AC Milan Needs to do More To Re-tool Its Squad
By: Anthony Tazbaz
Image Credit: vale
AC Milan and its supporters are going through rough times at the moment.
AC Milan has a lot on its plate, with a major front office turnover, and multiple outgoing players and needing to fill the gaps caused by these departures.
Following their final match of the season at the San Siro against relegated Hellas Verona, legendary forward Zlatan Ibrahimović bid farewell to the Rossoneri and football itself as he announced his retirement.
Then, Sporting Director and club legend Paolo Maldini (arguably their greatest ever player) and fellow Director Frederic Massara were unexpectedly sacked, reportedly due to multiple ideological disagreements on how to move the club forward following a fourth place finish (would have been fifth place if Juventus did not receive a points deduction).
To make matters worse, the former owner, media tycoon, and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi recently passed away, aged 86. He owned the club during its golden era from 1986 to 2004, and from 2006 to 2008, where they had a slight resurgence and won the Champions League in 2007 against Liverpool FC, ultimately obtaining revenge following the 2005 collapse to Liverpool two years prior in Istanbul.
A Deeper Look
On the pitch, AC Milan also lost several key players. Brahim Díaz, who spent the 2022-23 season on loan from Real Madrid, returns to the Spanish capital for Los Blancos. American full-back Serginio Dest also returns to Spain at FC Barcelona, whereas midfielders Tiemoué Bakayoko and Aster Vranckx return to Chelsea FC and VfL Wolfsburg, respectively.
However, AC Milan's biggest loss is young Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, who departed for Newcastle United on a €64 million fee. He will undoubtedly become a pivotal piece for the Saudi-owned Premier League club as they return to UEFA Champions League football this coming season.
Money Moves
AC Milan has already made some moves, particularly by signing disgruntled Chelsea midfielder and role player Ruben Loftus-Cheek on a €16 million transfer fee, a low risk with a potentially high reward if he can break out, as many have long predicted.
Moreover, the club is on the verge of confirming the signing of American midfielder Christian Pulisic (also from Chelsea). His arrival will fill the void left by Sandro Tonali's departure. Although he is not a symbol of Italian pride due to his American nationality, he can lead such a club, just as he currently leads the United States national team. The results:
Two CONCACAF Nations League titles;
One CONCACAF Gold Cup; and
A World Cup appearance in the Round of 16 in Qatar, where he scored the clinching goal against Iran in the group stage to qualify for the knockout rounds.
Looking forward
Pulisic's arrival should not be the end of AC Milan's shopping spree. More players will definitely be needed. Milan already secured its biggest file by extending world class talent Rafael Leão to a multi-year contract extension. Also, Antonio D'Ottavio was recently appointed the new sporting director to succeed Maldini. He takes over the position from within the club, having arrived at Milan under the Chinese management of Yonghong Li. He possesses extensive experience in the scouting department, having also held scouting positions at Torino FC, Sunderland, and Inter Milan.
Milan will hope that he materializes into the suitable director who can properly manage a club who seeks consistency at the top of Italy's elite division.
Having lost against Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinals by a 3-0 aggregate score, the Rossoneri will need to find consistent scoring amid Giroud nearing closer to the twilight of his career and Zlatan Ibrahimović no longer being a viable option off the bench.
Although Inter Milan seems far more active in the transfer market as AC Milan - especially with respect to rumours - Inter Milan have so far only secured the signing of French forward Marcus Thuram, who arrived from Borussia Mönchengladbach on a free transfer. With Inter moving quite slowly and also needing to fill gaps, it will be a competitive race within Italy's biggest city.
However, with defending champions SSC Napoli still in the mix and Juventus FC also aiming to overcome their penalties, both clubs will try to revamp their squads following a handful of significant departures.
Ultimately, with the transfer market having only officially opened a week ago and all Italian clubs being active buyers and sellers in the market, losing one star too many could be the difference between winning the Scudetto (Italian league title) and participating in the Europa or Conference league the following season.
