Printable Version of Topic

Click here to view this topic in its original format

AC Milan - Milanfan.com _ Transfers _ Summer Transfers 2018

Posted by: han2503 Jun 9 2018, 08:06 AM

It will most likely be a lean summer for us. We'll see what happens with the UEFA ruling as it will determine a lot in terms of strategy

I'm honestly worried about how we'll go about spending money. Mirabelli has made serious errors so far, and with Reina and Strinic coming in, I see even more errors coming in this mercato. He's obviously not fit to be a Sporting Director for a big club, especially a club that's going through the difficulties we're currently in.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Jun 28 2018, 08:50 AM

Halilovic 22-year-old midfielder is apparently close to signing for us

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Jun 29 2018, 09:29 AM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Jun 28 2018, 03:20 PM) *
Halilovic 22-year-old midfielder is apparently close to signing for us


On a free or near-free I believe. As back-up to Suso. Also rumours of Immobile saying yes to us. And that Commisio deal is drawing to a positive close.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Jun 29 2018, 11:11 AM

QUOTE (Jack Sparrow @ Jun 29 2018, 10:29 AM) *
On a free or near-free I believe. As back-up to Suso. Also rumours of Immobile saying yes to us. And that Commisio deal is drawing to a positive close.

Li wants 30% apparently.Lets see how it goes but we need a quick solution asap

Posted by: X-Offender Jun 29 2018, 07:48 PM

QUOTE (Jack Sparrow @ Jun 29 2018, 09:29 AM) *
On a free or near-free I believe. As back-up to Suso. Also rumours of Immobile saying yes to us. And that Commisio deal is drawing to a positive close.


Nowhere do I read that the deal is coming to a close. Any sources?

Posted by: X-Offender Jun 29 2018, 09:39 PM

QUOTE
"As many press releases and social accounts have publicly stated, Rocco B. Commisso is negotiating to buy a controlling stake in AC Milan. Many of these releases and accounts contain statements about Commisso and the negotiations that come from unspecified and inaccurate sources. Until now, Mr. Commisso's team has refrained from making public statements about the state or the subject of the negotiations to preserve an atmosphere favorable to the conclusion of an agreement.

However, Mr. Commisso believes that the time has come for the millions of Milan fans to know exactly how things are. Mr Commisso has worked tirelessly with the assistance of adivsors to formulate and negotiate a beneficial transition for this historic club, its fans, the current ownership and the Milan community. Despite his best efforts and the sincere conviction that a move has been made, it seems that the current owner is not willing to conclude an agreement on acceptable terms in a timely manner.

Given the passion of Mr Commissio for the game of football and of the ties with his native Italy, this situation is extremely unpleasant for him. However, he hopes that the end result of this process will lead to a stable and successful future for this iconic club"

http://www.sportmediaset.mediaset.it/calcio/milan/milan-commisso-la-proprieta-non-vuole-concludere-la-trattativa-_1222734-201802a.shtml


Li and Fassone seriously need to GTFO!

Also, Commisso, where were you last year? sleep.gif

Posted by: TriniKing_CE Jul 4 2018, 01:41 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Jun 29 2018, 05:39 PM) *
Li and Fassone seriously need to GTFO!

Also, Commisso, where were you last year? sleep.gif

I know right... My exact thoughts when his name first popped up some weeks back. *sigh*

Posted by: han2503 Jul 20 2018, 02:54 PM

Hey guys, back from my Milan hiatus! Just needed a break especially with all the drama going on.

CAS has lifted the ban from Europe, so we'll be in the EL next season. A good thing imo, and with the board of directors meeting tomorrow we could finally see some movement in the market.

Hopefully we buy smart. Mirabelli will definately be on a leash this time round, I can only assume Elliot have left both him and Fassone there because we only have a moth left of the transfer window being open

Posted by: Forza Milan! Jul 24 2018, 12:23 AM

Have not been on this site for a while. Too depressed (about what has been going on) and busy. A glimmer of hope with some of the recent changes.

How is everyone doing?

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Jul 24 2018, 07:25 AM

Higuin being constantly linked.

Bonucci swap for higuin also bein considered

Posted by: han2503 Jul 24 2018, 03:21 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Jul 24 2018, 12:23 AM) *
Have not been on this site for a while. Too depressed (about what has been going on) and busy. A glimmer of hope with some of the recent changes.

How is everyone doing?

Pretty good, yeah same, Milan has been depressing me.

We're now owned by a vulture fund of all things. The management they're assembling is impressive, and the fact that they've managed to overturn the FFP ruling also gives me hope.

Some updates.

Fassone has been fired, Mirabelli has been reportedly fired today during the morning. Gazidis is the reported front-runner for the CEO position, while Gandini is almost confirmed as the vice-CEO/general manager.

Leonardo is supposedly the man in charge of the technical area, but I don't think if this will mean handling transfers or if an SD will be brought in as well later on.

All I know is that we have to make some moves in the transfer market or we'll get left behind even further than we already are. Inter have strengthened considerably, Roma having been making some smart moves as well. Napoli and especially Lazio are weaker, so it's important that we move smartly with whatever budget we do have

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Jul 24 2018, 07:25 AM) *
Higuin being constantly linked.

Bonucci swap for higuin also bein considered

Hmm, I've just been reading about this.

What do you guys think? First and foremost about Higuain. Do you think he's what we need? I'd personally prefer Immobile but there's no doubting Higuain's quality, but he has declined a bit and he'll want massive wages not to mention the transfer fee Juve are demanding

As for the swap between him and Bonucci, I don't know. I don't think Bonucci has been all that impressive for us, Musacchio can probably play at a similar level to what Bonucci produced last season. It's just that we were finally seeing a solid partnership being built between him and Romagnoli, and I feel like we'd be only weakening one area to strengthen another.

Not to mention that we still need a pacy winger and a proper mezalla in the midfield to push Bona to the bench

Posted by: han2503 Jul 24 2018, 06:53 PM

Things are really going down apparently!

Leonardo, Moratta and Paratici are meeting right now. Bonucci will most likely go back to Juve, Higuain and Caldara are the ones being discussed as part of the exchange

I'd take Caldara in a second.

Posted by: Forza Milan! Jul 24 2018, 09:02 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Jul 24 2018, 04:21 PM) *
Pretty good, yeah same, Milan has been depressing me.

We're now owned by a vulture fund of all things. The management they're assembling is impressive, and the fact that they've managed to overturn the FFP ruling also gives me hope.

Some updates.

Fassone has been fired, Mirabelli has been reportedly fired today during the morning. Gazidis is the reported front-runner for the CEO position, while Gandini is almost confirmed as the vice-CEO/general manager.

Leonardo is supposedly the man in charge of the technical area, but I don't think if this will mean handling transfers or if an SD will be brought in as well later on.

All I know is that we have to make some moves in the transfer market or we'll get left behind even further than we already are. Inter have strengthened considerably, Roma having been making some smart moves as well. Napoli and especially Lazio are weaker, so it's important that we move smartly with whatever budget we do have


Hmm, I've just been reading about this.

What do you guys think? First and foremost about Higuain. Do you think he's what we need? I'd personally prefer Immobile but there's no doubting Higuain's quality, but he has declined a bit and he'll want massive wages not to mention the transfer fee Juve are demanding

As for the swap between him and Bonucci, I don't know. I don't think Bonucci has been all that impressive for us, Musacchio can probably play at a similar level to what Bonucci produced last season. It's just that we were finally seeing a solid partnership being built between him and Romagnoli, and I feel like we'd be only weakening one area to strengthen another.

Not to mention that we still need a pacy winger and a proper mezalla in the midfield to push Bona to the bench

I am not convinced by Higuain. Have mixed feelings about Bonucci. Mirabelli is officially out, BTW. (Pity, kind of liked him. Hopefully his replacement will be an improvement.)

Posted by: Forza Milan! Jul 24 2018, 09:19 PM

Bonucci also linked with PSG. (That makes more sense to me.)

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Jul 25 2018, 08:04 AM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Jul 25 2018, 03:49 AM) *
Bonucci also linked with PSG. (That makes more sense to me.)


Apparently Milan are steadfast. We will give Bonucci plus cash in exchange for Caldara. And in case of PSG, the ask might be for Thiago Silva. I'm really happy we're sticking to our guns, but this is definitely hurting our training.

Meanwhile it looks like Leonardo might remove Rino and place Conte in charge. Conte wants to wait till he resolves his current contract situation it seems.

Posted by: Forza Milan! Jul 25 2018, 07:30 PM

QUOTE (Jack Sparrow @ Jul 25 2018, 09:04 AM) *
Apparently Milan are steadfast. We will give Bonucci plus cash in exchange for Caldara. And in case of PSG, the ask might be for Thiago Silva. I'm really happy we're sticking to our guns, but this is definitely hurting our training.

Meanwhile it looks like Leonardo might remove Rino and place Conte in charge. Conte wants to wait till he resolves his current contract situation it seems.

I like Conte. However, Rino has been doing a decent job, so I am not sure this is a grand idea right now. Also, so many changes right before the start of the season, can't be good.

Posted by: han2503 Jul 25 2018, 09:09 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Jul 24 2018, 09:02 PM) *
I am not convinced by Higuain. Have mixed feelings about Bonucci. Mirabelli is officially out, BTW. (Pity, kind of liked him. Hopefully his replacement will be an improvement.)

Higuain would definitely be an upgrade over any of our current strikers and he'd guarantee us a decent goal return

I definitely prefer him over Morata who seem to be the other name we're considering.

Let's face it, Bonucci has been no where near the Juve Bonucci with us. Caldara is a massive talent and I like that Leonardo is apparently pushing hard for him.

As for Mirabelli, this was coming from a mile away. Elliot literally cleaned house, and it was needed, the man who spent over 200m and only improved the squad by one point from the previous season was obviously going to be put on the chopping block. Mirabelli made the wrong decisions last summer, he went for quantity over quality. With the money we spen we could have gotten 3 top class players, instead he went for 11 good ones.

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Jul 24 2018, 09:19 PM) *
Bonucci also linked with PSG. (That makes more sense to me.)

It seems Juve really want him back, they're meeting again today so for them I feel like they're ones who are really pushing for it and it's why we hold the cards.

I think with Juve, they see these next 2 seasons as their last shot at the CL with this cycle. So they need a top CB now not a potential one. Bonucci is perfect for them in that regard. He was always top quality with them, knows the club and players well and has always had a great partnership with Chiellini

QUOTE (Jack Sparrow @ Jul 25 2018, 08:04 AM) *
Apparently Milan are steadfast. We will give Bonucci plus cash in exchange for Caldara. And in case of PSG, the ask might be for Thiago Silva. I'm really happy we're sticking to our guns, but this is definitely hurting our training.

Meanwhile it looks like Leonardo might remove Rino and place Conte in charge. Conte wants to wait till he resolves his current contract situation it seems.

I like that for once we're the ones holding strong in negotiations instead of being the ones constantly bending over to the likes of Juve.

As for Conte, I don't know what they will do. Look, Rino is a gamble, no matter how much we love the guy, he's a shot in the dark for next season. Conte gives you certain assurances that Rino doesn't and I think for Elliot it's imperative that we play in the CL in 19/20. These guys aren't here to mess around or be sentimental. And let's be honest, a good dose of professionalism is something this club has been crying for for a good long time. So personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Conte is our coach next season

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Jul 26 2018, 10:19 AM

So anyone saw the game today? Your thoughts on the game - considering we're much behind our pre-season compared to Man Utd.

Posted by: Rossoneri7 Jul 29 2018, 10:01 PM

I still consider Elliott fund to be interested in one thing only and that is making the maximum out of selling the club.

That said, they cleared the debt on the club, injected further into the club to keep running costs going and is currently hiring people that once apon a time had fairy tails back here. That is all good and dandy. It could have gone much worse.

The Elliott know the Milan brand has a value, and that is what singer said when asked about Milan. It is in his benifit that he shows the ‘intangible’ value in Milan (ie history), create a value if you will and then spin it off.

This is a very interesting proposition ‘we’ as Milan fans are facing today. It could have gotten (or could get) much worse. Singer took the club at a cost of EUR 280M, he could have dumped it for 450M. But this is no ordinary club, the ‘intangible’ value of the club makes it second only to Madrid. So it makes sense Singer is trying to create value before passing it on to the highest bidder - simple math club was sold from Berlusconi to Li at 750M. Li defaulted on Elliott loan and Elliott own the club today. The value last year when Li took over was 750M. So they are most likely looking at it around the 1bn mark. Pooling a consortium to front that sort of money requires optimistic markets, Singer said three years max. He will financially engineer Milan.

One draw back, God forbid there was a recession or a need for hedge funds to dispose of is liquid assets first and then ineffcient assets like Milan. As they also have an obligation to their Clients, of whom funded the loan to Li.

Unlike Berlusconi who made it a matter of the heart, these people are out there trying to make money out of it.

Posted by: han2503 Jul 31 2018, 11:48 AM

QUOTE (Jack Sparrow @ Jul 26 2018, 10:19 AM) *
So anyone saw the game today? Your thoughts on the game - considering we're much behind our pre-season compared to Man Utd.

Nah, I have to work in the morning, I can't stay up for any of these friendlies tbh. Hopefully we arrange one last friendly in Italy before the season starts so we can watch the team at a decent hour and see how prep is going

QUOTE (Rossoneri7 @ Jul 29 2018, 10:01 PM) *
I still consider Elliott fund to be interested in one thing only and that is making the maximum out of selling the club.

That said, they cleared the debt on the club, injected further into the club to keep running costs going and is currently hiring people that once apon a time had fairy tails back here. That is all good and dandy. It could have gone much worse.

The Elliott know the Milan brand has a value, and that is what singer said when asked about Milan. It is in his benifit that he shows the ‘intangible’ value in Milan (ie history), create a value if you will and then spin it off.

This is a very interesting proposition ‘we’ as Milan fans are facing today. It could have gotten (or could get) much worse. Singer took the club at a cost of EUR 280M, he could have dumped it for 450M. But this is no ordinary club, the ‘intangible’ value of the club makes it second only to Madrid. So it makes sense Singer is trying to create value before passing it on to the highest bidder - simple math club was sold from Berlusconi to Li at 750M. Li defaulted on Elliott loan and Elliott own the club today. The value last year when Li took over was 750M. So they are most likely looking at it around the 1bn mark. Pooling a consortium to front that sort of money requires optimistic markets, Singer said three years max. He will financially engineer Milan.

One draw back, God forbid there was a recession or a need for hedge funds to dispose of is liquid assets first and then ineffcient assets like Milan. As they also have an obligation to their Clients, of whom funded the loan to Li.

Unlike Berlusconi who made it a matter of the heart, these people are out there trying to make money out of it.

I agree with all of this R7

Elliot put me on edge

But that being said, the fat that they have hired and will be hiring people like Leonardo, Gandini, Gazidis and even hopefully Maldini gives me a certain amount of assurance that the previous ownership never provided.

I think this club has been craving a proper management that could run it as a proper business. Silvio only used his heart with Milan when he could benefit politically in return, Galliani as well. He was all about the heart, but he also ran a corrupt ship which was solely focused on enriching his tight circle of agents and club directors. I'm not trying to negate all the great things these two men did for the club, but they're also part of the reason we are where we are now. Owned by a vulture fund essentially. Berlu and Fininvest knew that Li was a fraud. They still took the money and ran. That says it all.

I personally look forward to these next 3 years under Elliot. They're going to ensure that their asset is worth more down the line. And with a football club that can only happen through success on the pitch and a proper business model. They've already taken care of the latter by bringing in the proper people to run this club. The success on the pitch will in-turn follow.

Posted by: han2503 Jul 31 2018, 11:50 AM

Btw. The Higuain-Caldara-Bonucci triangle is coming to a conclusiong.

Caldara and Bonucci will change teams in a straight swap and Higuain will be coming on a paid load of 18/20m + 38m buyout option

Leonardo is going to be our best signing this summer. Let's see what he can pull off for the midfield and wings now

Posted by: han2503 Jul 31 2018, 11:59 AM

@Milaneye: The effect of the Caldara-Bonucci-Higuain operation on Milan’s 2018/2019 budget is just €14.5M, could be covered through the sales of Kalinic and Bacca [@SimoneGambino via @CalcioFinanza]


So basically we've barely spent anything and will be bringing in 2 top notch players. This will give Leonardo good leeway for the winger and mid we're still missing

Bernard is also apparently close to joining on a free.


Guys, I know you all have been more than pessimistic about Milan same for me, but I think it's time to get excited about this club again. We finally have someone who knows what they're doing running the show. So if you're reading this, come back to being active users on this forum again

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Jul 31 2018, 06:39 PM

How good is caldara?

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Aug 1 2018, 12:16 PM

As with any young Italian CB, he gets compared to Nesta. But he was recognized as one of the stalwarts of the great Atalanta side we're seeing the past two seasons. And at 24 he's a regular starter. Juve bought him and loaned him back immediately, and in a way this is an exciting transfer for us. We're actually build a team with the cream of Italy's backline.

I'm happy for this transfer, because we're getting rid of a dude who now I'm intensely disliking as a posturing prick, in return for a top potential youngster who'll have a chip on his shoulder to prove.

As for getting Higuain, I earnestly pray this will go down as a repeat of when Juve threw out Pippo Inzaghi for the newer shinier Trezeguet.

But that deal is held up over a severance deal (more of a loyalty bonus) from Juve and in other areas over Higuain wanting better terms.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 1 2018, 06:40 PM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Jul 31 2018, 06:39 PM) *
How good is caldara?

He's Romagnoli level good imo.

We have the potential next Azzurri back line with us now. Monster move from Leo. I hope the midfield and winger transfers will be the same in size and potential effect on the team

QUOTE (Jack Sparrow @ Aug 1 2018, 12:16 PM) *
As with any young Italian CB, he gets compared to Nesta. But he was recognized as one of the stalwarts of the great Atalanta side we're seeing the past two seasons. And at 24 he's a regular starter. Juve bought him and loaned him back immediately, and in a way this is an exciting transfer for us. We're actually build a team with the cream of Italy's backline.

I'm happy for this transfer, because we're getting rid of a dude who now I'm intensely disliking as a posturing prick, in return for a top potential youngster who'll have a chip on his shoulder to prove.

As for getting Higuain, I earnestly pray this will go down as a repeat of when Juve threw out Pippo Inzaghi for the newer shinier Trezeguet.

But that deal is held up over a severance deal (more of a loyalty bonus) from Juve and in other areas over Higuain wanting better terms.

Caldara is a top notch talent. There is a reason why the Juve fans are P!SSED atm.


BREAKING: The Caldara-Bonucci-Higuain has been finalized between Milan and Juventus. Caldara and Higuain will join Milan while Bonucci will return to Juventus

It's done. Medicals tomorrow and then they sign


Not because I'm biased but for me, we've won this for both the short terms as well as the long term. Bonucci will only minimally improve Juve imo. Benatia is not that much worse than him, and if they get the Bonucci that played for us, they wouldn't be improving anything

As for us. We got a CB that's touted as one of the best talents in Italian football. If him and Romagnoli can form a partnership, we could look at a potential pairing for the next decade

As for Higuain, he's world class, and that's all there is to it imo. We haven't had someone of his caliber on our team since Ibra. He's going to be our difference maker, he's what we craved last yer, a 20+ goal striker


If Leonardo can make the right moves in midfield and on the wing, we can challenge for 4th this year. First and second will be going to Juve and Inter imo, we'll have to fight it out with Roma and Napoli for the last two spots

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 1 2018, 06:42 PM

Why would juve be doing such a deal. But lets hope it goes through because looks like a steal for us

Posted by: han2503 Aug 1 2018, 07:08 PM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 1 2018, 06:42 PM) *
Why would juve be doing such a deal. But lets hope it goes through because looks like a steal for us

I think the reasoning for them is that they have a very small window to go all out for the CL, Cristiano can only give them max 2 to 3 years of top level football and this is their shot with this cycle. So they gambled Caldara to bring Bonucci back.

Higuain was their choice, they pushed us to get him in the deal because they need his wages off the books, plus Ronaldo will be their CF next season, having a striker like Higuain on the bench makes absolutely no sense for them.

Leonardo played a master stroke imo. As soon as Bonucci requested the move and he saw that Juve were also keen on it, he demanded Caldara. Caldara and his agent pushed for the move as well so he held all the cards. Juve wanted us to take Higuain as well in the deal so Leonardo made sure that we took him on our terms. That's why it a loan + option to buy deal for a total of 54m which will only hit our balance sheet for around 14.5m this summer

Posted by: William405 Aug 1 2018, 10:39 PM

But is it official for Bonucci? I would have liked to have them both

Posted by: TriniKing_CE Aug 2 2018, 12:07 AM

I definitely agree with Han. On paper we are definitely the winners with the rumored deals (transfers & wages considered). Gonzo is a top player and a proven striker at that in Italy. He's definitely our best attacking (if not overall) signing since Ibra.

Caldara is an exciting capture as well. A talented & promising Italian defender that can hopefully form a great partnership with Romagnoli.



Higuain has just landed in Milan, and will undergo his medical tomorrow, while Caldara is expected to arrive tomorrow.


I'm hopeful that Milan can be on the rise. Slowly but surely at that... I'm not trying to get ahead of myself. But seeing the arrival of two players who should significantly add to our lineup is exciting.

On the management end we're also seeing alot of rumors regarding reshuffles and arrivals for Executive positions.

I'm excited & hopeful for the future of Milan, although I'd be in a better position to make such a statement when the transfer market is actually closed.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 2 2018, 05:04 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 1 2018, 10:39 PM) *
But is it official for Bonucci? I would have liked to have them both

Practically, all players in question have undergone their medicals today, and without Bonucci's push for an exit this deal wouldn't have been possible for us. Bonucci has never really fit into this team imo anyway so it won't be a huge miss

QUOTE (TriniKing_CE @ Aug 2 2018, 12:07 AM) *
I definitely agree with Han. On paper we are definitely the winners with the rumored deals (transfers & wages considered). Gonzo is a top player and a proven striker at that in Italy. He's definitely our best attacking (if not overall) signing since Ibra.

Caldara is an exciting capture as well. A talented & promising Italian defender that can hopefully form a great partnership with Romagnoli.



Higuain has just landed in Milan, and will undergo his medical tomorrow, while Caldara is expected to arrive tomorrow.


I'm hopeful that Milan can be on the rise. Slowly but surely at that... I'm not trying to get ahead of myself. But seeing the arrival of two players who should significantly add to our lineup is exciting.

On the management end we're also seeing alot of rumors regarding reshuffles and arrivals for Executive positions.

I'm excited & hopeful for the future of Milan, although I'd be in a better position to make such a statement when the transfer market is actually closed.

Agreed.

I wouldn't say we're going to be challenging for the CL spot for sure. But with 2 -3 more smart moves from Leonardo we could get there. The midfield signing is the one that has to be spot on imo, We can't go into another season with Jack being an undisputed starter there

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 2 2018, 05:12 PM

We need to sell kalanic asap for 15 million or whatever..


Posted by: William405 Aug 2 2018, 09:56 PM

Worst signing ever. Kalanic. Can you imagine, he refused to get on for Croatia? Then, they go on to the finals. He really likes taking bad decisions.. He will be shown the way out for sure.

What are we waiting for, we should get Conte in already.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 3 2018, 09:49 AM

Btw what formation will be playing? I suppose it will be 4 at back.. Main question would be 2 strikers or 3 as we only have one pure winger (suso).

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 3 2018, 10:15 AM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 3 2018, 09:49 AM) *
Btw what formation will be playing? I suppose it will be 4 at back.. Main question would be 2 strikers or 3 as we only have one pure winger (suso).


We need a left winger at all cost. Hakan will play either as a mezz’ala in the 4-3-3 or as AM in the 4-2-3-1 (my favorite).

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 3 2018, 11:32 AM

I like that 4-2-3-1 as well. If we manage to give service to higuin goals will surely come.

We still have bacca as well. We need to sell kalanic and him that will raise 30 million and invest that in midfield.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 3 2018, 11:32 AM

I like that 4-2-3-1 as well. If we manage to give service to higuin goals will surely come.

We still have bacca as well. We need to sell kalanic and him that will raise 30 million and invest that in midfield.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 4 2018, 08:33 AM

Tuttosport linking us with kovacic. Wouldn't mind that at all.

Posted by: William405 Aug 5 2018, 04:16 PM

Maldini back <3

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 5 2018, 05:29 PM

Good going.. It simply brings in a positive vibe which at this point is key

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 6 2018, 11:12 AM

Bernard being linked for the LW position on a free transfer. Chelsea are also interested in him. Anyone knows if he is any good?

Posted by: amancik Aug 6 2018, 06:09 PM

Any thoughts on Milinkovic-Savic. Is he any good? Worth close to 100 million?

Posted by: William405 Aug 6 2018, 06:20 PM

QUOTE (amancik @ Aug 6 2018, 08:09 PM) *
Any thoughts on Milinkovic-Savic. Is he any good? Worth close to 100 million?


Leo said we cannot buy him :/

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 6 2018, 08:13 PM

Looks like Kalinic may be out, headed to Atletico for 18-20M. If this happens ... good riddance!

(Possibly the most questionable deals from last summer. Turned out to be a complete waste of money, AFAIAC.)

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 7 2018, 07:04 AM

Bernard to Everton seeme like a done deal. Too bad, he could have been a decent singing. Perhaps Leo has someone else in mind?

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Aug 7 2018, 09:24 AM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 7 2018, 02:43 AM) *
Looks like Kalinic may be out, headed to Atletico for 18-20M. If this happens ... good riddance!

(Possibly the most questionable deals from last summer. Turned out to be a complete waste of money, AFAIAC.)


It is now reported that he is going for 15 MM. Looks like we're giving a huge discount. Rumours were Atleti were offering 20 MM with option to buy or 15 MM with obligation to buy. We probably wanted to get rid of his wages too. But in general, it's cool. We need to let go of him ASAP.

Another report is that we might offload Andre Silva to Sevilla.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 7 2018, 03:18 PM

I would first sell bacca and possibly give silva another season.

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 7 2018, 04:00 PM

I’m puzzled of no LFW rumors lately. How does Gattuso intend to play? I just hope he’s not planinng on playing Hakan in that position again.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 7 2018, 04:40 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 2 2018, 09:56 PM) *
Worst signing ever. Kalanic. Can you imagine, he refused to get on for Croatia? Then, they go on to the finals. He really likes taking bad decisions.. He will be shown the way out for sure.

What are we waiting for, we should get Conte in already.

Conte would be a dream, I think Rino is in over his head. If we start badly, which is possible with the fixture list we've been saddled with, then this will be another season down the drain for us

The only thing that makes me pause about Conte is the 3 man back-line system he uses. It would make us have to go in for another CB and possibly a proper WB as Rodriguez cannot play that position

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 3 2018, 09:49 AM) *
Btw what formation will be playing? I suppose it will be 4 at back.. Main question would be 2 strikers or 3 as we only have one pure winger (suso).

4-3-3 as long as Rino is the man at the helm

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 3 2018, 10:15 AM) *
We need a left winger at all cost. Hakan will play either as a mezz’ala in the 4-3-3 or as AM in the 4-2-3-1 (my favorite).

Bernard was a golden opportunity which Leo passed up, I read he was getting 6m per year at Everton, which is probably why Leo passed up on him, he's a decent winger but not worth that. These EPL clubs are making things hard on everyone. Max Meyer is going to get somthing like 8m at Crystal Palace FFS! We simply cannot match those kind of salaries unless they're a top top player, we won't give anyone that kind of money

Most rumours lately are about mids to replace Bona in the starting 11, this makes me think Hakan will keep his position if we fail to bring in a good winger. And honestly, I read a lot of bad stuff about his performances in the midfield, he's definitely better playing further forward on the pitch. I think it's easy to say, let's just move him into the midfield, but I don't think he'd pull that off effectively, and right now, if you ask me to make a choice between getting a top mid or a top winger, I'd go for the midfielder. Hakan can play that position, and he was very good there last season. Bona has been a nightmare in midfield, having someone in there who can bring the ball forward and can make good passing decisions will make the difference for us, much more than a winger

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 3 2018, 11:32 AM) *
I like that 4-2-3-1 as well. If we manage to give service to higuin goals will surely come.

We still have bacca as well. We need to sell kalanic and him that will raise 30 million and invest that in midfield.

Kalinic is gone, 15m I'm reading. Bacca and Silva could e next. Let's hope Leo can get these done quick. We also need to move Monto and probably Abate on as well. All have big wages and aren't even useful as subs anymore for us.

QUOTE (amancik @ Aug 6 2018, 06:09 PM) *
Any thoughts on Milinkovic-Savic. Is he any good? Worth close to 100 million?

He'd be a dream signing, but it's impossible for us to get him I'm afraid. Rabiot and Kovacic would be a little more realistic, but still very hard to get. Hopefully we don't settle for someone like Baselli, who we were linked to yesterday, he won't improve our team and will be another body we'd have to move along in a short time from now

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 7 2018, 07:04 AM) *
Bernard to Everton seeme like a done deal. Too bad, he could have been a decent singing. Perhaps Leo has someone else in mind?

Let's hope so, time it ticking quickly now, we have less than 2 weeks to make some crucial sales (Bacca, Silva, Monto, Antonelli) and bring in the winger and midfielder we need.

My only worry here is that we're going into another season with EL and a thin squad when it comes to wingers and mids

We have no vice-Suso, Borini is the only alternative for the LW, we have no one who could rotate with Kessie, Biglia is injury prone and Monto is finished while Locatelli for me has regressed, he needs to be sent to a team like Atalanta on loan, where he could surely learn and improve, and currently, Bona is the only player for that LCM spot.

So let's assume we bring in a RW and a CM, we could have a bit more depth and different options for tactical switches as Hakan and Bona are versatile but still no one to cover Kessie and a real threat of having to start with Borini if Suso and the new winger (if he comes) get injured

QUOTE (Jack Sparrow @ Aug 7 2018, 09:24 AM) *
It is now reported that he is going for 15 MM. Looks like we're giving a huge discount. Rumours were Atleti were offering 20 MM with option to buy or 15 MM with obligation to buy. We probably wanted to get rid of his wages too. But in general, it's cool. We need to let go of him ASAP.

Another report is that we might offload Andre Silva to Sevilla.

Getting even 15m for him is already a miracle imo, Leo managed to pull off another great deal imo. As long as it's a permanent transfer that is all that matters. After the year he had with us and then that World Cup debacle, I'm amazed we could still get that much for him, add to that the high salary he was given being taken off the books, and it's a win win for us

Sevilla want Bacca last I heard, they don't want to pay 15m for him, I doubt they can afford to pay the 30m being quoted that we want for Silva

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 7 2018, 03:18 PM) *
I would first sell bacca and possibly give silva another season.

Silva cannot stay here imo, With Higuain there is no question who the starter is this season. Cutrone will also find it hard to get a look in, we can't have both of them sitting on the bench wasting away.

I would like to see what he could do in Serie A if given the proper chances. We should send him on loan, but if a good offer comes in this summer, then we should cut our losses and invest that money where we really need it

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 7 2018, 04:00 PM) *
I’m puzzled of no LFW rumors lately. How does Gattuso intend to play? I just hope he’s not planinng on playing Hakan in that position again.

Definitely 4-3-3. We'll see what happens. I read that they're focusing on players sales right now. I honestly don't see that many wingers available on the market, it could be difficult for us to sign someone who could make a real impact for us. I'd personally rather see them concentrate more heavily on signing a top mid tbh

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 7 2018, 04:40 PM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 7 2018, 04:18 PM) *
I would first sell bacca and possibly give silva another season.

Agreed. Except Bacca is not making it easy for us ...

Posted by: han2503 Aug 7 2018, 04:48 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 7 2018, 04:40 PM) *
Agreed. Except Bacca is not making it easy for us ...

It's not Bacca really, we want a certain amount, Villareal are no meeting our demands, personally, I think we should just accept whatever they're offering for him, pocket the 10m or so that's being said they want to pay and take him off the books. It's a still a win for us as it's another big wage we do not have to pay for a player who's simply not doing anything to be worthy of earning it

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 7 2018, 05:38 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 7 2018, 05:48 PM) *
It's not Bacca really, we want a certain amount, Villareal are no meeting our demands,

Bacca had good offers from Turkey or China (good for him and good for Milan), but he insists on playing in Spain.

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 7 2018, 05:48 PM) *
personally, I think we should just accept whatever they're offering for him, pocket the 10m or so that's being said they want to pay and take him off the books. It's a still a win for us as it's another big wage we do not have to pay for a player who's simply not doing anything to be worthy of earning it

I kind of agree, except I believe we lost money selling Kalinic, and with Villareal's offer we are going to be losing money on Bacca as well. As I understand it, these losses will not help with the FFP situation.

That's probably why Milan is trying to squeeze a little more money out of Bacca. Kalinic was a hopeless situation (given his performance over his last year, WC in particular), so they probably were happy to get 15M out of it.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 7 2018, 07:20 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 7 2018, 05:38 PM) *
Bacca had good offers from Turkey or China (good for him and good for Milan), but he insists on playing in Spain.


I kind of agree, except I believe we lost money selling Kalinic, and with Villareal's offer we are going to be losing money on Bacca as well. As I understand it, these losses will not help with the FFP situation.

That's probably why Milan is trying to squeeze a little more money out of Bacca. Kalinic was a hopeless situation (given his performance over his last year, WC in particular), so they probably were happy to get 15M out of it.

Well you can't force the player, I wouldn't want to go to either of those countries either. He wants to play in Spain, I say cut your losses and sell him to Villareal.

In the long run, we'd lose more by keeping them on the books anyway. I'd prefer to get some sort of transfer fee for them rather than having them sit on our bench and draining our resources



BREAKING: Milan going forward for Bakayoko from Chelsea trying to sign him on loan with option to buy, according to @DiMarzio

Milan are in advanced negotiations with Chelsea for midfielder Bakayoko. Milan will look to close a deal on loan with option to buy. The midfielder has not had much playing time at Chelsea. [Sky]


According to Sky Italia, Milan’s dream signing in the midfield is Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. It remains a very difficult deal


Let's see, both would raise the level in our midfield significantly. Bakayoko was a complete donkey at Chelsea, but his performances in the CL with Monaco are still memorable to me. So the ability is there, probably not a good fit at Chelsea


Milinkovic seems surreal, if we sign him... Nope, not going there

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 8 2018, 11:49 AM

Draxler- Ricardo Rodriguez swap being mentioned on Football-italia. Wonder why we have not considered Draxler earlier for wing

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 9 2018, 05:04 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 7 2018, 08:20 PM) *
Well you can't force the player, I wouldn't want to go to either of those countries either. He wants to play in Spain, I say cut your losses and sell him to Villareal.

How about England? Would you refuse to go to EPL? (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/la-premier-chiama-bacca-ma-lui-vuole-il-villarreal-c-e-un-rischi-29474)

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 9 2018, 07:31 PM

Kalanic sold finally

Posted by: han2503 Aug 9 2018, 07:46 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 9 2018, 05:04 PM) *
How about England? Would you refuse to go to EPL? (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/la-premier-chiama-bacca-ma-lui-vuole-il-villarreal-c-e-un-rischi-29474)

Haven't read anywhere else that EPL clubs want him though. Either way, we should just make the concession and seel him. He earns close to 8m gross. We can't have that kind of burden on the books for a player who will not even play this season

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 9 2018, 09:37 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 9 2018, 08:46 PM) *
Haven't read anywhere else that EPL clubs want him though. Either way, we should just make the concession and seel him. He earns close to 8m gross. We can't have that kind of burden on the books for a player who will not even play this season

The article pretty much agrees with you. It suggests that even if we sell him at a loss on the books, we should do it anyway and get rid of the salary.

OTOH, it looks like Silva may be on his way out (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/dalla-spagna-andre-silva-verso-il-siviglia-ecco-le-condizioni-de-81551). If so, I wonder if we should keep Bacca.

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Aug 10 2018, 12:08 PM

Lucci, who is the agent for both Suso and Bertolacci in Casa Milan. He was in Roma HQ yesterday. Unsure if he's come in with an official offer for Suso. Suso renewed recently and we don't know if it is still a 40 MM release clause.

We're linked to Draxler. Also rumours Bacca might go to Villareal for cash plus Castillejo.

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 10 2018, 05:02 PM

QUOTE (Jack Sparrow @ Aug 10 2018, 01:08 PM) *
Lucci, who is the agent for both Suso and Bertolacci in Casa Milan. He was in Roma HQ yesterday. Unsure if he's come in with an official offer for Suso. Suso renewed recently and we don't know if it is still a 40 MM release clause.

We're linked to Draxler. Also rumours Bacca might go to Villareal for cash plus Castillejo.

Apparently, Suso wants more money

Posted by: han2503 Aug 10 2018, 08:42 PM

BREAKING: Andre Silva to Sevilla is a done deal, all that is missing is the medical to make it official, according to Sky.

Sky are reporting Andre Silva will join Sevilla on a dry loan.

Luca Antonelli will join Empoli, according to @DiMarzio.

Milan are heading towards terminating Montolivo’s contract. They are negotiating the severence pay. [Libero]

Milan and Sassuolo have found an agreement on the price of Locatelli at €12m + bonuses, but there’s still no agreement on the buy-back option for Milan that would be available for Milan for the first two years. They will try to close the deal by next week. [Gazzetta dello Sport]

Bakayoko should join Milan on a paid loan of €5m with the option to buy for €30m. Milan hope to divide his wages with Chelsea. [Gazzetta dello Sport]



Looks like a lot of things will be going down in the next couple of days, especially when it comes to outgoing players. I can only assume that this mass exodus is to free up the wage bill and some cash to try to make some final incoming transfers.

Let's hope we get that CM upgrade and a LW with some pace because this squad, even with Higuain, still looks like it won't be enough to get that 4th spot

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 11 2018, 06:19 AM

Bakayoko will be the cm i suppose. So LW will be the main target

Posted by: han2503 Aug 11 2018, 09:28 AM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 11 2018, 06:19 AM) *
Bakayoko will be the cm i suppose. So LW will be the main target

Let's hope not. He's not what we need in midfield. He's more similar to Kessie than anything else. We need a creator, a mezzalla basically. I'd rather we spend big on someone like Rabiot than a winger at this point tbh

Posted by: han2503 Aug 11 2018, 09:33 AM

BREAKING: Locatelli to Sassuolo is a done deal. He will take his medical on Monday and then sign the contract, according to @DiMarzio.

Locatelli will join Sassuolo on a permanent transfer, but Milan will have a buy-back option in the deal. The deal will be closed on Monday. He will not travel with the rest of the team to Madrid. [@DiMarzio]



Looks like Loca is out as well. I'd have preferred a loan, but the buy-back is also a good solution. He was stagnating with us, so this will be good for him. If he impresses, we can buy him back

I can't imagine this mass exodus is going on without any plans to bring in at least 3 more players. Bertolacci will most likely be sold to Genoa as well while they're working on rescinding Monto's contract. We're not going into a season with EL with a threadbare squad. Something is definitely brewing. I think 3 new players will com in; Bakayoko, new CM (to replace Bona in the starting 11) and a LW

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 11 2018, 08:40 PM

Anyone following the RM match?

Posted by: TriniKing_CE Aug 11 2018, 10:27 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 11 2018, 04:40 PM) *
Anyone following the RM match?

I did. We lost 3-1.
We didn't look too bad, particularly in the first half.
Also Higuain's goal was class.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 12 2018, 01:20 PM

There was an article on milannews which was saying that we could offer monty and bona to Lazio plus cash from possible gigi sale to psg to buy SMS

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 12 2018, 02:30 PM

Bakayoko apparently a done deal (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/milan-e-fatta-per-bakayoko-domani-le-visite-mediche-61530). Let's hope he gets back to the contribution level from his days at Monaco.

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 12 2018, 02:31 PM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 12 2018, 02:20 PM) *
There was an article on milannews which was saying that we could offer monty and bona to Lazio plus cash from possible gigi sale to psg to buy SMS

Why would PSG get another GK (when they already have two competing for the top spot)? And why would anyone want Monto? But if it happens ...

Posted by: han2503 Aug 12 2018, 02:48 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 12 2018, 02:31 PM) *
Why would PSG get another GK (when they already have two competing for the top spot)? And why would anyone want Monto? But if it happens ...

I think the SMS link is just wishful thinking at this point. Lazio will not sell this late in the summer, and we can't give them Bona as it will create rotation problems for us. Bona is a versatile player, I doubt we'd let him go considering we have 3 competitions this season

The best we can hope for now is a LW and hopefully another midfield addition who could inject some creativity into the team

Bakayoko is a shrewd move, but we need something more still in that midfield. I'm hoping Leo can still pull something out of the hat still

Posted by: han2503 Aug 12 2018, 03:00 PM

BREAKING:

SKY, @MilanNewsit & @AntoVitiello all report that Bakayoko to Milan is a done deal!

The former Chelsea midfielder will join Milan on loan with an option to buy set at €30m.

Medical tests are set for tomorrow.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 12 2018, 07:35 PM

Samu Castillejo bein linked with bacca swap plus 18 million. He is a LW anyone knows how good is he?

Posted by: han2503 Aug 12 2018, 07:41 PM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 12 2018, 07:35 PM) *
Samu Castillejo bein linked with bacca swap plus 18 million. He is a LW anyone knows how good is he?

I read he's very similar to Suso. Which is defo not what we need. We need someone who's direct and has some serious pace

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 13 2018, 02:30 AM

Still linked with https://www.calciomercato.com/news/milan-ore-calde-per-milinkovic-savic-pronto-l-affondo-con-la-laz-34720

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 13 2018, 07:40 AM

to this point out net spending would have been nil I suppose?

Posted by: han2503 Aug 13 2018, 06:58 PM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 13 2018, 07:40 AM) *
to this point out net spending would have been nil I suppose?

Pretty much.

Still. I think Milinkovic-Savic is a pipe dream. We can't afford the kind of figure Lotito wants for him.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 13 2018, 08:05 PM

Ni buyback clause in Locatelli transfer as per football italia

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 13 2018, 09:05 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 13 2018, 07:58 PM) *
Still. I think Milinkovic-Savic is a pipe dream. We can't afford the kind of figure Lotito wants for him.

You are probably right. But ... when I first heard of the Bonucci / Caldara + Higuain deal, I thought that was never gonna happen, yet ...

Posted by: William405 Aug 13 2018, 09:19 PM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 13 2018, 10:05 PM) *
Ni buyback clause in Locatelli transfer as per football italia


I think it is just a sacrifice we have to take at the moment. Selling players without thinking if they might be stars in future. We just need money to stick by UEFA regulations at the moment, and to be able to carry our transactions.

No point for Sassuolo to have a buy back clause. As if he explodes, they will want to sell him for more. This is why they payed the 12 million imo.

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 14 2018, 01:04 AM

Looks like we are getting Castillejo in exchange for Bacca + 15M (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/milan-accordo-per-castillejo-bacca-nell-operazione-i-dettagli-97440)

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 05:52 AM

Hmm, he looks like a good replacement. But, doesn't impress me that much.

Gerard Deulofeu would have suited us much more. And, he went to Watford at a much cheaper price. :/

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 14 2018, 10:38 AM

Castielljo doesn't convince me. We should have signed Bernard. How come we let him go to Everton?

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 14 2018, 10:38 AM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 13 2018, 09:19 PM) *
I think it is just a sacrifice we have to take at the moment. Selling players without thinking if they might be stars in future. We just need money to stick by UEFA regulations at the moment, and to be able to carry our transactions.

No point for Sassuolo to have a buy back clause. As if he explodes, they will want to sell him for more. This is why they payed the 12 million imo.


Sacrifice? Locatelli was a burden. Good riddance.

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 12:06 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 12:38 PM) *
Sacrifice? Locatelli was a burden. Good riddance.


Well, he wasn't doing well. I wouldn't say he was a burden. But, he was a prospect. Though, I agree not the biggest talent to lose.

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 12:06 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 12:38 PM) *
Castielljo doesn't convince me. We should have signed Bernard. How come we let him go to Everton?


No idea. :/

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 12:09 PM

Football-italia.net

Bakayoko continues Milan medical

Tiemoue Bakayoko is taking the second part of his Milan medical this morning, ahead of signing from Chelsea.

The midfielder is set to join on loan with an option to buy, and was at Casa Milan yesterday to sign the paperwork.

No official announcement was made yesterday, and Gianluca Di Marzio’s website reports that Bakayoko is continuing his medicals today.

It’s not thought there is any issue though, and he should be announced as a Rossoneri player in the coming hours.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Should be announced soon. Seems a good deal since it's a loan, but we need much more in midfield.

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 01:34 PM

Our squad for 2018/2019:

Goalkeepers:

1-Gianluigi Donnarumma 19yrs
2-Pepe Reina 35yrs
3-Antonio Donnarumma 28yrs
4-Alessandro Plizzari 18yrs
5-Gabriel 25yrs

Defenders:

Centerbacks:
1-Alessio Romagnoli 23yrs
2-Mattia Caldara 24yrs
3-Mateo Musacchio 27yrs
4-Cristián Zapata 31yrs
5-Stefan Simic 23yrs
6-Matteo Gabbia 18yrs

Left-back:
1-Ricardo Rodríguez 25yrs
2-Ivan Strinic 31yrs

Right-back:
1-Ignazio Abate 31yrs
2-Davide Calabria 21yrs
3-Andrea Conti 24yrs

Midfielders:

1-Lucas Biglia 33yrs
2-Franck Kessie 21yrs
3-Giacomo Bonaventura 28yrs
4-Tiemoue Bakayoko 23yrs
5-Riccardo Montolivo 32yrs
6-Andrea Bertolacci 27yrs
7-Alen Halilovic 22yrs
8-Jose Mauri 22yrs

Attackers:

Wingers:
1-Hakan Calhanoglu 24yrs
2-Suso 24yrs
2-Fabio Borini 27yrs
4-Samu Castillejo 23yrs

Strikers:
1-Gonzalo Higauin 30yrs
2-Patrick Cutrone 20yrs


Average age of squad: 24.5

Players to offload: Gabriel, Montolivo, Bertolacci, Mauri

Holes to fill: Tell me what you think! I think our squad overall is well covered. But, we lack quality in our starting XI. Specially, in the midfield area.

Starting formation: 4-3-3

Donnarumma
Conti-Romagnoli-Caldara-Rodriguez
Biglia-Kessie-Bonaventura
Suso-Higuain-Hakan

Posted by: milanbuf88 Aug 14 2018, 02:48 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 06:38 AM) *
Castielljo doesn't convince me. We should have signed Bernard. How come we let him go to Everton?

Bernard got a crazy high salary from Everton. Something like 6 million. He’s not worth that much.

Posted by: milanbuf88 Aug 14 2018, 02:52 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 14 2018, 09:34 AM) *
Starting formation: 4-3-3

Donnarumma
Rodriguez-Romagnoli-Caldara-Abate
Biglia-Kessie-Bonaventura
Suso-Higuain-Hakan


I think you have Rodriguez and Abate on the wrong sides. Also I don’t think Abate will start. I’d say Calabria to start the season but I wouldn’t be shocked if Conti overtakes him (assuming he’s healthy). Abate will probably be third choice and I’d be fine with seeing him leave in the winter. I think he was rumored to be interested in going to MLS.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 14 2018, 03:11 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 10:38 AM) *
Castielljo doesn't convince me. We should have signed Bernard. How come we let him go to Everton?

Him and his agen wanted a huge wage and extortionate fees. That's why

He's earning 6m NET per year at Everton, we'd never pay that kind of money unless it was a top class player.

Castillejo looks like a slightly faster version of Suso.

Don't know, I feel like we've done all the business we'll do this summer and Bakayoko and Castillejo were our last signings. We still have a gaping hole in our midfield imo. Rino worries me, as I can see him fielding Bakayoko and Kessie on either side of Biglia, which would be horrifyingly bad

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 03:25 PM

QUOTE (milanbuf88 @ Aug 14 2018, 04:52 PM) *
I think you have Rodriguez and Abate on the wrong sides. Also I don’t think Abate will start. I’d say Calabria to start the season but I wouldn’t be shocked if Conti overtakes him (assuming he’s healthy). Abate will probably be third choice and I’d be fine with seeing him leave in the winter. I think he was rumored to be interested in going to MLS.


Fixed. biggrin.gif

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 03:29 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 14 2018, 05:11 PM) *
Him and his agen wanted a huge wage and extortionate fees. That's why

He's earning 6m NET per year at Everton, we'd never pay that kind of money unless it was a top class player.

Castillejo looks like a slightly faster version of Suso.

Don't know, I feel like we've done all the business we'll do this summer and Bakayoko and Castillejo were our last signings. We still have a gaping hole in our midfield imo. Rino worries me, as I can see him fielding Bakayoko and Kessie on either side of Biglia, which would be horrifyingly bad


I agree about the midfield. We need someone who can control the game a la Modric. Would be nice if we could pay big cash on a good midfielder. Also, don't you think we're lacking one striker? Higauin and Cutrone seems a bit thin.

Are you satisified with the wingers? Suso/Hakan is not a bad combo to have. They will only improve with time, and having Higuain there could build a nice trident.

Posted by: maldini03 Aug 14 2018, 04:19 PM

Yeah, I agree that the midfield is a little sparse. I was really hoping for the mid from Real - Ceballos. For me, he would fit in really well in our midfield and would provide a creative element we haven't had in a long time. Also, he would make losing Loca a bit easier to take. I would be over the moon to get either him or Barella from Cagliari as a young mid to bring some creativity.

I had such high hopes for him - really thought he would be one to take the next step but his game never evolved the way I expected it to. Does anyone have a good idea of the Primavera - who is the next kid to take a step up? I feel like we have had a youngster pop up once a year into the first team for the past 5 or so years. (De Sciglio, Donnaruma, Calabria, Locatelli, Cutrone) Just wondering if anyone has an idea of who could possibly make the jump this year.

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 14 2018, 07:40 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 14 2018, 03:29 PM) *
I agree about the midfield. We need someone who can control the game a la Modric. Would be nice if we could pay big cash on a good midfielder. Also, don't you think we're lacking one striker? Higauin and Cutrone seems a bit thin.

Are you satisified with the wingers? Suso/Hakan is not a bad combo to have. They will only improve with time, and having Higuain there could build a nice trident.


The problem is that Hakan is not a winger. He's a midfielder, plain and simple. I can only see him as trequartista in a hypothetical 4-2-3-1 or as CM in Gattuso's 4-3-3. But having a midfield of three, with both him and Suso on the wings leaves us bare-threaded in attack, with only Higuain as forward.

Nowadays teams play with 3-4 forwards, we're doing the opposite.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 14 2018, 07:44 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 14 2018, 03:29 PM) *
I agree about the midfield. We need someone who can control the game a la Modric. Would be nice if we could pay big cash on a good midfielder. Also, don't you think we're lacking one striker? Higauin and Cutrone seems a bit thin.

Are you satisified with the wingers? Suso/Hakan is not a bad combo to have. They will only improve with time, and having Higuain there could build a nice trident.

We need a Modric and an Alcantara type imo. Biglia for me was average last season. Maybe he'll have settled in a bit more this season but age is certainly not on his side. We need someone who can sit and control the tempo better than him, and we need someone who can replace Bona, someone who can create, carry the ball forward and always look for the forward pass. Rabiot for example would be perfect but again, he's another player who is simply out of our reach

Between these 2 roles I mentioned, I think we're craving the latter more than the former. We can do with Biglia for another season, we just can't go into another season with Bona as our mezzalla, he's just not good enough and at times last season he was a liability in that position.

As for the wings, I still think that there is a glaringly obvious lack of pace in this side, Suso is slow, Hakan is slow, we don't take advantage of any counter attacks because of this, Castillejo looks marginally faster than both but it's still not enough imo.

For me, the only problem in the squad we really managed to address has been the striker position. And I don't think it's a problem to only have 2 tbh. Higuain will be a sure starter in practically every game. Getting someone else will only limit the small amount of time Cutrone will have this season.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 14 2018, 07:49 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 07:40 PM) *
The problem is that Hakan is not a winger. He's a midfielder, plain and simple. I can only see him as trequartista in a hypothetical 4-2-3-1 or as CM in Gattuso's 4-3-3. But having a midfield of three, with both him and Suso on the wings leaves us bare-threaded in attack, with only Higuain as forward.

Nowadays teams play with 3-4 forwards, we're doing the opposite.

The problem is that they're all so slow. We simply have trouble even taking advantage of a counter attacking opportunity because Suso slows the play up most of the time.

A 4-2-3-1 would still leave us with a different set of issues. We don't have the personnel for it. We don't have enough wingers and Hakan is the only player we have who could play as an attacking midfielder



I'm still hoping we'll make one last singing after Bakayoko and Castillejo. One really good midfielder is all we need to elevate this squad imo

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 14 2018, 07:51 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 14 2018, 07:49 PM) *
The problem is that they're all so slow. We simply have trouble even taking advantage of a counter attacking opportunity because Suso slows the play up most of the time.

A 4-2-3-1 would still leave us with a different set of issues. We don't have the personnel for it. We don't have enough wingers and Hakan is the only player we have who could play as an attacking midfielder


Kessie - Biglia
Suso - Hakan - LFW
Higuain


We lack a left winger, that's the problem. Otherwise, we do have the personnel for it.

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 14 2018, 08:20 PM

Linked with https://www.calciomercato.com/news/il-milan-vuole-laxalt-trattativa-nel-vivo-24321

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 09:18 PM

Nice to see the burst of activity here. smile.gif

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 09:21 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 09:40 PM) *
The problem is that Hakan is not a winger. He's a midfielder, plain and simple. I can only see him as trequartista in a hypothetical 4-2-3-1 or as CM in Gattuso's 4-3-3. But having a midfield of three, with both him and Suso on the wings leaves us bare-threaded in attack, with only Higuain as forward.

Nowadays teams play with 3-4 forwards, we're doing the opposite.


I agree. He would be better as an attacking midfielder. As a winger, he does OK because he has some sick shot on him.


Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 09:22 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 09:51 PM) *
Kessie - Biglia
Suso - Hakan - LFW
Higuain


We lack a left winger, that's the problem. Otherwise, we do have the personnel for it.


Looks good, only lacking the winger. biggrin.gif

Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 09:26 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 14 2018, 09:44 PM) *
We need a Modric and an Alcantara type imo. Biglia for me was average last season. Maybe he'll have settled in a bit more this season but age is certainly not on his side. We need someone who can sit and control the tempo better than him, and we need someone who can replace Bona, someone who can create, carry the ball forward and always look for the forward pass. Rabiot for example would be perfect but again, he's another player who is simply out of our reach

Between these 2 roles I mentioned, I think we're craving the latter more than the former. We can do with Biglia for another season, we just can't go into another season with Bona as our mezzalla, he's just not good enough and at times last season he was a liability in that position.

As for the wings, I still think that there is a glaringly obvious lack of pace in this side, Suso is slow, Hakan is slow, we don't take advantage of any counter attacks because of this, Castillejo looks marginally faster than both but it's still not enough imo.

For me, the only problem in the squad we really managed to address has been the striker position. And I don't think it's a problem to only have 2 tbh. Higuain will be a sure starter in practically every game. Getting someone else will only limit the small amount of time Cutrone will have this season.


Hmm interesting.

I totally agree with respect to the midfield. I hope we get that marquee signing.

However, with respect to the wingers, I don't see us changing our starting wingers. Unless, we buy another pacy winger and we put Hakan in midfield. It doesn't bother me the lack of pace, we don't have to play necessarily a 4-3-3 reliant on counter attacks. But, more on build-up player. They are two slow places(Hakan/Suso), but between the two, they have a good amount of quality to supply Higuain imo.

It is good that Gattuso is given the time to work with this squad. In my opinion, if we don't play convincingly. We need to change coaches ASAP to not a lose another season.


Posted by: William405 Aug 14 2018, 09:26 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 14 2018, 10:20 PM) *
Linked with https://www.calciomercato.com/news/il-milan-vuole-laxalt-trattativa-nel-vivo-24321


Pfff, doesn't excite me.

Posted by: Forza Milan! Aug 14 2018, 10:10 PM

Looks like Castillejo is going to happen (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/milan-castillejo-pronto-a-volare-in-italia-percorso-inverso-per--19890)

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 14 2018, 11:11 PM

QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 14 2018, 10:10 PM) *
Looks like Castillejo is going to happen (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/milan-castillejo-pronto-a-volare-in-italia-percorso-inverso-per--19890)


Another left footed winger? We already have Suso, Halilovic and probably Castillejo. Not to mention he's a pretty mediocre player. Leonardo is starting to disappoint me.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 15 2018, 05:08 AM

Diego Laxalt i believe would be a younger version of borini that where ever we have injury crises he could fit in defense, midfield or attack.

I think leo has done okish considering the situation we were in june. We still have not found any agreement with UEFA so we had to make sure that all our spending are backed by selling players. Doing that without selling any player is a good achievement. We have more or less same quality overall with improvement in striker department. If luck favors us then a top 4 finish could be possible. The key difference between last year and this year is that even if we are getting mediocre players, they are for positions which need to be filled rather than every random guy available.

Posted by: William405 Aug 15 2018, 07:50 AM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 15 2018, 07:08 AM) *
Diego Laxalt i believe would be a younger version of borini that where ever we have injury crises he could fit in defense, midfield or attack.

I think leo has done okish considering the situation we were in june. We still have not found any agreement with UEFA so we had to make sure that all our spending are backed by selling players. Doing that without selling any player is a good achievement. We have more or less same quality overall with improvement in striker department. If luck favors us then a top 4 finish could be possible. The key difference between last year and this year is that even if we are getting mediocre players, they are for positions which need to be filled rather than every random guy available.


Yes for Laxal. Plus the fact that he will almost be free. As Genoa still owes us money for Lapadula. He is not a bad backup. Very versatile player, don't get me wrong. But, we need to focus on the marquee signing. Or I guess it is too late for it to happen now.

I understand the difficulties of Leonardo though.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 15 2018, 11:30 AM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 11:11 PM) *
Another left footed winger? We already have Suso, Halilovic and probably Castillejo. Not to mention he's a pretty mediocre player. Leonardo is starting to disappoint me.

He plays on both sides I read.

Anyway, I think Leo is just doing what he can considering how late on he came on and the mish-mash of players we had

He's had to work within the FFP parameters. His hands have been tied basically. I'll only be really disappointed if we don't get the midfielder we need.

To think the 200m+ that was wasted last summer. If Leo was the SD then we'd have at least 2 top notch players in our squad not a bunch of random decent players

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Aug 15 2018, 05:08 AM) *
Diego Laxalt i believe would be a younger version of borini that where ever we have injury crises he could fit in defense, midfield or attack.

I think leo has done okish considering the situation we were in june. We still have not found any agreement with UEFA so we had to make sure that all our spending are backed by selling players. Doing that without selling any player is a good achievement. We have more or less same quality overall with improvement in striker department. If luck favors us then a top 4 finish could be possible. The key difference between last year and this year is that even if we are getting mediocre players, they are for positions which need to be filled rather than every random guy available.

Laxalt is a good buy imo. He's very versatile and he's someone who can inject some pace into our game. Certainly much better than Borini

I think top 4 at this point with the squad we have is a bit unrealistic tbh. Inter have improved dramatically compared to last season, Napoli have basically stayed the same and Roma have made some minor improvements. I can't see how we can break into the top 4 when those 3 sides are better than us. Not to mention Lazio....

The only way we could achieve that is if we'd gotten a coach like Conte. Rino is simply not good enough to steer a semi-decent side into the CL places imo

Posted by: han2503 Aug 15 2018, 01:23 PM

BREAKING: Diego Laxalt will arrive in Milano tonight and undergo his medical tomorrow morning according to Di Marzio.


With Laxalt and Castillejo we've added some much needed width and pace into the side. I think both are good buys, for a total of around 6m (paid this year with the rest being spread over the next season or two).

Yes, they're not marquee signings, and looking at them at face value, they don't appear to move the needle much for us, but I think they'll be crucial elements for us this season. And if we were to bring in Conte in the coming months (I can' see Rino staying long term under Elliot tbh, we have the perfect wing backs for his system in Conti and Laxalt.

What we lacked last season was good rotation options. Both these guys are those good rotation options. Castillejo plays on either side, Laxalt can slot in an position down that left side, and if we stick with a relatively slow Hakan on that LW, Laxalt would be a good pacey foil for him on that side.

We'll see. I think overall, Leonardo has made good moves, I don't think we've improved by a lot, but we've filled the positions we needed, addressed some of our biggest weaknesses, and removed some big contracts off the books which were weighing heavily on the club finances.

With Bacca, Kalinic, Silva, Antonelli, Storari and hopefully Mauri and Monto to follow, we'll have cleared out some big contracts which were basically being paid for players who haven't contributed anything of significance to the club in years if ever.

Anyway, I've said this before, I'd gladly avoid a marquee signing in the wings if it meant we could bring in the midfielder we need. Our midfield has been awful for around 7 years now. It's time to address this issue.

Posted by: Habitant Aug 15 2018, 03:06 PM

Back from the grave!!!!

Last offer for the transfer of Sergei…
Posted on August 15, 2018 by admin
La Gazzetta dello Sport:

Leonardo is preparing the last offer of Lotito for the transfer of
Sergei Milinkovic-Savic
Loan for 40 million with an obligation
to repurchase the next summer
for 80 million. The Italian
edition emphasizes this sentence
as “the right proposal”
to tempt Lotito all the same
to let go of the player.

Posted by: maldini03 Aug 15 2018, 03:48 PM

I just can't see Lotito letting him leave at this point in the summer. That being said, if we bring him in I think we immediately jump Roma as the 4th best squad in the league and that puts us in serious contention for that 4th place spot.

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 15 2018, 04:17 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 15 2018, 01:23 PM) *
BREAKING: Diego Laxalt will arrive in Milano tonight and undergo his medical tomorrow morning according to Di Marzio.


With Laxalt and Castillejo we've added some much needed width and pace into the side. I think both are good buys, for a total of around 6m (paid this year with the rest being spread over the next season or two).

Yes, they're not marquee signings, and looking at them at face value, they don't appear to move the needle much for us, but I think they'll be crucial elements for us this season. And if we were to bring in Conte in the coming months (I can' see Rino staying long term under Elliot tbh, we have the perfect wing backs for his system in Conti and Laxalt.

What we lacked last season was good rotation options. Both these guys are those good rotation options. Castillejo plays on either side, Laxalt can slot in an position down that left side, and if we stick with a relatively slow Hakan on that LW, Laxalt would be a good pacey foil for him on that side.

We'll see. I think overall, Leonardo has made good moves, I don't think we've improved by a lot, but we've filled the positions we needed, addressed some of our biggest weaknesses, and removed some big contracts off the books which were weighing heavily on the club finances.

With Bacca, Kalinic, Silva, Antonelli, Storari and hopefully Mauri and Monto to follow, we'll have cleared out some big contracts which were basically being paid for players who haven't contributed anything of significance to the club in years if ever.

Anyway, I've said this before, I'd gladly avoid a marquee signing in the wings if it meant we could bring in the midfielder we need. Our midfield has been awful for around 7 years now. It's time to address this issue.


I don't share your optimism. Firstly, because we severely lack a quality left winger for that 4-3-3. Castillejo is a Suso substitute at best. Whereas Laxalt, besides being a midfielder, is not good enough to be a starter. So, we're still stuck with Hakan as LFW which is atrocious.

Secondly, why are you even thinking of Conte right now? Who cares about Conte and his system? Gattuso is our coach, and we must start the season with the right mindset. Not thinking that Gattuso won't last for long. That won't take us anywhere.

Posted by: maldini03 Aug 15 2018, 07:11 PM

I'm somewhere in the middle of being optimistic and being nervous. But if you look at our team and compare with what our rivals have done things look okay. It's only in midfield that we lack compared to the others. This is how I see things currently:

Forwards:

1. Juve
2. Inter
T -3. Napoli/ Milan
5. Roma
6. Lazio

Midfield:

1. Juve
2. Inter
3. Napoli
4. Roma
5. Lazio
6. Milan

Defense:
1. Juve
2. Inter
3. Milan
4. Napoli
5. Roma
6. Lazio

Goalkeeper:
1. Inter
2. Milan/Juve
4. Napoli
5. Lazio
6. Roma


There is room to take the step into CL territory from this. I understand the league isn't won on paper but I think Inter took significant steps to get better. I think Ancelotti will work out for Napoli but there will be issues with some players, they haven't brought anyone in who really pushes the needle. Roma has brought in a lot of good young players but they also lose out from Allison and Naingolan. Lazio lost probably their best defender in De Vrij and a solid winger in Anderson.

There is an opportunity to get into the groove and push for the CL if we see Baka and Castell step up and prove themselves. Plus Hakan has only gotten better and Higuain can find goals for us.

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 15 2018, 09:41 PM

I have a feeling Napoli will flop under Ancelotti.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 15 2018, 10:57 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 15 2018, 04:17 PM) *
I don't share your optimism. Firstly, because we severely lack a quality left winger for that 4-3-3. Castillejo is a Suso substitute at best. Whereas Laxalt, besides being a midfielder, is not good enough to be a starter. So, we're still stuck with Hakan as LFW which is atrocious.

Secondly, why are you even thinking of Conte right now? Who cares about Conte and his system? Gattuso is our coach, and we must start the season with the right mindset. Not thinking that Gattuso won't last for long. That won't take us anywhere.

how is what I said optimistic though?

I actually said I don't think Rino will last long, that's how optimistic I am. We have a difficult starting schedule and we could be looking at going into the 4th week with barely 3 points on the board. Elliot will not be as lenient as our previous owners were imo. Especially since there's a coach like Conte available.

As for the squad. It's not about being optimistic, I'm just looking at the business Leo's done so far. He got rid of most of the players who were useless to us and were a huge drain on our finances and brought in players for the positions we needed. Have some of the names been underwhelming? Sure. But they were still brought in with the tactical plan for next season in mind. We'll see how we do. Most fans are generally disappointed about who we've signed in midfield and on the wings, but Castillejo can only be a surprise as most people are generally underwhelmed by the signing. While Bakayoko is what we needed in terms of someone who can cover Kessie. He was great at Monaco, so hopefully he regains that form.

So with all that being said, I think we've generally improved from last season, our rotation options are better quality as well imo

QUOTE (maldini03 @ Aug 15 2018, 07:11 PM) *
I'm somewhere in the middle of being optimistic and being nervous. But if you look at our team and compare with what our rivals have done things look okay. It's only in midfield that we lack compared to the others. This is how I see things currently:

Forwards:

1. Juve
2. Inter
T -3. Napoli/ Milan
5. Roma
6. Lazio

Midfield:

1. Juve
2. Inter
3. Napoli
4. Roma
5. Lazio
6. Milan

Defense:
1. Juve
2. Inter
3. Milan
4. Napoli
5. Roma
6. Lazio

Goalkeeper:
1. Inter
2. Milan/Juve
4. Napoli
5. Lazio
6. Roma


There is room to take the step into CL territory from this. I understand the league isn't won on paper but I think Inter took significant steps to get better. I think Ancelotti will work out for Napoli but there will be issues with some players, they haven't brought anyone in who really pushes the needle. Roma has brought in a lot of good young players but they also lose out from Allison and Naingolan. Lazio lost probably their best defender in De Vrij and a solid winger in Anderson.

There is an opportunity to get into the groove and push for the CL if we see Baka and Castell step up and prove themselves. Plus Hakan has only gotten better and Higuain can find goals for us.

Problem is, the midfield is the most important are on the pitch, and that's where we're the weakest. A great midfield improves your defence and makes your attack more prolific. It's why we've struggled in both the other areas in recent years even while having very competent defenders and attackers

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 15 2018, 09:41 PM) *
I have a feeling Napoli will flop under Ancelotti.

Same. He's just not the kind of coach that would do well at a club like Napoli imo

Posted by: William405 Aug 16 2018, 04:32 AM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 15 2018, 06:17 PM) *
I don't share your optimism. Firstly, because we severely lack a quality left winger for that 4-3-3. Castillejo is a Suso substitute at best. Whereas Laxalt, besides being a midfielder, is not good enough to be a starter. So, we're still stuck with Hakan as LFW which is atrocious.

Secondly, why are you even thinking of Conte right now? Who cares about Conte and his system? Gattuso is our coach, and we must start the season with the right mindset. Not thinking that Gattuso won't last for long. That won't take us anywhere.


What's wrong with Hakan? Last I checked he had a good season, no? He is young, and will keep improving. Same for Suso! I know there might be some up and downs. But, on the global side, it's a good pair of wingers to have.

Posted by: William405 Aug 16 2018, 04:43 AM

In addition, are you sure guys you want Conte?

He was amazing in Juventus. But, at Chelsea, apparently it was disaster. All the players said he imposed some unwanted rules, so apparently, the atmosphere wasn't so great. Let's see what Gattuso does. I'm willing to give him a chance.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 16 2018, 03:44 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 16 2018, 04:32 AM) *
What's wrong with Hakan? Last I checked he had a good season, no? He is young, and will keep improving. Same for Suso! I know there might be some up and downs. But, on the global side, it's a good pair of wingers to have.

Well, even though he does an adequate job on the wing, he's not a winger, he's an attacking mid, to play a 4-3-3 successfully you need proper pacey wingers imo. And even though Hakan was one of our best players once Rino took over, he's just not a winger

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 16 2018, 04:43 AM) *
In addition, are you sure guys you want Conte?

He was amazing in Juventus. But, at Chelsea, apparently it was disaster. All the players said he imposed some unwanted rules, so apparently, the atmosphere wasn't so great. Let's see what Gattuso does. I'm willing to give him a chance.

Well he's a top coach who is currently available. And for our goals, you absolutely need a top coach. Rino, as much as I love the guy, is simply not going to cut it long term

As for his time at Chelsea. Those Chelsea players have issues with authoritarian type coaches. They did the same with Mourinho. Conte is a known disciplinarian, someone who wants 120% out of his players at all times. It's why he's managed to be so successful even when his teams aren't the best on paper. Sadly, I think his style is far more suited to Italian football, players who have grown up in the Italian footballing culture relish Conte's ways, even the foreign players who have been in Italy for a long time, players in the EPL though are mostly pampered primadonnas. It's why they went against him as soon as things started going just a bit badly.

His time at Juve and with the NT more than show how great he can be

Posted by: han2503 Aug 16 2018, 03:49 PM

Btw, Milan-Genoa and Samp-Fiorentina have been postponed...


Honestly, this is the biggest bullshit I've read in a while. No disrespect to the victims, my greatest condolences. But why the F@ck do they have to postpone football matches because of a tragedy that has absolutely nothing to do with football?

In fact, this should have went ahead even more so. Football is a form of escapism, and isn't that what's needed at times like this?

I understand the postponement after Astori's death last season. But this is just ridiculous. What about all those people who bought train or plain tickets? Booked hotels and planned vacation leave from work?

This is exactly why Italy and Italian football are stuck 20 years behind the rest of Europe. Just a terrible descision


On a side note, this f@cks us over even more than the schedule already would have. Hakan is suspended for the first game (carried over from last season), so not only will we have to start our first game away at Napoli, we'll do so without one of our best players.

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 16 2018, 05:44 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 16 2018, 04:32 AM) *
What's wrong with Hakan? Last I checked he had a good season, no? He is young, and will keep improving. Same for Suso! I know there might be some up and downs. But, on the global side, it's a good pair of wingers to have.


Hakan is not a winger, that's the problem. He's a very good midfielder who improved a lot last season and reached the levels I was expecting from him. But playing him in attack is a waste.

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 16 2018, 04:43 AM) *
In addition, are you sure guys you want Conte?

He was amazing in Juventus. But, at Chelsea, apparently it was disaster. All the players said he imposed some unwanted rules, so apparently, the atmosphere wasn't so great. Let's see what Gattuso does. I'm willing to give him a chance.


One league title in two years is not what I'd call a disaster.

I don't want Conte mainly because I loathe the 3-man defense system.

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 16 2018, 11:22 PM

Why didn't we go after Keita Balde? Inter got him for only 6 million on loan, 30 million option to buy. Seems like a very good deal. I keep repeating myself, but the way we've neglected that left wing is ludicrous.

Hakan is suspended for the first match. Mediaset had frigging Cutrone starting on the left. That's how dire our situation is.

Not to mention that by playing Hakan upfront, we're left with Bonaventura as LCM. Let's be honest, he's just not good enough, especially considering how crap he was last season. Had we at least signed a quality CM, like Milinkovic-Savic, I'd close an eye. But given the situation, we're not that much better from last season.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 17 2018, 09:01 AM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 16 2018, 11:22 PM) *
Why didn't we go after Keita Balde? Inter got him for only 6 million on loan, 30 million option to buy. Seems like a very good deal. I keep repeating myself, but the way we've neglected that left wing is ludicrous.

Hakan is suspended for the first match. Mediaset had frigging Cutrone starting on the left. That's how dire our situation is.

Not to mention that by playing Hakan upfront, we're left with Bonaventura as LCM. Let's be honest, he's just not good enough, especially considering how crap he was last season. Had we at least signed a quality CM, like Milinkovic-Savic, I'd close an eye. But given the situation, we're not that much better from last season.

I think the midfield situation is much more dire than the wings. We have options for the wings now. Maybe not high in quality but certainly better than last season

The midfield situation has been present for over 7 years now, with 3 sets of directors having now overseen all these transfer markets and none of them have addressed the issue. It can't just be the fans who are seeing this problem. Going into another season with the midfield we have is equivalent to shooting ourselves in both feet.

If our mercato closes with Laxalt and Castillejo, it will be a disappointing one for sure as we would have signed mediocre options for the very obvious problem we had.

Higuain is nice icing, but why sign a striker of that magnitude when you're not prepared to give him the right supporting cast? Just makes no sense to me



Also Rino is worrying me. Cutrone on the left, Bakayoko and Kessie both starting in the midfield? These are Allegri post-Ibra type decisions and they worry me. He's insisting on keeping a mediocre player like Bertolacci, keeps playing Borini. If these are the type of decisions he's going to make this season he won't last long, I'm sure of this

Posted by: William405 Aug 17 2018, 09:53 AM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 16 2018, 07:44 PM) *
Hakan is not a winger, that's the problem. He's a very good midfielder who improved a lot last season and reached the levels I was expecting from him. But playing him in attack is a waste.



One league title in two years is not what I'd call a disaster.

I don't want Conte mainly because I loathe the 3-man defense system.


But, you agree that in the system Gattuso uses, his best position is on the wings right? Because I don't see him doing well in the three man midfield, honestly. Maybe, I'm wrong though. He would do very good in the trequatrista position in my opinion, but I'm not sure we're going to employ a formation which will bring the best out of him.

Yeah, of-course. He did okay in Chelsea. I'm just saying it ended really badly with a lot of players speaking out on him which is not so usual.



Posted by: William405 Aug 17 2018, 09:57 AM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 16 2018, 05:44 PM) *
Well, even though he does an adequate job on the wing, he's not a winger, he's an attacking mid, to play a 4-3-3 successfully you need proper pacey wingers imo. And even though Hakan was one of our best players once Rino took over, he's just not a winger


Well he's a top coach who is currently available. And for our goals, you absolutely need a top coach. Rino, as much as I love the guy, is simply not going to cut it long term

As for his time at Chelsea. Those Chelsea players have issues with authoritarian type coaches. They did the same with Mourinho. Conte is a known disciplinarian, someone who wants 120% out of his players at all times. It's why he's managed to be so successful even when his teams aren't the best on paper. Sadly, I think his style is far more suited to Italian football, players who have grown up in the Italian footballing culture relish Conte's ways, even the foreign players who have been in Italy for a long time, players in the EPL though are mostly pampered primadonnas. It's why they went against him as soon as things started going just a bit badly.

His time at Juve and with the NT more than show how great he can be


Yeah, I see your point with Hakan. But, where would you play him then? Same question asked to X-OFF.

Well, I'll play the devil's advocate. He might have worked for Juventus and the national team. Because, you practically have the same players there...It wouldn't have been so hard to control the locker room there.

All I'm saying is that the Chelsea time puts a small question mark over his head. Is he too strict?

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Aug 17 2018, 11:31 AM

any expectation of surprises today?

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 17 2018, 12:42 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 17 2018, 09:01 AM) *
I think the midfield situation is much more dire than the wings. We have options for the wings now. Maybe not high in quality but certainly better than last season

The midfield situation has been present for over 7 years now, with 3 sets of directors having now overseen all these transfer markets and none of them have addressed the issue. It can't just be the fans who are seeing this problem. Going into another season with the midfield we have is equivalent to shooting ourselves in both feet.

If our mercato closes with Laxalt and Castillejo, it will be a disappointing one for sure as we would have signed mediocre options for the very obvious problem we had.

Higuain is nice icing, but why sign a striker of that magnitude when you're not prepared to give him the right supporting cast? Just makes no sense to me



Also Rino is worrying me. Cutrone on the left, Bakayoko and Kessie both starting in the midfield? These are Allegri post-Ibra type decisions and they worry me. He's insisting on keeping a mediocre player like Bertolacci, keeps playing Borini. If these are the type of decisions he's going to make this season he won't last long, I'm sure of this


If we had signed a proper left winger, we’d have Biglia, Kessie and Hakan as starters in midfield with Bakayoko and Bonaventura as subs. That’s not a shabby midfield.

But by deploying Hakan in attack not only we’re depriving ourselves of a creative force in midfield but we’re left with no options as well. Anyone with working brain cells can see that. No idea what Leonardo and Gattuso are thinking.

@William I don’t see Hakan as a winger, sorry. I see him as an AM/LCM. With him and Suso uprfront, we’re playing 4-3-2-1 rather than 4-3-3, and that limits our attacking prowess considerably. That system might have worked when we had guys like Pirlo, Seedorf, Rui Costa and Kakà, but not with the current roster of players we have.


Posted by: Rossoneri7 Aug 17 2018, 11:35 PM

The formation will change during the game as well. Debating when the first professional game of the season hasn't kicked off yet is pointless. Whatever testing he does either in friendlies or training, he will probably use at some point in the season.

Ringo was instrumental prior and during the transition from Fassoni and Mirabelli to Leonardo and Maldini. He kept the team as a whole under control, not one player made a fuss about the off field situation. Plus he was the ONLY factor last season that kept Milan playing with heart. Why should he leave? He is a good coach, one that is guaranteed to pass on that Milan fire of past glories to the players.

conte is a good coach, but not what we need right now. I'd rather give Ringo a chance this season with Higuin instead of Kalinic and Silva, Bakayoko in place of Montolivo and the likes, and a direct report to Paolo Maldini which is just perfect!

P.s. think Hakan will be given free movement and not confined to a space

Posted by: William405 Aug 18 2018, 12:23 PM

Pastore signed for Roma for only 24million?! Why didn't we sign him?

Posted by: William405 Aug 18 2018, 12:36 PM

Our new signing: Castillejo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-kevqz-G00

Watch till the end, it has a quite comic ending biggrin.gif

Posted by: William405 Aug 19 2018, 05:57 AM

Marchisio terminated his contract with Juve. Who thinks it would be a good idea to take him?

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 19 2018, 01:12 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 19 2018, 05:57 AM) *
Marchisio terminated his contract with Juve. Who thinks it would be a good idea to take him?


Nah. The guy is way past his prime.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Aug 19 2018, 10:15 PM

I'm gonna side here with Han. Signing Bakayoko (even on loan) seems to me like a panic move. I think he's a surplus in our squad; we already have Kessie while we lack of a true organizer. We have too many midfielders in quantity and too little in quality. Biglia, Bertolacci and Montolivo should have been sold/shipped out, and a real creator or at least a talented potential should have been signed for midfield.

Hakan cannot play in central midfield, he's too undisciplined and too inconsistent. Also, his only true quality is his shooting and crossing, so it's rather logical he's being played on the side, even though he lacks pace. But I'd say that Halilović, Suso, Hakan and Castillejo offer much more for the flanks than we had in the last 2-3 seasons.

But I get that we didn't have time to strike all the necessary deals. I think Leonardo and Maldini have done far better with far less money and time then Mirabelli and Fassone did last summer.

That being said, I'm really glad both F&M are out. I never once trusted those washed-out Interistas. Last summer and their lack of true vision proved that (even though I think they wanted to sign Cristiano which would have been huge, but well - it's their fault we didn't make the CL).

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 20 2018, 12:32 AM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Aug 19 2018, 10:15 PM) *
I'm gonna side here with Han. Signing Bakayoko (even on loan) seems to me like a panic move. I think he's a surplus in our squad; we already have Kessie while we lack of a true organizer. We have too many midfielders in quantity and too little in quality. Biglia, Bertolacci and Montolivo should have been sold/shipped out, and a real creator or at least a talented potential should have been signed for midfield.

Hakan cannot play in central midfield, he's too undisciplined and too inconsistent. Also, his only true quality is his shooting and crossing, so it's rather logical he's being played on the side, even though he lacks pace. But I'd say that Halilović, Suso, Hakan and Castillejo offer much more for the flanks than we had in the last 2-3 seasons.

But I get that we didn't have time to strike all the necessary deals. I think Leonardo and Maldini have done far better with far less money and time then Mirabelli and Fassone did last summer.

That being said, I'm really glad both F&M are out. I never once trusted those washed-out Interistas. Last summer and their lack of true vision proved that (even though I think they wanted to sign Cristiano which would have been huge, but well - it's their fault we didn't make the CL).


Bakayoko was signed as a vice-Kessie.

We do lack a true organizer because Biglia is not good enough.

Hakan can play in midfield. He's very disciplined and in the second half of last season was very consistent, arguably our best player. He's the player with most vision and best passing skills, hence relegating him on the wing is a mistake, IMO.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Aug 20 2018, 10:43 AM

But in the second half of the season he played on the flank. So how can you know he's good in a central position? Just because his passing? Please... I've seen him play a hundred times at HSV and Leverkusen. He just can't pull off a consistent disciplined and responsible long term play in that department.

Yes, but did we need a high-profile vice-Kessie? I mean now we have 2 similar players who are both good and both fighting for a starter position while the rest of the midfield is covered with sub-par starters and sub-par backups (bar Bonaventura who's still a big question mark).

Posted by: William405 Aug 20 2018, 01:22 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 14 2018, 09:51 PM) *
Kessie - Biglia
Suso - Hakan - LFW
Higuain


We lack a left winger, that's the problem. Otherwise, we do have the personnel for it.


I know I'm quoting an old post, but I really like the formation that you posted. It would be cool if Rino tries something a little more attacking. I mean potentially Castielljo and Laxalt can play there.(Also, Bonaventura no??) I know that it is maybe not their natural position, but it could work as a stop-gap solution..

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 20 2018, 02:54 PM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Aug 20 2018, 10:43 AM) *
But in the second half of the season he played on the flank. So how can you know he's good in a central position? Just because his passing? Please... I've seen him play a hundred times at HSV and Leverkusen. He just can't pull off a consistent disciplined and responsible long term play in that department.

Yes, but did we need a high-profile vice-Kessie? I mean now we have 2 similar players who are both good and both fighting for a starter position while the rest of the midfield is covered with sub-par starters and sub-par backups (bar Bonaventura who's still a big question mark).


Because I've also seen him play now and I can state with confidence that he has what it takes to play as mezz'ala, or even better, as trequartista in a 4-2-3-1.

And I'm amazed that you refer to Hakan as undisciplined. To me he has proven the complete opposite. A very dedicated and disciplined player that works his @ss off even though that's not his primary duty, which is to create.

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 20 2018, 01:22 PM) *
I know I'm quoting an old post, but I really like the formation that you posted. It would be cool if Rino tries something a little more attacking. I mean potentially Castielljo and Laxalt can play there.(Also, Bonaventura no??) I know that it is maybe not their natural position, but it could work as a stop-gap solution..


My question is why didn't we tap that hole on the left while we still could? Plenty of available solutions out there. Whereas Suso is the dribble/creator on the left, what we needed was a right-footed winger who can score. That's how you get the best out of a 4-3-3 formation.

It's the typical alpha-beta argument. Instead, with Suso and Hakan on the wings we have two beta type of players, both who can create, but none of which can score on a constant basis. Because they're not strikers. It's all on Higuain's shoulders to give us +25 goals in attack, and that's one hell of a burden.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 21 2018, 03:03 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 17 2018, 12:42 PM) *
If we had signed a proper left winger, we’d have Biglia, Kessie and Hakan as starters in midfield with Bakayoko and Bonaventura as subs. That’s not a shabby midfield.

But by deploying Hakan in attack not only we’re depriving ourselves of a creative force in midfield but we’re left with no options as well. Anyone with working brain cells can see that. No idea what Leonardo and Gattuso are thinking.

@William I don’t see Hakan as a winger, sorry. I see him as an AM/LCM. With him and Suso uprfront, we’re playing 4-3-2-1 rather than 4-3-3, and that limits our attacking prowess considerably. That system might have worked when we had guys like Pirlo, Seedorf, Rui Costa and Kakà, but not with the current roster of players we have.

But you're assuming that Hakan would start as the LCM, and personally, I don't think that's a good idea. He just leaves too much space behind him. Whenever he played there last season he never really impressed

For me, it's pretty obvious that Rino sees Bakayoko as the answer. He will most likely play him in that LCM position because tha's the kind of profile he likes. Which is very worrying if you ask me. We're going to have zero creativity in that midfield

Well Hakan for me is an AM, he's not a CM or a winger. But he was one of our best players when playing on the left as opposed to when Montella played him in midfield where he was generally bad imo

QUOTE (Rossoneri7 @ Aug 17 2018, 11:35 PM) *
The formation will change during the game as well. Debating when the first professional game of the season hasn't kicked off yet is pointless. Whatever testing he does either in friendlies or training, he will probably use at some point in the season.

Ringo was instrumental prior and during the transition from Fassoni and Mirabelli to Leonardo and Maldini. He kept the team as a whole under control, not one player made a fuss about the off field situation. Plus he was the ONLY factor last season that kept Milan playing with heart. Why should he leave? He is a good coach, one that is guaranteed to pass on that Milan fire of past glories to the players.

conte is a good coach, but not what we need right now. I'd rather give Ringo a chance this season with Higuin instead of Kalinic and Silva, Bakayoko in place of Montolivo and the likes, and a direct report to Paolo Maldini which is just perfect!

P.s. think Hakan will be given free movement and not confined to a space

We'll see. For me, Rino has generally stuck to the 4-3-3 in attack which switches to a 4-5-1 when we don't have the ball.

And personally I would say the complete opposite about Conte. He's exactly the kind of coach we need in this period, while someone like Rino who is inexperienced is a gamble that we can't afford to take imo

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 18 2018, 12:23 PM) *
Pastore signed for Roma for only 24million?! Why didn't we sign him?

Meh, he's been in deline for a while now imo

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Aug 19 2018, 10:15 PM) *
I'm gonna side here with Han. Signing Bakayoko (even on loan) seems to me like a panic move. I think he's a surplus in our squad; we already have Kessie while we lack of a true organizer. We have too many midfielders in quantity and too little in quality. Biglia, Bertolacci and Montolivo should have been sold/shipped out, and a real creator or at least a talented potential should have been signed for midfield.

Hakan cannot play in central midfield, he's too undisciplined and too inconsistent. Also, his only true quality is his shooting and crossing, so it's rather logical he's being played on the side, even though he lacks pace. But I'd say that Halilovic, Suso, Hakan and Castillejo offer much more for the flanks than we had in the last 2-3 seasons.

But I get that we didn't have time to strike all the necessary deals. I think Leonardo and Maldini have done far better with far less money and time then Mirabelli and Fassone did last summer.

That being said, I'm really glad both F&M are out. I never once trusted those washed-out Interistas. Last summer and their lack of true vision proved that (even though I think they wanted to sign Cristiano which would have been huge, but well - it's their fault we didn't make the CL).

I don't think it was a panic move per se. I think he's the kind of profile Rino asked for tbh. He even mentioned this at the end of last season IIRC. Let me just point out that it is US the FANS who see Bakayoko as someone who's going to be rotated with Kessie. It remains to be seen how Rino will actually use him, and I personally have a feeling that he will use the both of them in that midfield often this season. It's what we're reportedly going to use against Napoli

About Hakan, it's not that he's undisciplined imo, it's just that he's not adapt at playing that position. Who knows what will happen as the season progresses. Maybe Castillejo can cement the winger position which would allow Hakan to slot into midfield and he could excel there. But I just don't see this happening tbh

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 20 2018, 12:32 AM) *
Bakayoko was signed as a vice-Kessie.

We do lack a true organizer because Biglia is not good enough.

Hakan can play in midfield. He's very disciplined and in the second half of last season was very consistent, arguably our best player. He's the player with most vision and best passing skills, hence relegating him on the wing is a mistake, IMO.

I think that's what we're all assuming and hoping, but there's no gaurantee for that statement untill we see him being used as such

Also, Biglia is a completely different conversation, we'll see how he does this season, but next summer, we're definately going to HAVE to address those 2 midfield areas

QUOTE (William405 @ Aug 20 2018, 01:22 PM) *
I know I'm quoting an old post, but I really like the formation that you posted. It would be cool if Rino tries something a little more attacking. I mean potentially Castielljo and Laxalt can play there.(Also, Bonaventura no??) I know that it is maybe not their natural position, but it could work as a stop-gap solution..

I honestly can't see Rino deviating from the 4-3-3. And yes, a 4-2-3-1 would suit the player we have better. But we've never been shown any sign of going for it

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 20 2018, 02:54 PM) *
My question is why didn't we tap that hole on the left while we still could? Plenty of available solutions out there. Whereas Suso is the dribble/creator on the left, what we needed was a right-footed winger who can score. That's how you get the best out of a 4-3-3 formation.

It's the typical alpha-beta argument. Instead, with Suso and Hakan on the wings we have two beta type of players, both who can create, but none of which can score on a constant basis. Because they're not strikers. It's all on Higuain's shoulders to give us +25 goals in attack, and that's one hell of a burden.

For me, there are a couple of reasons as to why this could be.

1. Didn't have the money to go after someone who could really make the difference for us
2. Bakayoko was Rino's request for the position
3. Couldn't close a deal for a the top player we need in this position because or lack of time for Leo to identify the best option and close a deal

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 21 2018, 04:38 PM

@Han:

1. Hakan played as LCM at the start of last season, when we were generally shambolic and he was in a very, very bad shape. Play him now and you'll see he'll fit just fine. Bona could do it, why can't Hakan?

I think you're all too stiff when it comes to positions on the field. A good player is able to adapt himself regardless of where he plays. Hakan can play both LFW and LCM just fine. I just think that he expresses himself much better in midfield, as he doesn't have the characteristics of a winger, and furthermore, he's exactly the type of player we need to create that link between midfield and attack.

2. You seem too obsessed with Bakayoko. Chill out, you're jumping to conclusions too soon. He might be a starter against Napoli as Hakan is suspended and Rino could push Bona in attack (which is another drawback of failing to sign a LFW this summer), but that doesn't mean we'll always play with him, Biglia and Kessie in midfield. That also depends on how Bonaventura will perform this season.

3. Keita was an option. Even for a year on loan at 6M, he would have been a much preferred choice. Yet with Leo's appointment we never really seemed to be interested in filling that position anymore.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Aug 21 2018, 07:40 PM

Agreed about Keita.

But man, you're the one stuck with Hakan. You have zero evidence to back up your stance. I told you on numerous occasions that I watched Hakan play in midfield and as a DM as well for HSV/Bayer and he couldn't cut it there (in the Buliga which is tactically much easier then Serie A). Han told you he started there with Montella and we know this wasn't good. What more do you want?

Posted by: han2503 Aug 21 2018, 07:44 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 21 2018, 04:38 PM) *
@Han:

1. Hakan played as LCM at the start of last season, when we were generally shambolic and he was in a very, very bad shape. Play him now and you'll see he'll fit just fine. Bona could do it, why can't Hakan?

I think you're all too stiff when it comes to positions on the field. A good player is able to adapt himself regardless of where he plays. Hakan can play both LFW and LCM just fine. I just think that he expresses himself much better in midfield, as he doesn't have the characteristics of a winger, and furthermore, he's exactly the type of player we need to create that link between midfield and attack.

2. You seem too obsessed with Bakayoko. Chill out, you're jumping to conclusions too soon. He might be a starter against Napoli as Hakan is suspended and Rino could push Bona in attack (which is another drawback of failing to sign a LFW this summer), but that doesn't mean we'll always play with him, Biglia and Kessie in midfield. That also depends on how Bonaventura will perform this season.

3. Keita was an option. Even for a year on loan at 6M, he would have been a much preferred choice. Yet with Leo's appointment we never really seemed to be interested in filling that position anymore.

1. I agree that the circumstances last season weren't ideal for him, but I think he'd just be better in the 4-2-3-1 and last season he impressed a lot on that wing once he was able to get into form. I just don't really see him as a solution to our problems in midfield. Who knows, maybe if Castillejo can take controle of that LW spot we could see what Hakan can pull off in the LCM position, I'm just not sold on it because I haven't really seen enough of him playing that role to make a judgement

2. It's not an obsession but a hunch based on what Rino has previously said (with regards to filling that particular role). I think Bakayoko is right up his alley and he'll use him a lot this season, whether we like it or not

3. True, but Keita had already rejected us last summer. I don't know what happened, but Leo was looking for a midfielder and winger. Just because we're disappointed with who was brought in doesn't mean that they weren't the goals.

Posted by: X-Offender Aug 21 2018, 08:46 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 21 2018, 07:44 PM) *
1. I agree that the circumstances last season weren't ideal for him, but I think he'd just be better in the 4-2-3-1 and last season he impressed a lot on that wing once he was able to get into form. I just don't really see him as a solution to our problems in midfield. Who knows, maybe if Castillejo can take controle of that LW spot we could see what Hakan can pull off in the LCM position, I'm just not sold on it because I haven't really seen enough of him playing that role to make a judgement

2. It's not an obsession but a hunch based on what Rino has previously said (with regards to filling that particular role). I think Bakayoko is right up his alley and he'll use him a lot this season, whether we like it or not

3. True, but Keita had already rejected us last summer. I don't know what happened, but Leo was looking for a midfielder and winger. Just because we're disappointed with who was brought in doesn't mean that they weren't the goals.


Castillejo doesn't convince me. He might be good to have as a sub for Suso, but the reason we didn't sign anyone on the left is because Gattuso is convinced that position belongs to Hakan. IMO, that is a mistake, not only because I think Hakan's qualities can be best expressed elsewhere on the pitch, but also because I think playing 4-3-3 with only one true striker is the wrong way to go at it.

What did Rino say about Bakayoko? That he can play alongside Biglia and Kessie? That is a given. Doesn't mean it'll be the status quo of the season, though. Unless Bonaventura keeps sucking like last season, then he'll be forced to play like that. Because he certainly can't pull Hakan in midfield, seeing how we only have Borini as an alternative on the left.

Posted by: han2503 Aug 21 2018, 09:08 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 21 2018, 08:46 PM) *
Castillejo doesn't convince me. He might be good to have as a sub for Suso, but the reason we didn't sign anyone on the left is because Gattuso is convinced that position belongs to Hakan. IMO, that is a mistake, not only because I think Hakan's qualities can be best expressed elsewhere on the pitch, but also because I think playing 4-3-3 with only one true striker is the wrong way to go at it.

What did Rino say about Bakayoko? That he can play alongside Biglia and Kessie? That is a given. Doesn't mean it'll be the status quo of the season, though. Unless Bonaventura keeps sucking like last season, then he'll be forced to play like that. Because he certainly can't pull Hakan in midfield, seeing how we only have Borini as an alternative on the left.

I think it's premature to make any assessments about Castillejo. The majority of people haven't seen much of him, while I read a couple of La Liga fans' opinions and they think highly of him.

We'll have to see how he does before we can completely disregard him.

I don't think that's the reason, we were specifically looking for a striker, a midfielder and a winger this summer. Rino said this, Leonardo said this and Mirabelli before he got the sack as well. Castillejo (according to transfermarkt) played more games on the left than on the right wile at Villareal, so it's not like he can only plar on the right wing like Suso. I personally think that he was our winger signing that had been noted throughout the summer. Maybe he's not the big name we wanted or the exact profile (a right footed player) but he is a winger and he is a rather pacey one at that.

We'll just have to see how things progress during the season. We definitely have a lot more options than we did last season. Don't forget that Laxalt can play across that entire left flank, I actually think he's going to be out most important signing this summer along with Higuain of course. He's such an underrated player, but I've always really liked his style. He'll be very useful for us

Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)