QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Sep 3 2019, 09:10 AM)
So Summary as per transfermarket.com
IN:
R Leao 25 Million Euros (Forward)
T Hernandez 20 Million Euros (Full back)
I Bennacer 16 Million Euros (Midfield)
L Duarte 11 Million Euros (CB)
R Krunic 8 Million (Midfield)
Rebic 2 year loan 5 Million loan fee (Forward)
Kessie Irrelevant for this market
OUT:
P Cutrone 18 Million Euros
D Laxalt Loan with option to buy 8 Million
A silva 2 year loan
All other departures were either free or loans. So basically we failed to sell. From Donna, Suso to dead rubber like Samu, Borini etc all
We also sold Djalo (5M). And we reduced our wage bill considerably.
I understand the general frustration with AC Milan fans (here and on other forums). I am not particularly thrilled myself. That said ...
- FFP is real, B&G first and then F&M put us deep in a hole, and we have to climb out of it
- The FFP agreement with UEFA did *not* give us freedom to spend as much as we want (all it gave us is a little more time to meet FFP objectives, but we still have to be careful with spending)
- I really do not understand "FFP accounting", but it seems to me that "plusvalenze" are important and "minusvalenze" are to be avoided
If you take this into account, it can help understand some of what went on in this transfer market:
- We had to avoid selling players below book value (as that would have generated "minusvalenze"). And, unfortunately, some of our players are valued rather low based on their last couple of years (think Silva).
- As in the past, we struggled to sell marginal players with ridiculous wages (the few teams that can afford to pay a high salary do not care for them, smaller teams that may be interested are not willing to match their wage, and most players are not willing to take a pay cut by going somewhere else - think Monto).
- We did try to sell players that could generate a plusvalenza, even when that was not "popular" (think Cutrone). At the same time, we avoided "selling cheap" (for example, PSG's offer for Donna in June was unacceptable, same goes for the lowball offers we got for Suso).
- FFP driven restrictions can also explain the Correa saga. Initially we were counting on Silva's sale, we had to delay when the deal with Monaco fell apart, I guess we kept the deal alive because someone felt we needed someone with that player profile, and at the end (apparently) Atletico was willing to meet our offer but all we could afford was a loan deal (which Atletico understandably refused)
On the positive side:
- For the most part we got players that fit Giampaolo's system
- For the most part we got players with potential to increase in value (which will hopefully result in plusvalenze in the future)
- We did not dump / undersell players that we count on (I am ok with Cutrone leaving, as I do not think he is that good, I am not convinced we could have gotten much more, and his value was not going to increase by riding the bench)
- We did not pay excessively for players (for example, it would have been nice to get Sensi but not at that price)
- We did not get players that have "baggage" (think Icardi or some other "fan favorites" I have seen mentioned)
- Next year the book value of some of our crappy players will be lower (which will make our life a tad easier)
- Not only we reduced our wage bill, but new players were signed at reasonable wages
- For the most part, we did not go for loans (especially loans without a by option). Now, this last point is debatable, as one or two "quality" players may have been beneficial in the short run, possibly the difference between making CL or not. So it is not clear what makes most sense from a long term perspective.
Bottom line:
- Don't be too hard on Elliott and Gazidiz, what we are experiencing is clearly unpleasant, but I do not think there is much of a choice (we simply cannot get back to the top without meeting FFP rules). FWIW, Inter had to go through a similar "cure", though Suning did a great job with increasing revenues (let's see how our management fares in this area).
- Don't be too hard on Maldini and Boban, what they were asked to do was not easy (regardless of experience level)
- Stop lamenting Leo, he contributed in part to our problems by getting a couple of marginal players with ridiculous wages. He is good (possibly very good) for a team like PSG (which has a large budget and more room for errors), but not for present-day Milan.
As for Giampaolo, I share some of the concerns I have seen on this and other forums, but I think he is more "flexible" than he gets credit for, and his system is a tad more complex than what we have been used to in recent years (so he needs more time to get going). I *really* would like to watch Milan games and feel good about the team. Obviously I like "winning" but AFAIAC "winning ugly" is rather painful to watch, and even when winning we have been far from consistent. In other words, I am willing to give Giampaolo a little more time before I turn negative.
This post has been edited by Forza Milan!: Sep 5 2019, 07:33 AM