Milan, the revolution is total: management active in the market, the signal of summer failure
Milan, rivoluzione totale: il segnale degli errori e del fallimento estivo della dirigenza – Serieanews
January has always been the month of the soccer market, but this year Milan seems to really want to shake up its foundations. After a shaky start to the season and some questionable choices during the summer market, the Rossoneri management is trying to remedy this with a series of moves that promise to change the team’s face.
So far, the only official purchase has been Kyle Walker, an experienced and charismatic graft on the right flank. However, coach Sergio Conceiçao has clear ideas: the team needs reinforcements, particularly in attack and defense. The focus, now, is on two names that warm fans’ hearts: Santiago Gimenez and Joao Felix. But not only that: in parallel, the outgoing market is leading to significant disposals.
Gimenez sempre più vicino, ma il Feyenoord non cede
Santiago Gimenez, Feyenoord’s Mexican striker, has been in Milan’s sights for weeks now. The player himself has made clear his desire to move to Italy, where he has already reached an agreement with the Rossoneri club for a multi-year contract worth 2.5 million euros per season. The understanding with the boy is there, but the Dutch club has so far resisted. Despite rumors and speculation, the negotiations have not yet reached a conclusion.
Gimenez sempre più vicino, ma il Feyenoord non cede (Ansa Foto) – Serieanres
Indeed, Milan upped the ante with a second offer to Feyenoord: 31 million euros as a fixed base, with the possibility of adding additional bonuses that could bring the total figure to 35 million. But even this new lunge was not enough to convince the Dutch managers.
The economic distance between the two sides is now minimal, but Feyenoord still seems to want to push for a few million more. Meanwhile, Gimenez is increasingly impatient. The striker has shown several times his desire to wear the Rossoneri shirt, and it is now clear that his future seems to be in Milan, barring any sensational twists and turns.
It is not only the youngster who is pushing for the transfer: his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, is also putting pressure on Feyenoord, reminding them of the promise made to the player to let him leave if an offer from a big one arrived. Milan now seems ready to close, and optimism is growing for a possible white smoke in the coming hours.
Cessioni e nuovi obiettivi: Morata va via, Tomori rischia
But if Gimenez’s arrival now seems almost certain, there is no shortage of news on the disposals front. The most sensational concerns Alvaro Morata, a striker who arrived in Milan only a few months ago but is now ready to leave the club. Morata is very close to Galatasaray, with the deal expected to materialize on the basis of a loan with mandatory redemption for a sum around 8 million euros. His farewell would definitely open the door for the arrival of Gimenez.
Cessioni e nuovi obiettivi: Morata va via, Tomori rischia (Ansa Foto) – Serieanews
Another possible farewell concerns Fikayo Tomori, the English defender who could end up at Tottenham for around 30 million euros in addition to Davide Calabria, who has broken with Conceiçao and is in the sights of Bologna. A double transfer that, if confirmed, would force Milan to run for cover in the market. For the defense, the Rossoneri club has already set its eyes on Antonio Silva, a young talent from Benfica who is liked by several top European clubs.
However, Benfica’s asking price of about 40 million could be an obstacle. Alternatively, other profiles such as Valencia’s Christian Mosquera and Empoli’s Saba Goglichidze are being studied, with the latter being a cheaper option.
Il segno di una squadra incompleta?
All this movement in the market, between purchases and disposals, cannot help but give one pause for thought. It is clear that Milan was not fully equipped after the summer market, and now it is trying to run for cover. The disposals of Morata and probably Tomori suggest that something did not work out as planned.
And while it is true that the January market is always complex, with management scrambling to make amends, one cannot help but notice that the team was not built with the right depth and necessary coverage in all areas of the field.
Milan is preparing for a decisive end to the season, but how many of its summer market choices will turn out to be right? It’s hard to say, but in this scorching January, the team seems to have realized that it needs to take an important step if it wants to return to compete at the highest level in Italy and Europe.
This article Milan, total revolution: sign of management’s mistakes and summer failure appeared in its original version first on SerieANews.
