Torres is our highest earning player and hes on loan at Athetico XD

How about for a start before we even buy any new players we offload Cerci and Torres from the wage bill or do something with them.

#Galliani'd

that's it i'm selling #Galliani'd T-shirs!

News is all over the place, not sure who to believe. This is even more frustrating than past transfer seasons.

Agreed, at least back then we expected sh!tty signings and an entire summer of chasing shadows.

Now we have money and Galliani seemingly can't get the job done anymore.

Witsel seems to be getting further away by the day as well and we still need 1 other creative CM which I don't think they're seriously going after because of Monto.

Juve and Inter have closed some major deals, Roma resolved the Radja issue and we've only signed a former Primavera player.

With training about to start back up in a few weeks I fear that the same mistakes we've seen being made each year are about to be repeated this summer as well. Leaving us to start next season with a handicap once again

The same source from yesterday says Witsel will be ours for €30 million. Tuttosport, instead, claims that Witsel doesn't want to play for us, whereas another source I can't remember said Zenit want €50 million for him.

This is ridiculous. Sums up the shitty speculative media of nowadays. They just throw crap out there as they please.

Oh come on man! No offense, but I really cannot agree with you on this one! Is it a strategy imply or? I mean, you're so damn negative and depressing in almost every post. Predicting the worst outcomes, creating a atmosphere where "I fear this..." or "I fear that..." is basically the fundament of every next sentence. For Christ sake, I know this is all frustrating, it has been for the last 3 and more years. But since we all have that memory, since we all remained up until now, what would it cost you to be a bit more positive or at least let every other opportunity to point out to the possible "disaster", "mistake", "ridiculous" signing or whatever pass

Now that my rant is over, let's see...Yes, Juve and Inter are doing well. Roma did squat, resolving the issue with Nainggolan doesn't mean they progressed. Inter did last season what you suggested, made early signing and by beginning of June the team was already formed and ready for training. What came out of? Pretty much nothing. So I'm not all that riled up on the story of how great early signings are.

I think good signings are good signings. Sure, making them early is maybe more beneficial, but I don't see it as something crucial. There's really not much material to back this theory up.

Who would you suggest we sing and for how much han?

Haven't we gone over this before? And what happened? We lost out on the 2 players we had supposedly closed deals for. We're seemingly flapping in the breeze now, nothing concrete is happening and we're going into July with no signing.

I think after last season it's unfair to say what you are saying to anyone who is sceptical/negative about things. We've been more than patient, and if another summer of mediocrity and terrible business is ahead of us I'd rather the management be honest about it instead of trying to feed us BS and at the end we get short ended once again. I think that for all we've been through while supporting Milan these past few years, we at least deserve that honesty from the management, if the money or the will is truly not there, than just say it and go about your business of signing free agents. At least then we'd know what to expect.

If we're planning on making big and important signings, then yes, for me, it's imperative that they are made before August at least, summer preparation and pre-season are not just there to earn money out of American/Asian tours, they're there for a reason, to prepare for the upcoming season, especially for new players.

As for Roma, they don't have to start out from the bottom like we do, they had their problems this season in terms of form and consistency but they have a team that should be second in the league.

As for who we should sign, I've already said we need 1 striker, 2 CMs and 1 CB.

As for who they should be, I'd go Ibra, Witsel/Cabaye/Guarin/Allan (last resort), Gundogan/Kovacic/Hernanes and for the CB position I'm not sure yet, the realistic targets are not all that exciting while Hummels and Laporte imo are unrealistic

You know what's also worrying and a big red flag for me?

The fact the we haven't made any efforts to start lightening our roster that is filled with players who shouldn't be here

Muntari f@cking threw a tantrum last season and said he wouldn't play anymore because Pippo wasn't picking him regularly. How someone like that hasn't been thrown out on his @ss is beyond me.

Players we have no use for should be asked to find another club within x amount of days or their contracts will be revoked. Enough is enough, it's time for them to cut the chord with these leeches who only want to stay at Milan to warm the bench and earn their wages.

If we want to really bring in top players they will need to be paid like ones, and it's not feasible to keep these over paid mediocre players on the roster and be able to pay the big contracts top players would demand.

If we're not making movements to sign anyone, then I at least would expect some effort in trying to offload these players, but so far nothing is happening on that front either

I get where you're coming from Han, yet I think you're still being too quick and irrational in throwing such a tantrum. Realistically speaking, less than 5-6 days ago both Jackson and Kondogbia were practically Milan players. We had an agreement with Jackson and the Kondogbia deal was almost sealed, before Inter barged in at the last minute and snatched him away from us. You can't expect Galliani to immediately go and sign the second best alternative now that we lost both of them. He's not exactly picking Pokemon cards here, but investments worth millions of euros. We need to evaluate all our options first before we can enter into any form of negotiations. Being rash can lead to some very bad mistakes.

Milan are on the verge of reaching an agreement with Roma for Bertolacci for €20m [Sky]

How utterly stupid would this be??

Almost as bad as funding Juve's Tevez move by buying Matri!!

Yeah, let's buy our competition's average players for a high price so they can buy the players that would really make a difference in the team

If this one happens, I'll literally be out of words at this point

I give up...red flags, worrying, again negative perspectives...I feel like I'm speaking Chinese here...

Oookaay, but nothing that has been done so far indicates that I'm wrong on this one. Sorry but that's how I feel.

Read my post above about Bertolacci and tell me this is a good idea. Funding Roma's transfer market by buying a Cagliari level player.

Sportitalia says €15 million + 3-4 million of bonuses. And that his signing doesn't exclude that of Witsel.

I guess I would be OK with that. Obviously I'd prefer a more creative player instead of Bertloacci, but hey, better safe than sorry and end up playing with frigging Montolivo instead.

Sky reports that Milan want to sign Carlos Bacca, and that the deal could be closed at €25m.

At least 15m is more acceptable

Still, imo it's too much to pay Roma for a bench player. Out of the other guys mentioned he's the best choice for rotational purposes but not as a starter. Nearly 18m is what you pay for a starter imo especially when you're putting that money directly into your competition's pockets.

Bacca doesn't really excite me either, but I guess that would be getting the Prima Punta issue out of the way and they can focus more on midfield.

And anyway, Monto will be a sure starter next season unless we bring in someone of truly high quality for the role he plays.

Calciomercato.it report that we have offered €30 million for Witsel, and we have the player's preference over Chelsea.



If we sign both Witsel and Bertolacci? Never. They're both more "creative" than Montolivo has ever been. At least Witsel, surely.

Will refrain from commenting until we actually sign someone (right now it still all feels like speculation).

Will try to remain positive, but I agree with Han that by now we should be actively "pruning" our roster of the likes of Muntari, and that does not appear to be happening (at least not yet).

What makes you think otherwise?

Monto is captain, he is considered as the only playmaker on the team, why do you think that they're only looking at top notch mids with Witsel's and Kondogbia's characteristics and we haven't been linked to a single creator?

Might I ask what type of player you think Bertolacci is? Because having seen him a couple of times, from vids and a full match here and there, he's not really a traditional CM, he's not going to sit and dictate play, he's more of the final pass type of guy and likes to make runs into the box. We have De Jong as the anchor, he's only going to be doing the defensive work, his passing range is fairly limited as he usually goes for the safe quick pass to his side CM, Witsel (if we even get him) is a good passer, but not someone that can dictate, again, like Bertolacci, he does like to make bursting runs and is usually in and around the box when the team is attacking.

Either we get a proper creative/playmaker/regista type CM or Monto will definitely be starting imo. Bertolacci doesn't change that as I think he's mostly being brought in as a good rotation player, who WILL get a lot of minutes but he won't be the sure starter in the team

And what makes you think we need a creator in the first place? Maybe Mihajlovic wants to play a different type of football. Look at Juve. With Pirlo gone, they have basically zero creators, but a bunch of quality, dynamic mids that make play happen.

The way I see it, we wouldn't be spending nearly €20 million just for a rotation player. All newspapers today are reporting that Bertolacci chose us and not to stay at Roma because we offered him the possibility of regular playing time. And if we do indeed get Witsel or someone of similar characteristics, it's a no brainer that our starting midfield would consist of him, De Jong and indeed Bertolacci.

Montolivo might be our captain, which is a sad thing per se, but that does not guarantee him a starting position, especially after two disappointing seasons, the last one of which he basically watched from the sidelines.

Bertolacci is your typical box-to-box mid. I would compare him to Bonaventura, or maybe Boateng. Whereas Witsel is much more similar to Montolivo. He likes to play in deep and organize play, although he's not exactly Xavi in that regard. But his vision and passing skills are way superior to Monto's. Hell, even Poli has better passing skills than frigging Craptolivo.

Juve have Marchisio, and he has played in Pirlo's position a lot this season. He's not simply a box to box mid, he does have qualities that make him a suitable creator. Comparing us to Juve is a stretch. They have 3 top class mids around Pirlo, and yes they are all very dynamic and can basically all interchange positions and roles at ease.

We won't have that, De Jong, for how great he is, is a limited player. He's a classic DM but that's it. I don't agree about Witsel, I don't see him as that type of player at all. I guess we'll have to see him playing regularly to judge what type of player he is if sign him. There is a reason why Roma want to sell Bertolacci. He's not good enough to break into their midfield. So we're taking their cast off and paying a premium price for it.

I don't see Bertolacci as a starter. and if that's what we're aiming for than all our questions should be answered. He's not good enough for it and if Roma don't want him as such than what does it tell you about us if we do?

As for what Mihajlovic wants. He'll take what he's given and be happy about it because he's a mid-level coach who's only coached mid-table teams. As for not wanting a creator, I'm sorry but you can't play a 4-3-1-2 and not have a creative player in the bunch. That's a recipe for failure right there. Maybe it can work if we bring Ibra because he'll do most of the creative work and the midfield can be bypassed like we did with Allegri, but other than that, the midfield you're thinking about would fail terribly, and don't compare it to Juve's the difference in quality is so huge that it can't be used as a serious comparison

I still say Monto will be a starter next season unless we bring in someone top notch to play his role. Doesn't matter what you think about him but what matters is how the club views him. He's still the captain and is regarded as our sole playmaker in the squad. I'm a 100% sure he'll be starting if he's available and we don't sign someone better

Official: De Jong renewed until 2018


Bertolacci will be doing his medical tomorrow

Jose Mauri has reportedly agreed to a deal with Milan (no details yet on the figures)

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

We're building ourselves a EL level side that's for sure

Well then, we're both guessing at this point. You say the club views Montolivo as a starter, I say his starting spot is not so secure after all, especially if we end up signing two CMs for +€50 million. Otherwise, we wouldn't even bother.

Or maybe Mihajlovic views Bertolacci more as an attacking midfielder. After all, both Bonaventura and Boateng, which I used as comparisons, have been played as AMs in the past as well.

I understand your frustration, Han. I wouldn't pay €20 million for someone like Bertolacci either. I'd rather use those money to get a skilled creative mid, but if Mihajlovic wants to play a certain way, then there's nothing we can do about it. Either way, we'll just have to wait and see.

Great news about De Jong, by the way!

If Witsel and Bertolacci are our only big signings in midfield then it's back to my point of trusting Galliani with a sh!t load of money that he will p!ss away on bad signings. Sorry but Berolacci at best is a 10m player. We absolutely do need a creator in there. Monto is the only one semi-capable of doing what's needed for the 4-3-1-2 to be remotely functional. And I agree with you that he's not good enough, unless we get someone in capable of playing that role than he will be a starter there

And yes, that's what I was saying about Bertolacci. He's more of a Boateng, Bonaventura type, I don't think he'll fit in at CM but I can see him doing relatively well in the AM position if we bring in a proper second striker (Ibra or Jovetic), but as far as midfield goes, even with Witsel, we still have major issues there. Witsel solves only one part of the problem, and if we don't bring a proper playmaker in, I am pretty sure it will be because of Monto and the role he will be playing next season.

It's why I view the Bertolacci signing as pointless. We already have Bonaventura and Honda for the AM position, I'd rather add another 10m to that 20 and bring in someone of serious quality for the other CM position

Ideally next season the midfield will be



That's the only way I can see a 4-3-1-2 working with De Jong playing the anchor role and a makeshift AM playing behind the strikers. The creativity simply has to come from somewhere, and while Witsel is a very competent player on the ball he's not a dictator of play, and we need that desperately in this type of formation

Glad De Jong has renewed always liked his intensity reminds me of Gattuso of old.

At least that's one area we don't have to worry about. Only other one I want to see renewing is Mexes. I'd sell both Rami and Zapata or Paletta

Aye. Hopefully Mexes is next up for renewal. Paletta I might keep, but please get rid of Zapata, he makes too many silly mistakes due to his limited game reading skills.

So what? You tend to write pages long elaborations based on - indications. That's part of the problem I mentioned. But it seems to me you don't get me. All I wanted to do is give you a piece of advice: tune down a bit with the negativeness and preemptive skepticism, it's unnecessary (not unreasonable or stupid, just not necessary)


Maybe because creative players are rare, overpriced and hard to find? Hell, Real Madrid last season had a creative problem with Modrić missing. I think Milan decided to go the Juventus way, hard workers with muscle and technique.


So who do you have in mind? Gündogan will most probably stay with Dortmund. Who's there to begin with?


What makes you think the club views Monto as a indisputable starter? Transfer rumors and targets? The fact that he's listed as our captain? Mihajlović can change the captain in a heartbeat, Milan as well. I don't see anything written in stone.


You see, these are the kind of statements you loose me. We sign de Jong, about whom you moaned months and months, saying it would be stupid to let him go and so on. Is it positive? Yes, surely. We also might get a potential talent and a solid midfielder. What's your reaction to it? No positiveness, just rolleyes and sarcasm.

To be quite frank, I struggle to see much difference between Zapata, Rami and Paletta. Sure, in characteristics, but overall they're pretty much all on average level.

Yeah although i do want better then even Mexes surely we can get that.

Indications that have so far proven to be correct.

When I see something that get's me excited or is an indication of Galliani actually steering us in a positive direction I will alter my tune. I started out this summer actually quite excited, but there was something funky going on with the Martinez deal, I voiced my concerns and got labelled as negative. Fast forward a few weeks and we lose out on him, and then the whole Kondogbia disaster and there's so far not much to be all that positive by considering we're going after run of the mill average Serie A players, which correct me if I'm wrong, but it's something you've always been very much against. Only now instead of getting them for free or on loan, we're overpaying for them ala Liverpool


Put this in perspective, Rakitic and Kroos... Enough said

And once again, please do not compare our midfield to Juve's. First off, Marchisio is more than just a runner, he can just as easily slot into the regista/playmaker role as Pirlo, he played a lot of games there this season in fact he's a brilliant player. And Juve have Poba and Vidal, who have just as much attacking flair as defensive grit in their style, they are dynamic yes, but our midfielders aren't. If we get Witsel, he's be the only dynamic one in the bunch, and we want to play a 4-3-1-2 where the midfield trio and the AM have to be top notch for it to function properly. Bertolacci is a decent player, but not someone you start, especially not in the other CM slot next to De Jong, he's more in the mold of Boateng or Bona so he would fit in more behind the strikers


I've been listing players for a week now of who I would sign, Inter are going to sell 2 or 3 of their mids. Hernanes, Kovacic or Guarin will all be up for sale, give them a decent offer and they won't hesitate to sell considering the Kondogbia deal has put them in a serious bind.


This is my opinion, and I personally can't see why any of you can not see it. Maybe it's your blind hope that Monto will be nothing but a bench warmer next season but I think most of you will be in for a rude awakening.

It's very obvious for all to see. He's club captain, and yes that's a factor and no Miha cannot just revoke that from him, you should know this better than anyone that these decisions at Milan aren't just made by the coach. We're not looking at any playmakers, just box-tobox guys, and we all know that Galliani and the club in general all view Monto as a playmaker/Pirlo replacement (however poor that is)


De Jong is a good thing. Jose Mauri on a free and over paying for Bertolacci aren't

Btw Fillipo, do you think I want to be negative, or right about sh!t like the Martinez deal??

Do you think I want to sit hear and do a happy dance that I was right about this??

Obviously not, I really do wish that things were different. But they are not. I wish I can get some of that excitement back but nothing so far has done that for me. Are you excited by the Bertolacci deal? At the prospect of over spending for an average Serie A player? Are you excited by the prospect of Bacca?

The only name we're linked to that excites me is Witsel, and even that is seemingly getting away from us.

Guarin is not a creative player, Han. Only Kovacic and Hernanes are. And both come from very disappointing spells. I don't think Hernanes would solve any of our issues, whereas Kovacic is still a gamble in my eyes à la El Shaarawy. And if Dortmund don't want to sell Gündogan, then who do we go after? Modric? Di Maria? Verratti? Yeah, right.

Our options are very limited right now as far as creative midfielders go. And besides, I think you're too obsessed with all this. In my opinion, Witsel would serve that purpose fine, at least for this season. I don't know if you've ever seen him play, but he's a much better fit for that role than Montolivo will ever be.

Guarin is more of an option if Witsel fails, but he's a player that I personally like

And bad spells at another club are just that, Inter are/were in a very similar situation to us, it's not an ideal environment for a player to thrive, especially for someone young like Kovacic, which is the same situation SES and DS have been going through here. These players need stability and guidance from a proper coach.

I'd take either in a heart beat for that other position in our midfield.

And yes, maybe I am obsessed with the whole playmaker thing, but that comes from having watched a totally sterile midfield situation that has been with us basically since Pirlo left. When Ibra was here we bypassed the midfield, when he left we saw the real problem not having a creative player in there creates.

I have seen Witsel play, which is why I want him to come badly, but sorry, no, he's not a creator, he's good on the ball and has qualities that make him a very dynamic mid, but he's not someone that can dictate play, someone who can calm things down or speed up play by anticipating the flow of the match, we have no one who can do that aside from Monto who's only had one good season with us and has been sub-par since.

If we're going 4-3-1-2, then it's essential that we have someone like that. Call it an obsession I don't really care but we do. And if we go into the season without someone like that we'll see the same problematic issues that we've been seeing for the past 4 years

Too true, my friend, but man, was I let down by all those mistakes Zapata made at the start of this season. Even last year he wasn't anywhere near solid. A couple of good matches and then tactical errors left and right. Rami and Paletta are at the same level, I agree, and that's why I want us to make a move for a solid defender.

A leader in defense, someone that can marshal the whole defensive unit.

I think Zapata is the smartest of three as far as tactical awareness goes, but he's prone to blunders every now and then that make him very inconsistent.

By the way, on the topic of AM, I wish we had signed Jorge Valdivia. Maybe we still can, though he is 31. But his performance in 2015 Copa América have been nothing short of spectacular, and in all the matches I've seen him play, he has been a creative force, a true number 10.



Heck, I'd be happy if we sign him even if we sign other creative players or not. Reminds me a little bit of Rui Costa, in how he constantly supplies the attacking line with passes and through balls. Plus, he's hardworking too.

+∞ Fast rewind to 2009 and he was said to be one of the brightest talents in Serie A. But maybe he struggles with the pressure of playing in a big club. Either that, or he's just a mediocre player that had a bright few years before he signed up for us. His blunders have been epic, for the lack of another word.

One can almost make a 5 minute video compilation of them.

In terms of versatility in the type of players we have I'd keep Zapata out of those 3

Paletta is average at best, very slow. Rami can be good as long as he's next to someone leading him, that's why he was good when given a consistent run next to Mexes, however he's the one who seems to have the highest resale value of the 3 so I'd sell him. And I think any mid-table Serie A team would jump at the chance of signing Paletta

I think you just don't get my point, so I'll let it be.


Enough what? What are you suggesting with the two? Two examples mean squat. Bayern chose to sign a washed-out Alonso because there ain't so many good options right now. Several "big" teams struggle with finding the right creative impetus. After all, Kroos utterly failed in this perspective as soon as Modrić went missing. I'm asking myself if the same scenario would happen to Barcelona with Iniesta and Xavi.


And I haven't. I just said maybe this is the direction we're taking.


Han, this is just your invention and speculation. How do you know any of these players is available? I here rumors about Kovačić, but I don't think Inter would sell him to Milan. Not after Pirlo and Seedorf. Milan-Inter transfers nowadays are centered around seasoned players or rejects like Muntari. But you act like Hernanes or Kovačić are free to be taken, whereas no real indication of that exists.


We'll see



Why isn't Mauri a good thing?


I don't know what's going on with you, I think you just installed a personal defensive system which includes skepticism, sarcasm and preemptive negative thinking in order to shield you from any future disappointments. But let me partially answer with a new question. Do you think I'm thrilled about these names? Do you think I'm in a rosy world where Milan piles up talents and works its way up to the top? Do you think any of us here does? No. We all have accepted the reality and managed to lower our expectations to the minimum. But I don't think preemptive pessimism and big words like "Kondogbia disaster" as you call it aren't simply necessary. You'll have all season long to complain and harp over all these disasters.

I don't think you get mine either, you know, let's just do that. Agree to disagree.


Rakitic was bought for 20m, Kroos for a bit more than that, and we seemingly have 20m to throw away on a random Serie A player. Get my point?

We're paying that kind of money for a player who isn't half the player either those 2 are. And what do you mean by Xavi and Iniesta? Rakitic put Xavi on the bench and Barca won a treble. Rakitic being an integral part of that success. Maybe the other one involving Real and Bayern wasn't as successful, but my point wasn't about how they worked out but that they were transferred for affordable fees and are creators.


By bringing up Juve you are making a comparison, only it's not a valid one as Juve have a completely different type of midfield dynamic. They don't have a classic anchor type player, that's already a huge difference and sways the entire make up of the midfield diamond


They have issues with FFP, their hands were already tied before they went all in for Kondogbia. They will need to make sales, at least 2 big ones to not make anymore infractions in terms off FFP (they have already been in hot water along with Roma)

And personally I don't think the Inter Milan thing matters all that much, if we offer them enough they will sell.


We shall.


Because he's just like Bertolacci, decent but he won't really make all that much difference in terms of improving the side. And we already have a bunch of that type of player. Once again, going for quantity instead of quality, this is the only thing that these signings prove. and personally I can't believe that YOU of all people aren't saying anything about this as you are the biggest opposer to this issue of quantity over quality we've had over the last few years. You think these guys will give us anything extra or more special than Monto, Bona or Poli don't?


Why does it have to be some huge psychological drama? It's not that

And maybe I have lowered my expectations a lot, but it's only because nothing that has happened so far indicates that I shouldn't

Like I've said, I really hope that I'm wrong and I'll be eating lemons by the beginning of September. But seriously, watching another season like the one we've just been through is not something that I think that I can stomach at this point

Btw, Inter about to sign Imbula in the coming hours, so I'd definitely swoop in for either Hernanes or Kovacic. Just go in big and close it

Looks like we're serious about Bacca, according to Sky.

I don't know about you guys, but going from Kondogbia and Jackson to Bertolacci and Bacca is kinda underwhelming.

My point exactly...

Also, according to Di Marzio we're apparently going after Baselli as well. What are we doing exactly? Picking up every CM from the mid-table sides? Trying to kill the competition? Is this our strategy to try to get into a EL spot?

How about Lacazette? How come we've never considered him so far? Young, super talented, could come for the same amount Jackson would. This Bacca guy doesn't convince me at all.

Bacca? Even worse then Jackson Martinez who seemed overpriced to me. But we're being linked to Luiz Adriano as well.

What's the difference between him and Jackson Martinez???

Honestly, I've never seen both play. But, Bacca has a good scoring ratio, is younger, and scored twice in an EL final.

Never-mind that the Spanish is more competitive than the Portuguese one. His price tag is also considerably lower at 25M.

If it comes to me, I wouldn't get any one of them. I fail to see how they could succeed here honestly.

I think PSG want him.

Anyway, not keen on Bacca either. Failure written all over him if we don't fix the midfield situation which we seem intent on piling up with average players

@ Fillipo, I think Adriano signed for Al Ahli, so that bullet might be dodged

I think Jackson is more physical and skilful on the ball, sort of in the same mold as Cavani, Bacca is more of a traditional poacher

And Jackson has been consistent for the past 3 years while Bacca if I'm not mistaken has only really had last season as his break out one