Re: Mercato Rossonero: Milan Transfer Activity Inside Out

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:22 am

Then we end up midtable forever. Either we need to sign bigger names or we will never accomplish anything. It is too late to sign anyone big and no one else is coming. Fassone said we are good as we are.

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:24 am

And Sosa hasn't played a single game and Mauri isn't really a starter. Kucka wanted to leave as a world cup year is coming up and we couldn't guarantee him a starting position.

by Cruijf Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:19 pm

IrasMaldinista wrote:I started watching football when it was still very much prevalent to play with 3-man defenses, because they believed it was imperative to have a sweeper and two central defenders on the field, and thought it impossible for a player to both attack and defend for 90 (or 120) minutes i.e. laughed off the idea of today's modern full-back. My national team, as I remember in particular, played a peculiar 3-6-1 (some say invented by Stanko Poklepović) that I still can't understand.

Then the developments effected by Sacchi's innovative ideas set in and fullbacks like Captain Paolo and Cafu symbolized modern 4-man defenses with stamina-freak full-backs.

Then from the early 2010s, Guardiola and Conte reintroduced modified versions of 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 that either served to push a team toward more attack- or defense-minded football depending on the manager.

Although they did initially succeed to confuse oppositions who'd naturally gotten used to dealing with 4-X-X formations for two decades, I think they're terrible now. I simply fail to appreciate the merits of these 3-X-X formations. I think they're inherently démodé and ancient-looking. The idea of three CBs on the field leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, and I hate the wing-back position. Sure, any formation, be it 3-3-1-3 or 2-5-3 or 5-4-1, is welcome as a plan B, but 3-X-X as Plan A? Ugh. Yikes.

I said all the above to arrive at my point: it is worrying me the willingness I detect in fans and pundits alike to see Milan play regularly with three CBs at the back. The current poll on Milannews.it also confirms my suspicion.

Having to leave out Suso and one between Calhanoglu or Bonaventura on the bench is the least of my issues with this unpleasant transformation.

What do you think?

I actually think a back 3 would be a good option, with the only problem being a slight lack of depth in CBs.

Back 3's essentially sacrifice two wide players for one extra CB and one extra midfielder, which helps for teams who want defensive superiority in the box (Chelsea '12) or midfield superiority (Barca '12). We're a team that has tried to dominate the midfield under Montella, sometimes succeeding but often failing due to lack of quality and movement. An extra midfielder helps us against teams when we're struggling to break through their press, which we saw a lot last season.

The biggest reason though that I'm open to trying a back 3 is because our winger situation is dire -- other than Suso there's no one I'd want to see on the pitch. With a back 3 our two wide players are RR and Conti, both of whom are already excellent attacking fullbacks and would make good wingbacks. We'd sacrifice a lot of our ability to attack the flanks simply because against most teams it would be a 1v2, but we'd be even stronger through the middle (which is our biggest strength anyway).

Suso doesn't need to be benched -- let's not forget he's naturally a no.10, it's Montella that shoehorned him into RW because he wanted to play 4-3-3. It could be something like this:

------------------------Donna
----------Romagnoli-Bonucci----Musacchio
-------------------------Biglia
-Conti---------Kessie-------Calhanoglu----------------RR
-------------------------Suso
------------------------Cutrone

Montolivo and Bonaventura would be our subs in midfield, Andre Silva for Suso and Kalinic for Cutrone.

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:11 pm

Chiellini?

Romagnoli is getting back to fitness and it appears Gomez will stay.

by IrasMaldinista Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:55 pm

Yeah... So terribly slow...
Beginning to lose hope here. What a sorry-ass way to finish the best mercato in Europe. Fassobelli were a force of nature in June and July, but look how we're ending it. I hope at the very least, that Sosa stays and it's Mauri who leaves. Sosa has good feet and can hold the ball well, considering. Mauri is the Paris Hilton of this team; nothing more than an embarrassment.

Also, if we're really not signing anybody, how about beating the shit out of Hachim Mastour so he trains better and see if we can extract an average winger out of him? Can't be worse than nothing.

Good for Zanellato, I think. He'll have no competition when Montella has to rotate our starting midfielders. Like, who should he compete with to start in a second-fiddle midfield? Mauri?

The 15m we're receiving from Torino for Big Bang Niang is enough to sign a relatively decent winger. What a mistake to let Ghezzal go. OK, I'll shut up with the couldawouldashoulda now...

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:58 pm

Can we stop egging on Mauri? I doubt he will ever play. He will probably be loaned as his wages aren't high and that will be the end of it.

Mastour sucks. You can't get anything out of him.

Sosa will probably stay and play every so often.

No one else is coming. There is no more money.

by IrasMaldinista Wed Aug 30, 2017 5:24 pm

I'll stop shitting on Mauri when you stop it with Kalinic... :coffee:

Say, whatever happened to Mihael Modic? He was really talked up by coaches. He happened to be a left winger and attacking midfielder as well. When a team can't afford transfers, it usually resorts to homegrown resources; however raw and ineffective for the moment, they are the ones on whose talents future is built.

I'm at the end of my wits. Really don't want my club to be in this situation.

UPDATE:
Let us celebrate the first embarrassment of the Chinese Milan: Renato Sanches is on the brink of joining Swansea for 35m. The perfect substitute who could also be the third starter and turn our midfield into a supremely energetic one, whom was claimed to be priced at 60m, is leaving for half that. Can't believe it.

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 5:51 pm

We tried to deal with Bayern but they simply didn't want to sell to us.

I shit on Kalinic, because he will start more and embarrass himself.

Modic? Who is that?

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 5:55 pm

And I don't grasp why Sanchez would want to go to a club like Swansea. That club won't even make it anywhere in the league. Maybe he just isn't good enough.

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 6:03 pm

http://m.milannews.it/calciomercato-milan/raisport-torino-niang-le-cifre-del-contratto-del-giocatore-266373

Niang is progressing to Torino and that seems to be his preferred location. He is being offered a four year contract at 1.4 million.

The total fee could be 16 million including bonuses.

by IrasMaldinista Wed Aug 30, 2017 8:05 pm

GiancarloC wrote:http://m.milannews.it/calciomercato-milan/raisport-torino-niang-le-cifre-del-contratto-del-giocatore-266373

Niang is progressing to Torino and that seems to be his preferred location. He is being offered a four year contract at 1.4 million.

The total fee could be 16 million including bonuses.

Good riddance. Depressed, weird, lazy, and uncommitted, 16 for Niang is beyond my hopes.

Reports have it that Barca are desperate to offload Munir El Haddadi, given that their wings are sort of crowded, with that shameless ingrate Coutinho also to be added by tomorrow night.

I trust Munir can be bought for 10-12m. He's no world-beater, but he will do for the time being. Alternately, we can get both him and Rafinha on loan with options to buy to see if they will perform. Deulofeu did more than anyone expected for us (though he was stupid enough to go to Barca with a bright future on the stands). Munir can perhaps do the same. These are free transfers for well-schooled players. I don't know; sure sounds quite feasible.

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 8:28 pm

Munir is acceptable. Rafinha is still the more likely. If I wanted a player of theirs it would be Sergi Roberto... But that won't happen.

Sky reports Torino is now offering Niang 2.2 million. He needs to simply leave.

by IrasMaldinista Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:02 pm

The midfielder issue is just about solved. Jakub Jankto is the man Milan will sign tomorrow to complement the midfield. That's reason to be consoled, but not to be assured.

I can claim the left winger is of equal, if not more, importance. But something can be done.

Of course, it all depends on Niang, Paletta and Sosa getting the hell outta Milanello finally.

by GiancarloC Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:18 pm

He is a promising youngster from what I have read, but I do not know enough about Jankto.

Niang is most likely to leave. Paletta and Sosa are not. Jankto will probably come anyways.

by GiancarloC Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:34 am

Maybe the next Jankulovski? Not a left back though. Ironically coming from the same club Jankulovski played for...

https://www.transfermarkt.com/jakub-jankto/profil/spieler/319160

His value shot up this past season according to the site above.

http://www.milannews.it/calciomercato-milan/sportitalia-jankto-milan-solo-se-niang-viene-ceduto-in-tempi-veloci-266404

The only way this will happen it's true... Niang does need to leave. And he needs to leave early tomorrow. I believe tomorrow is the last day for any further activity.

If we seriously ended this summer with the signing of some mediocre clumsy Croatian "striker", then it'll be a terrible way to end things. Let us sign the Czech player and maybe another winger or two.

The squad simply isn't complete and is in no way capable of competing on three fronts.

by Cruijf Thu Aug 31, 2017 4:05 am

GiancarloC wrote:Chiellini?

Romagnoli is getting back to fitness and it appears Gomez will stay.

Lol I meant Bonucci, wrong Juve defender Laughing

by GiancarloC Thu Aug 31, 2017 5:16 pm

http://app.football-italia.net/?referrer=www.football-italia.net#article/footballitalia-109164&menu=news-all

http://m.milannews.it/calciomercato-milan/milan-ecco-le-cifre-delle-cessione-di-niang-2-mln-di-prestito-oneroso-15-d-obbligo-e-2-di-bonus-266472

Official: Niang is finally a Torino player.

Milan forced Torino to pay up. Some sources say 20 million. Milannews says 17 million. It is a loan with obligation to buy (set at perhaps 15-17 million).

17-20 m...? Great business. Too bad it took too long.

by GiancarloC Thu Aug 31, 2017 5:18 pm

According to MN, it is 2+15 million loan with obligation.

We will see the final details.

Will this change anything for us with anyfurther reinforcements? I doubt it.

by Kaladin Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:13 pm

You can bin this season already, with 3 competitions, i hope you guys really like Borini

by IrasMaldinista Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:16 pm

Less than four hours.

You usually don't sign good players four hours from time. And even if you try, you embarrass yourself like Real-De Gea.

I suppose that's it. Jose Sosa and a future Ballon d'Or contender in our squad will be providing our midfield cover for the next four months, at least. With no substitute for Kessie, we will be walking on the edge for a lengthy period.

As for attack, no choice but to wait for Bonaventura to recover and also see if we can deploy Andre Silva on the left wing.

Like I said, no matter how good or bad Kalinic is, it was stupid to bring him in as the last transfer instead of a great wide player to enable the other side of attack.

No one's died and the world hasn't ended with this terrible end to our phenomenal Mercato, but we remain very, very close to a crisis indeed.

by giovanni_milan Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:21 pm

Niang Loan is a done deal...Dante where you at

by GiancarloC Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:24 pm

If we managed to have kept Deulofeu then maybe we would be better in attack. This is a disastrous end to an otherwise great mercato. The fact that Kalinic was our last reinforcement was incredibly stupid.

Borini will be a starter this season and I was right again. Where is Dante to say how wrong I am?

by GiancarloC Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:32 pm

There is still a possibility of signing Jankto last minute, but no one else.

http://m.milannews.it/news/mn-l-agente-riso-a-casa-milan-nessuna-risposta-alle-domande-su-jankto-266496

If we could even sign a good winger... I would be a little less irritated.

by giovanni_milan Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:37 pm

A winger, but whom?

by GiancarloC Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:40 pm

I suppose everything is fine in your book, and Borini is more than enough. Three competitions and we simply don't have the squad. We will have to send our third string to the EL. No way we are winning that.

Maybe a loan offer for one of PSG's players that will exit? Or someone?

by giovanni_milan Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:46 pm

Lucas would be the cherry on top, but hakan will play higher and share time with Borini

Not ideal, and not deep, but Niang is finally gone and we at least have him out of our lineup...another win for the mercato

We do need more depth in the winger and b2b mid for kessie but this wishlist is only based on our wonderful mercato, our squad vs the one last year at this time is more than enough to write home about

its typical for a club to stuggle with depth after a large overhaul of personel, its difficult to expect much more than what weve seen, given the circumstance and budget

maybe they have one card up their sleeve, i read Mirabelli has some plans before the day is done

I would take jankto in a heartbeat, he is immense in FIFA lol

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