Yes, looks like Mandzukic is a done deal. 2 million for 6 month. Would have preferred a bit lower, but it's okay.

Yes, I think this would be enough for the mercato. If a unique opportunity presents itself, why not though!

Make no mistake, Mandzukic is a Scudetto-winning signing.

Might not be a massive career goalscorer (although still pretty bloody good) but he's an absolute winner and a hell of an alternative to Ibra.

True. If we get the player that played for Juventus that is.

This post has been edited by William405: Jan 14 2021, 11:47 PM

Meite official. Shirt #18.

I think he is a good addition. We desperately needed a vice-Kessie, and it looks like Meite can cover the role. Also, still relatively young, and may be a tad undervalued (playing for an unimpressive team, and now sidelined because he does not fit "il maestro's" style). And if Meite does not work out ... he is only costing us loan fees (no obligation to buy).

I am on the fence with Mandzukic. He could indeed be a "Scudetto-winning signing". OTOH, he could end up being yet another "Torres-like" experience. Will see, I hope it works out. On the positive side:
- We need a vice-Ibra (he is too injury-prone)
- Rebic has not worked out in the role. Leao has been more successful. Bringing Mario will take playing time from Leao (which may impact his development). OTOH, Leao's style when playing CF is different from Ibra's, and I believe it is good to have both options.
- Mario seems to have the right characteristics for our style of play
- He has something to prove (so hopefully he will be motivated)

Tomori I do not understand. I think we are reasonably covered at CB. FWIW, I am OK with us not going after Simakan given he appears to be injury-prone (this is not his first one). We do not need another Conti or Caldara situation.

I really would like to see a RW, but it sounds like we will have to wait until Summer.

I'd be fine if we continue with Musacchio, Gabbia and Kalulu until June, with the condition that Pioli trusts Musacchio for the role of vice-Kjaer/Romagnoli. Otherwise, we'll be where we previously stood.

Also, in June ends Caldara's loan with Atalanta. Not sure if they're going to exercise the option to buy considering he keeps getting injured. He's missed 17 games with Atalanta this season due to patella problems. This kid really hasn't had a career, has he?

Agreed.

We're the only top side making significant movements in the market it seems. The fact that we're in January and still first is what probably forced the management's hands in terms of being a bit more aggressive than they would have been


We definitely needed the vice-Kessie. He's been incredibly consistent in terms of remaining fit, but we must not test our luck, especially this season with how congested the fixture list is.

This is a win win for us imo

Regarding the LW. We'll wait for Thauvin in the summer for free. If Saelemakers could stay fit we should be covered there until the summer


Looks like we're very close to Tomori from Chelsea. Which answers your question re Pioli's trust in Musacchio

I've been lurking around Chelsea twitter and they are p!ssed off about letting him go with potentially an option included in the deal. They seem convinced it could be another De Bruyn/Salah/Lukaku situation. So it's obvious they rate him very highly

He's a physical beast it seems, which is something we lack in our defence. It could prove to be a masterstroke signing. If not we send him back, no harm, no foul. Just like with Meite

Let's be patient and see. I'm sure Juventus and Inter will make some good signings. Milan only signed Meite so far, and he's a okay backup but nothing more.

I'm not sure why we are thinking so long about Mandzukic. Also, we have to bear in mind that he hasn't played any football for 6 months and spent last season "playing" in Qatar. He might turn out to be not as well prepared as we remember him.

Tomori would be a good signing, agreed.

But I still believe we need an upgrade for the wings. Alexis is okay, especially in big games when his energy and running is crucial, but we need a deadlier option then Samu as well.

If we manage Mandzukic and Tomori with Meite. I think that's a 10/10 winter mercato.

I don't see us signing a RW now. And I always said the most important positions to fill were CB, CM and ST in that order of priority.

For the RW we have options. I think Saelemakers is more than good for the rest of the season. Samu is a half decent backup option. And we also have guys like Rebic, Leao or Diaz who can play on that side if there's an emergency. I'd rather focus on the CB and ST positions this transfer window and make the RW the top priority for the summer when there will be better targets to go after

Chelsea are asking 30M for Tomori's option to buy. I hardly think we can afford that, unless we manage to lower their demands.

In the summer, if we hit our CL target we should have a little more flexibility with spending. And if the deal is an "option" rtather than an "obligation", then we only need to spend if Tomori is worth it.

While I am not convinced we need a CB right now, we will longer term. Roma and Kjaer are good, but not good enough for CL. We need someone faster, and Tomori may be it. Then again, Kalulu could also grow into the role.

Possibly. Depends on how Mario works out. And still not 100% convinced we need a CB right now (though if we are going to get one, it looks like Tomori may be a good choice for us).


That is probably why we are not acting. Still, it feels like that is the one role where we can improve a starter (in most other roles is is about building depth, as that is what we need right now).

Inter is up for sale, and it looks like they are going to be bought by an investment fund. I would be really surprised if they splash real money on anyone until the deal closes. OTOH, they may find a way to make some smart market moves (kind of like the moves we are trying to make).

Also, I expect the new owners to do something about their wage bill in order to aim for a more sustainable model. Last few years they have operated on "funny money" coming from China, and that is no longer an option.


I think you answered your own question :-). Also, I get the sense that we are being real careful about team dynamics, so I would not be surprised if Pioli is talking so some of our players. As I said, I am on the fence. However, I do believe this could be a great signing for us.


+1

It's a loan, so it's a low risk operation. We need a CB now, we can't face another emergency like we did in December. I don't think we'll manage to blow past that type of crises again in February when we have some really tough fixtures.


I read somewhere that it would be an 18 month loan, so we'd have to take up that option the following summer should we want to keep him. If that is the case it would give us more time to get the finances in order, especially if we make it consistently into the CL by then


Agreed regarding the fact that it is the only position where we need to improve the starting player rather than the depth. However, I still think we'll have more options in the summer. I read that Thauvin is demanding a high wage, which is not unusual for a free transfer, but we cannot afford to bring in someone like that with a high wage. We're haggling with Hakan, who has been one of our most influential players under Pioli, I doubt we'd give Thauvin the 5m he's reportedly demanding

So we could look at other options in the summer when clubs are more willing to sell

Yup. I do not see us going for someone at 5M wages. OTOH, nit surprised, that's how it goes with "parametro zero".

This post has been edited by Forza Milan!: Jan 16 2021, 07:10 PM