window. We will finish the squad and probably spend a pretty penny doing so, but not on par with this summers commitment.I expect 2-3 major signings and another 2-3 as cover.

As well, I agree Iras that we should look to keep bacca, esp if Montella chooses to go with 2 strikers. He would feed well off Silva no doubt. No sense in paying 30 for Kalinic when we have Bacca right? If he leaves then thats a different story

I just think we are looking to have extra strikers to anticipate a formation change or even just flexibility during the tougher parts of the season, maybe it will be the 352 we saw in one match and in training many times, or maybe Montella will go full Berlusconi and adopt the classic 4312.
Either way we are aggressively imporoving our attack.

I would say we just need more creativity and a holding midfielder, to make this window 10/10.

Who wants to bet on Montolivo starting the first game, armband and all

Of course , it makes sense .. It's only sensible to upgrade on a number of positions rather than just one . And yes , having a midfield that can create chances above the average rate and dictate the flow of the game , that is fundamental . However , we have indeed upgraded significantly in so many positions that needed it , in midfield too .

Let's not forget we have Bonaventura too . I believe we will still sign one more midfielder other than Biglia , but it will almost certainly be for depth . Kucka and Poli left and Bertolacci will likely too . We will certainly need need one more for depth. Other than that , i am not sure there's any more room left for a midfielder of certified quality. I personally think if Bertolacci doesn't leave after all , we won't sign another midfielder.

I think the plan might be this ; if we splash on a big name , Aubameyang/Belotti , it's 100% 4-3-1-2 . If we can't make it happen , because Mirabelli did confirm we aren't going to give in to unreasonable demands for players , Fassone and Mirabeli will look to further upgrade on a number of players and thus we will go on with 4-3-3.

_

Biglia didn't turn up for the preseason medicals with Lazio .

Di Marzio : Lazio have agreed to postpone Biglia's pre-season physical tests for 48 hours in hopes of finding a definitive agreement with Milan over the midfielder's transfer.

Interesting news on that front. Let's see.

Many many rumours about Aubameyang . I want Belotti . If Aubameyang signed i would be thrilled of course , but ... idk . I hope fkn Cairo gets a reality check soon . Ain't no fknbody going to give him 100m , although he certainly gets his hopes up watching Lukaku moving for 75m£ ..

And here's where i stand too , i am in the get the big name player camp. We don't have one. Classic Milan always had more than one . We need one. Both Aubameyang and Belotti are excellent choices , i hope we succeed here. Maybe this is our last chance to sign Aubameyang , you don't know what comes next. I will get behind him fully if he comes and move on. But Belotti to me would be something unique. And he's not coming here for at least 8m a year like Auba.. 4, 4.5m a year will be Belotti's wages. Azzuri main striker , Milan fan ..

just fk Cairo

basically fk everybody in that city

SKy says Dortmund want 80m for Auba, i dont know why we shouldn't just bow down and splash for Belotti if thats the case. Also, i agree with Dante, we need a star signing, like i said before, someone who can elevate us.

Madrid is signing Ceballos atm, thats most likely Hames out. We need to pounce on that.

I still cannot be convinced by Belotti. He truly has it all but stinks of the strikers who will have one great season and not live up to it as no one saw him rising the way he did. Torino lets be honest has a record for those one-season wonders. Such money for him and with the astronomical pressure for someone with such little experience imo, would yield mixed results if not a complete disaster.

Biglia unless free is too old while Auba, overpriced, is a proven player in every category added with the fact that he's a Milan youth product.

James

I would certainly like James at Milan . I am not sure if it's a realistic option anymore , but ... if he signed , it would most certaily mean we would go with Ancelotti's Christmas tree formation and no Auba/Belotti . Calhanoglu and James , behind Andre Silva. Would also mean Suso would likely force a move , so...

I am inclined to believe James could be plan last resort or something like that, with regards to the star signing . Maybe if we accept a big offer for Suso or something. I mean we could still go 4-2-3-1 , Andre Silva; Calhanoglu-James-Suso , which would certainly be exciting , however that leaves Bonaventura to fight it out with Calhanoglu and that's just not happening. Bonaventura is a de facto 11 player and i wouldn't have it any other way in any case. Calhanoglu signed to start games as well , so if James did arrive this summer , Suso will very likely be forced out and ask to leave . I don't think Fassone and Mirabeli will force something like this on the team , unless all things mercato unfold on it's own somewhat like this.

In any case , i am almost certain James will ask for stupid money wherever he goes and i do believe he will sign for the team which offers more to him. We have money again , but unless we have no other option available , i'd seriously prefer these crazy wages go to one of Aubameyang , or even better , towards signing Belotti who wouldn't even demand as high a wage.

Belotti/Aubameyang

As for why we don't give in a similar offer , or just simply put forth 80m for Belotti , since we are apparently listening when BVB wants 80m for Auba... i believe there's 2 scenarios , a) we don't rate Belotti anywhere near as high , difference significant , so no cigar b) We might be prepared to propose something close to that , but not like Cairo wants it .. so if he takes the bait with Milan being close to Auba , he might bulge in and accept the offer we are ready to make /maybe already proposed , which would be more bent towards our plan of doing this.  

A couple weeks back or something , it was reported we offered , or we were prepared to offer , 20m-25m loan with obligation to sign for 60m-55m next summer for Belotti. Almost nothing after that point from the media , but i think i read somewhere Cairo wouldn't/didn't accept that. Likely he wants more up front , or a significant part of it , to make some signings too? idk , but if what was reported was true , maybe the Auba interest plays into our hunt for Belotti as well . After that stream of news suddenly stopped for good , Mihajlovic was saying Belotti 'needs to decide' and that they may need 2 CFs and stuff like that. We must have done something for Belotti around that time , but it's probably on stand by at the moment , and that's best case..

It's crystal clear Cairo is absolutely desperate to sell Belotti for serious money , so if he feels like nobody from EPL/PSG is going to offer him 100m... and if Milan gets closer to Auba too... he may get shit this summer. For someone expecting loads of money to end up with nothing , it's not going to go nicely with him. Right time to sell is this summer and i think he must get that , even fans do lol. He surely waits for an EPL club or PSG .. but time is on our side here . For each and every day said 100m offer doesn't arrive , our chances grow , slowly but steadily. It won't be long when it will become obvious ; ain't nobody is paying him 100m . By then it's only Milan on the table. And once we sit down officially , Belotti's will shall play an important part as well.

I can't be confident or optimistic , since Cairo wants too much.. but there will be an opening , i am sure of it , and i hope we can do it with some luck.

For me to rate this mercato 10/10 we still need:

A goalscoring winger, ex- Keita

A top striker, ex- Auba/Belotti

A regista. The club really wants Biglia. Although I'm sure there are more exciting options out there, it makes sense that Montella wants someone experienced there. Also, on the bright side, Biglia probably won't be a starter for more than 2 years, which will be enough time for Locatelli to take the reigns.

For me its a 7/10, we've replaced the main team over. But our bench is disturbing, who is going to rotate with Kessie/Biglia? Montolivo? Who is going to rotate with our wingers? Bonaventura only? Same if we are running AM. We need to bolster the midfield/wingers more, we cannot have a scenario where we pigeonhole players elswehere

hmmm

I don't think we will sign both a winger like Keita and one of Aubameyang/Belotti and you'll see why. We already have 2/3 of the team confirmed . Let's assume for a moment , that we stop at Biglia . Here's our best 11 ;


Let's begin with the obvious first. Andre Silva and Calhanoglu signed for a combined 58m+6m bonuses , to be nothing else but 11 material . Rest assured , they both had guarantees in order to do so . They will start all games that they can manage , no matter what formation . So will Bonaventura , it doesn't even require thought. All 3 will be starting games when they are able to do so. Unless one of them somehow fails miserably and very fast , or suffers an injury , they are for all intents and purposes considered core material . I'm very inclined to include Suso in there , but i will come back to him very soon.

Enter Keita(or someone like Keita) . Left wing , Keita - Andre Silva - Suso. Right off the bat , team dynamics are disturbed. Bonaventura/Calhanoglu only available for left midfield , either of them ends up as back up for LCM/LW . Frankly , it won't do. Hakan is a new signing , he simply won't be a rotational player and he didn't sign up to be one . Neither will Bonaventura who has been and still is one of our best and obviously neither will Keita , if he ever arrived . Both of these players rotating randomly during the season between left midfield and left wing , in order to fit Keita , or someone like him. It won't do.

It won't do , because we got Calhanoglu instead of Keita. Our 'left winger' signing is Calhanoglu and his backup is Borini , or/and even Bonaventura switching from LCM to LW during games , and someone else replaces Bonaventura in the midfield.  

Given what we already have in our hands and who we are after , it all points out that the plan is to get the best players we can and then settle for a formation , not the other way around. So something like this :

No top striker ; Kalinic back up for Andre Silva , plus 3-4 rotational players between midfield and wings , 4-3-3 .

Top striker ; partners up with Andre Silva up front , plus 2-3 rotational players between midfield including one CB 4-3-1-2 Calhanoglu AM , Bonaventura LCM . 3-5-2 also a back up option other than 4-3-1-2.

__

Up side and down side , which i leave to anyone to decide for him which is which :

No top striker ; means 4-3-3 , Suso stays.

Top striker ; means 4-3-1-2 and/or 3-5-2 of which neither includes him , Suso gets sold. As for if he can play AM , doubt he can do it better than Hakan and he won't approve of the bench either. Apparently he already has suitors , he made sure to inform everyone , even if he wants to stay. So with Suso earning 1m a year or whatever he earns , already very itchy to sign a new improved contract as it is obvious by now , it's extremely difficult to say with good faith that he will stay if we can manage to sign Aubameyang/Belotti , seeing as he will likely lose his starting spot , cause the new signings aren't gonna .

Let's see how it goes. But if you ever wondered why Fassone and Mirabelli work 24 hours a day and they still haven't even attempted to say anything other than 'we like you stay calm' , well this is it . Waiting to see if they can get a top CF. Suso stays under certain circumstances , of course nobody is displeased with him but a top CF will essentially mean he will be likely sold , unless of course he wants to fight for a place with Calhanoglu at AM . That would be ideal , but i very much doubt if he would accept this , especially not when he apparently has offers from CL teams ,never mention the upcoming World Cup next summer... let's see how it plays out.

4-4-2 is off the question , our midfield is going to be '3' , no matter which formation , double pivot is off the table with the midfielders we have. It means Bonaventura/Calhanoglu sits out , which again , isn't going to happen any time soon. We are not at that level just yet. Our rotational players will be obvious , probably Borini/Bertolacci level. We need to start from somewhere.

As for 4-2-3-1 , which is just a variation of 4-4-2 and basically only real difference being what kind of player you have behind the CF , so whatever , same reasons stand for 4-2-3-1 as well , our midfielders are much better suited to a midfield of '3' and Montella prefers that in any case. Put it this way , 1 CF formation means we don't get Auba/Belotti. Although strictly going by a game's demands during the season , we may see it... however we won't be building based on it , since 4-3-3 will be our plan A if we don't get a top CF .

It's becoming increasingly obvious that we will play with two forwards this year. If we were to play with a focal point - like last season - we wouldn't be chasing Aubameyang and Kalinic so lustfully. This also explains the delay in Suso's extension; he will not be a starter.

This will be Montella's so-called dream line up:



Subs: Donnarumma, Zapata, Gomez, Abate, Antonelli, Locatelli, Montolivo, Bonaventura, Suso, Borini

The only place for Suso is instead of Rodriguez or Çalhanoğlu; both highly unlikely. However, it must be noted that Suso and Bonaventura's presence gives us the fantastic depth and flexibility we've been sorely lacking for the last 10 years.

My Favorite formation would be:

I understand perfectly well the importance of quality depth , it goes without saying. I simply find it very , very difficult to believe that any of Andre Silva , Bonaventura or Calhanoglu are considered as rotational options. I just cannot agree with this notion , it doesn't make any sense at this point in time. And i am not talking about the times when they will sit out for resting purposes , or maybe hit some bad form or injuries. I think it is pretty obvious Montella will continue to build our play with these players heavily involved in it . Montella said he can't wait to work with both Bonaventura and Hakan and that they expect many goals from Andre Silva.

Not sure how else they could possibly succeed in this if they aren't considered starting material .

Maybe , just maybe , you could make a case about Andre Silva .. We've been tracking other targets too , mainly Kalinic , Aubameyang and Belotti. It's a real possibility he will need his own time to adapt , thus maybe explains the hunt for another important CF as well (besides Lapadula-Bacca leaving). Truth is , we do need immediate results from our CF .. However , Milan bought him for a lot of money , this is important and we shouldn't forget about such things. He arrived with a purpose , to be one of our major assets. Even if he requires his own time to settle down well and acclimatize himself , eventually it will be an issue not to have him start all the games he can manage . Elsewise it will turn out into a Morata situation and i don't think there's any need for this kind of problems this season at least , we simply aren't there yet.


I think depending on how long it takes Andre Silva to bring his best game forth , maybe , just maybe , we could play 4-3-3 , or even 4-2-3-1 (perhaps) , even if a Top CF arrives and have Andre Silva back him up , thus having Bonaventura-Hakan-Suso all settled and fired up . It will work for some time , but i seriously doubt how sustainable it shall prove . Because Milan didn't pay 40m for Andre Silva to warm the bench indefinitely , that much is certain.

From our current crop , i simply cannot see anyone else rotating often without problems with said player. Not for the foreseeable future at least.

ES wrote:For me its a 7/10, we've replaced the main team over. But our bench is disturbing, who is going to rotate with Kessie/Biglia? Montolivo? Who is going to rotate with our wingers? Bonaventura only? Same if we are running AM. We need to bolster the midfield/wingers more, we cannot have a scenario where we pigeonhole players elswehere

Why not Montolivo ?

Sure there are serious question marks after his latest serious injury... even myself who i always supported him don't want him as first option anymore , but as a back up? Really , why not. Healthy Biglia easily has more or less 30 games under his belt , what's to worry about his back up. Montolivo can very easily manage the remaining games and there's also Locateli too , in case Montolivo is totally finished . Montolivo always gets a lot of shit but even after we are directly replacing him , he's willing to fight for his place and believe me , we absolutely need that kind of mentality and we will be needing it all the more as time goes by.

Montoleader and what not , he passes the right message here and i am thankful and glad for his stance . Of course , he's not getting any younger , hard to find better than Milan at his age and gets good money. It's not all from the good of his heart of course , lol , but still , that he's actually willing to fight for his place in a world cup year means a lot . He's experienced and can still be relied upon occasionaly , especially with better players all around . We want him as a back up option since it greatly minimizes any major risks after his injury , coming into this season at least .

Biglia and Kessie will be rotated with Montolivo and Locateli , i think. I think it's likely we get another midfielder too , for depth. His quality will very likely depend on whether Bertolacci is leaving or not. If we actually sell Bertolacci for 10m or something , then it's going to be interesting to see who comes. Otherwise not sure. If Bertolacci leaves on loan , i'd guess his replacement won't be that exciting. And if he stays after all , who knows if we get anyone at all. Even if we do , he likely will be of the same standard , more or less.

There's Sosa too let's not forget , somewhat decent rotational option i would say, can play AM/CM .. thank fk i won't have to see him play DM again! I think everything depends on the mercato , Bertolacci , Sosa , maaaaybe even Montolivo , all these players are on a boat , with one foot off of it . If we get good offers and they are pleased , they will leave and will be replaced . If not , they will have to suffice as far as depth options go . I don't mind if they stay for depth , but whatever comes. I'd like if we could sell Sosa-Bertolacci for a combined 16-19m and get an actual interesting player to rotate , then maybe a youngster just to be sure.

Dante wrote:I understand perfectly well the importance of quality depth , it goes without saying. I simply find it very , very difficult to believe that any of Andre Silva , Bonaventura or Calhanoglu are considered as rotational options. I just cannot agree with this notion , it doesn't make any sense at this point in time. And i am not talking about the times when they will sit out for resting purposes , or maybe hit some bad form or injuries. I think it is pretty obvious Montella will continue to build our play with these players heavily involved in it . Montella said he can't wait to work with both Bonaventura and Hakan and that they expect many goals from Andre Silva.

Not sure how else they could possibly succeed in this if they aren't considered starting material .

Maybe , just maybe , you could make a case about Andre Silva .. We've been tracking other targets too , mainly Kalinic , Aubameyang and Belotti. It's a real possibility he will need his own time to adapt , thus maybe explains the hunt for another important CF as well (besides Lapadula-Bacca leaving). Truth is , we do need immediate results from our CF .. However , Milan bought him for a lot of money , this is important and we shouldn't forget about such things. He arrived with a purpose , to be one of our major assets. Even if he requires his own time to settle down well and acclimatize himself , eventually it will be an issue not to have him start all the games he can manage . Elsewise it will turn out into a Morata situation and i don't think there's any need for this kind of problems this season at least , we simply aren't there yet.


I think depending on how long it takes Andre Silva to bring his best game forth , maybe , just maybe , we could play 4-3-3 , or even 4-2-3-1 (perhaps) , even if a Top CF arrives and have Andre Silva back him up , thus having Bonaventura-Hakan-Suso all settled and fired up . It will work for some time , but i seriously doubt how sustainable it shall prove . Because Milan didn't pay 40m for Andre Silva to warm the bench indefinitely , that much is certain.

From our current crop , i simply cannot see anyone else rotating often without problems with said player. Not for the foreseeable future at least.

Well-argued, Dante, and you may prove to be right, but I tend to disagree with some of your points.

There's no way we are chasing the likes of Aubameyang only because we want to have André Silva sitting pretty on the bench, qnd let's not forget that as a lone striker, Silva was reminiscent of Pato and kind of sucked in Confederations Cup: not seeming nearly as self-sufficient as, say, Luis Suarez. We, then, are definitely planning to play with two complementary forwards, and this is only possible with 4-3-1-2 and 3-5-2. In both cases, we will bench poor Suso.

In case of 4-3-1-2, Bonaventura is the third midfielder, and in case of 3-5-2 (or rather 3-4-1-2) I am pretty sure even Jack will move to the bench. It's absolutely not a question of the duo's quality, but of tactical suitability. Calhanoglu is way inferior as a winger compared to Suso, but a better trequartista. Everyone at Madrid knows that Morata is a much better finisher than Benzema, but the latter is good at hold-up play to facilitate Ronaldo's movement and is therefore preferred.

The only other way I can think of where Calhanoglu, Jack and Suso can start together is in a Man City-esque 4-1-4-1, which is a terrible idea and leaves our not-so-defensively-perfect backline exposed.

I guess the easiest way to find out is to listen to Montella's hints in the remaining three weeks we have until our first qualifier. This may sound like a total cliché, but I'm super-excited to find out how we'll line up. If it was last year, Ricardo Rodriguez would be our marquee signing; so, IMO, we must first and foremost be grateful to Mr. Li.

I mean it.

Oh i am super excited as well , what's to hide here lol . Can't fkn wait for the season to start already  

see how we line up and all etc , our first game can't come soon enough

I agree with most of what you say , more or less as i see it too ? It's only reasonable to assume we will eventually , if not straight away , play with 2 forwards up front. I don't see how else it will go if we get another important CF . I am just saying , if the top CF arrives , maybe Montella deems it right to ease Andre Silva into things and have him back up Auba/Belotti for a while , then once he acclimatizes we can play with both of them up front with the formations you mentioned. It's a possibility , not saying this will happen for sure. If anything , i think 2 forwards set up is more likely. I still think Andre Silva is going to be starting games once he's ready , 1 CF , 2 CF and what not.

As for Bonaventura , idk i insist here , i think he's a very important player for us , i dare say currently our most important even. There's no way he sits on the bench for anybody currently at Milan . If we go 3-4-1-2 on a matchday and both Hakan and Bonaventura are fully fit and ready to go , then Bonaventura will probably start the game , imho . I've been wrong before , but that's what i think . As for Suso... in all honesty , i want him around , i've always believed in him. Lol i was the only one here that wanted him before Montella even became our coach. I've already explained what i think here , mercato dealings will dictate if he stays or not , we won't block ourselves of a player like Aubameyang or Belotti for Suso . We'll do our best in the mercato and then see what comes next.

In any case , it's really good to be discussing such 'problems' again , instead of which fodder is going to suck less week in week out. So damn good. Truth be told , i don't even mind what we play next season , want to see us play good football again , score as much as we can and win as many games as possible . It means little to me what formations we will be using , it won't be just one anyway.

I just make it a point here about which players are considered core , because those formations will be based on them first of all , not the other way around. We will be playing our best , formation comes in second fate , thus by figuring out where our best players fit best , we may have some solid clues already. But we need to wait for the mercato to unfold further first , and also the first games to see for sure what Montella is doing , we'll know more by then i expect

You said it, man: Dat 'problem,' dat sweet 'problem.'

It would be awesome to have a squad that actually allows for more than one setup. I mean, Goddamn, how long has it been since we had options on the bench who would serve a function beyond fresh legs? Last year, when Pasalic was on the pitch, Poli was the substitute. I mean, WTF? Kucka was a poor man's Vidal and Sosa was funnily enough used as the makeshift anchorman. It was embarrassing, and credit must go to Mr. Montella for the unbelievable pre-Christmas results which culminated in Supercoppa.

In our Ibra-inspired Scudetto season, I remember the way Allegri was always facing a dilemma as to whom to field and in which formation. We had Boateng and Merkel as trequartistas; Pato, Robinho and Cassano as support-strikers, the San Siro darling Pippo Inzaghi, and that indomitable megalomaniac personage, Ibrahimovic. In midfield, all the 2007 UCL winners were still performing, Nocerino was weirdly amazing, and Van Bommel was BOSS as regista.

Sure, that squad was still four players short of UCL-material, but we did have the two absolute best centerbacks under the sun, Ibra, and a lot of other things going.

If the new Chinese dudes keep waving their superb wallet, I don't see why we can't challenge Juve's aging squad next year. The foundation, against all odds, was laid this summer. Everything is ready to make the leap—in faith and in quality!

Certainly . Compared to previous years BS , it's a pleasure to begin having such 'problems' again , goes without saying. I'd love nothing more to get back to that 'final touches' level in order to compete for the CL again as soon as possible , but we still need to be realistic at the end of the day. Not pessimistic , i am fairly certain we will raise eyebrows next season , just realistic . Don't know how long it takes but we will be considered amongst the contenders for the CL once again , that's what Milan always is about . We'll get there again but right now we should be confident about the future once more and steadily grow our quality going forward.

As for Jjuventus. In order to catch up with them , hmmm , we still need heavy investments and time . And i am not talking about strictly results . I am talking about quality that will challenge them on the same pitch and give them a run for their money for real .

We already did it this season somewhat , we even won a cup against them even as we were , i guess history will always gonna repeat itself no matter what , but it's obvious they are well ahead of us and i very much doubt they will shoot themselves on the foot like the Milan clubs did when we were on top. They are getting young talented players to build for the future and they won't just fail on their own. Dybala , Schick , Caldara , Pjaca , Rugani , now they are looking at Bernaderschi too , etc , and always placed with experienced but still competitive players. They are doing what Milan and Inter failed to do when we were at the top.

If we want to match them and surpass them , we will have to forge our own way there , rather hoping they fall off at some point. And really , it's for the best . I want Jjuventus to stay as strong as possible and Inter to get their shit together , same as well . Only then our successes will be of the value we deserve . Hopefully this summer will solidify a quality core that we will build upon in the coming years.

Donnarumma , Romagnoli , Conti , Locateli , Andre Silva , Calhanoglu , all are exciting players that could be playing for Milan for many years . Suso too , but let's see. Steadily we will get there again , no matter who comes and goes. I've always used to say this , even through the shittiest of times. We are Milan , some of the best talent and great players will always find their way here , sooner or later , no matter what. It's happening again , i mean , we found ourselves with Donnarumma and Romagnoli in 15-16 , after a disaster season . lol

All in all , what i want to say is , whether it's this season , the next , or the year after. I am not concerned. Milan will always find it's way back on top . Nothing left to do but simply enjoy the ride

Definitely realistic, man. And logical, too.

Look:

1. Despite our terribly incomplete, miserable squad, we finished sixth last season.

2. We have strengthened insanely, Napoli and Roma haven't (if anything, Roma just lost its incredible centerback and may end up weaker than last year). And let's not talk about yhe pillaged Atlanta; picked apart by the Milanese clubs and Juve.

3. We are not done.

Cold, objective logic puts 1, 2, and 3 together and concludes that there's no way in hell we are gonna finish lower than fourth.

How can one replace Sosa with Biglia, or Vangioni with Conti, and become worse? Exactly: one can't.

So, it's gonna be fine.