This is a post from another forum, and it is very much in line with my thinking. The post was in response to someone suggesting we should get a more people with experience, players in their mid-to-late 20's (rather than younger players). The justification was something to the effect that a team built of young players cannot be consistent.

IMHO, the same argument goes with "experienced players" in the 20-30M range, except there is a higher risk of being disappointed (and "parametro zero" is even worse). I see Kjaer as an exception. Perhaps we will find another one in Thauvin (though apparently there is competition, so he may not arrive). I am sure we are looking out for similar opportunities, but I am somewhat skeptical we will find real improvements this way. Also, as we add "experienced players" we reduce the space needed by our young players to keep developing.

Listen, I'm not against young players. I like this approach. But there should be a good balance. At this point, I don't see why we should buy young talented players. We have plenty. Suffise to say,I don't like Gazidis's way, we are not Arsenal, we are AC Milan. But, that is just my thought!

We don't need another CB right now. We have Musacchio. I challenge everyone on this forum. Musacchio is a good defender.

I agree. But what does this matter when Pioli raters Kalulu above Musacchio and does not want to use him? Look at today, he subbed him off at the first possible chance.

Yeah I don't know what happened with him and Pioli!

Pretty sure he subbed him off cos he hadn't played an official match since February 2020.

I read somewhere that the rift started when Pioli wanted to put in Musacchio late in a game and the latter refused to go on.

Anyway, I can't see us renewing his contract. Does not fit the profile the management want in players and he's been average throughout his time with us imo

I never liked him, couldn't understand why he played tbh.

I remember you bigging him up as being part of the best defence in Spain, as you can see, that didn't exactly work out.

Yeah, well that teaches one the difference between seeing a player on the pitch consistently vs looking at stats

Inter financial problems seem to be intensifying. Supposedly they are up for sale, and they CFO just resigned. Apparently, due to new financial laws + the impact of COVID, Suning cannot pump cash into the club, so they are falling behind on player salaries (which is a serious violation for FIGC) and possibly also interest payment on loans. Suning was asking for 900M, but it is questionable if they will get that.

Seems like we are getting closer on Meite + Simakan. Hakan's renewal also getting closer. No news on Gigi's renewal.

Actually, we may lose Simakan

Starting to see rumors that we will be signing Mandzukic. No confirmation by any serious sources, so this may just be "fake news".

Best picture is looking at both tbf. Sometimes you think someone is having a great game the stats can help shape your view. And if you're hyper critical of someone's passing then it is revealed that their percentage is actually well over 90% it helps there too. I don't ignore what I think I see with my eyes but I like hard facts to help form my opinion as well.

Never rely on one or the other, but I take your point.

In terms of on the eyes, yeah, something about Musacchio never convinced me.

That was the summer of course we'd signed him as partner to Romagnoli but then brought in Bonucci from left field which frankly derailed us that season.

Agreed

I think he's still pretty decent, and if Pioli were to give him another chance, I'd play him over Gabbia and Kalulu when we can't play either Romagnoli or Kjear. It would save us some money and if he's insisting on seeing his contract out to the summer at least we'll get some use out of him.

On another note. Looks like Meite is a done deal, loan + option

And we're seriously talking to Mandzukic's agents as well. Both Di Marzio and Romano confirming this so it could actually happen. If this does happen, I think it would be as shrewd as the Van Bommel signing and the Kjear signing when comparing to January transfer activity.

Another winner added to the team, plus he's a beast on the pitch who never gives up, just like Zlatan

I would be very pleased with this transfer season if we manage to get Meite and Mandzukic. They are not revolutionary signings but will help a LOT in terms of squad depth.

I also read Milan looks at Pato. Not sure if this is also just fake news.

He recently had an interview where he welcomed a return to Milan. Honestly, I don't know if there is a point behind such a move, he's been away from top tier football for a while now. But of course, the romantic in me would love Pato back.

https://www.football-italia.net/164818/repo...milan-done-deal

Meite deal done. He will have his medicals tomorrow, probably.

Good depth signing in my opinion.

Agreed, we needed someone who could come in for Kessie

I think we can close the mercato with just Mandzukic now

With both Gabbia and Musacchio coming back + Kalulu we should be okay in the CB department for now

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.

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".

Rumors that Juve is after Piattek (link). Probably fake news, but it is kind of funny.

The Daily Telegraph says Chelsea have not accepted the 18 months loan option. They want 6 month loan and option to buy for 30M, otherwise we can f*ck off.

They also say we were interested in Tomori last season as well, but Lampard didn't want to let him go.

How good is this Tomori kid anyway? If Lampard values him so much, why doesn't he play him?



How good is Thauvin? I've never seen him play, just YouTube clips. Doesn't exactly look that exciting from that.

As I said earlier, I've been lurking around Chelsea twitter, and they are not happy about this and think it could bite them back similar to Salah, De Bruyne and Lukaku. So the seem to rate him rather highly

As for Thauvin, I know as much as you. The nicest thing about him is that he's free. But we're not going to be paying him astronomical wages, so if 5m is his asking price, he won't come eitherway

Looks like Mandzukic is a done deal

Tomori also very close according to Vito Angele, who's pretty accurate

I think if we have an option on him and he does well we should take it. If he becomes a top CB while at Milan, we could literally ask English clubs for any sum for him and they'd pay it. They're idiots when it comes to English players. Look at Maguire

I'm faithful in Mandzukic. He's always stricken me as a very professional player, so the fact he hasn't played at high levels for some time doesn't bother me that much.

Delighted with that one.

Why would we want to sell him if he becomes a top CB? We?re singing for our future defense, not to eventually cash in.

Because selling him for insane money is what will bring us profit. I don't think Tomori is the new Maldini. If we can sell a top defender at a multiple inflated prize, I'm all for it. We can buy ourselves 2-3 addition afterwards.

But anyway, let's not get ahead too quick. We haven't really signed him yet.

Yesh, really funny.

I know we've become a club that goes for young and relatively cheap players, but I don't think we've become a club that sell its top players for profit.

The idea is to create value by becoming competitive with little money spent and a contained wage bill. We're not Udinese.

Agreed ... but is Tomori going to be a "top player"?

What I hope will happen over time is that we will get players that are an improvement over the player covering the same role (rather than good backups). If that happens, we may start selling some of our better players (keeping our best players, of course). That can help fund future addition to the team.

So not the "Atalanta model" but a way to get to the top in a sustainable manner.

Nobody knows. But I don't think we're willing to spend 30M for a player with the "hope" that he will become a top player so we can sell him for three times that price. I think we're buying him because we believe he can become a vital part of our project and he can cover the CB position in the long run, so we won't have to spend any more in that role. This is how I think the club operates nowadays, why it goes after young, promising players.

I understand :-). I also like the fact that it is a "try and buy" situation. As for the player, he is fast (which is something we need) but not all that reliable defensively. This means if he works out we have options, starter level players with different characteristic, so we can pick depending on who we play against. Add Gabbia for coverage (plus maybe Kalulu), and for now we are set, which means we will focus in other areas.

That said, it will be interesting to see how we operate in the long run. Assume we start getting CL money and have made improvements in other roles. Let's say we find another CB, an improvement over current players. I can see us going for that and selling one of our current CBs (hopefully for a profit). Will see ..

Sarcasm?