Mercato Rossonero: Milan Transfer Activity Inside Out

Considering Bonaventura is now injury prone and Biglia is out, I think we are far from complete.

http://m.milannews.it/calciomercato-milan/il-messaggero-lazio-ad-un-passo-da-paletta-c-e-l-accordo-con-il-milan-265870

Paletta is likely to join Lazio on 1.5 million contract and we would receive 1.5 million for his transfer also. Not bad since he came to us on a free transfer I believe.

As far as Keita, he doesn't want us and that is the issue I have with the transfer.

http://m.milannews.it/rassegna-stampa/tuttosport-toro-niang-le-condizioni-del-milan-no-a-prestito-con-diritto-di-riscatto-265837

We are playing hard ball with Torino and refused their offer of a loan with option to redeem. The key thing to note is we may be able to get 16-18 million for Niang, but are insisting on an obligation to redeem.

GiancarloC wrote:As far as Keita, he doesn't want us and that is the issue I have with the transfer.

Fair point, but let's not forget that we are desperate. Milan added three strikers this summer, but zero wingers. Borini is, um, neither? We just have to have a direct player on the left, considering that Suso is not one. While Suso's fantastic as a playmaker with his horizontal movement, passes and crosses, we need a CR7-like player on the left who moves vertically and acts as a shadow striker mostly.

In light of that, let's see who's on the market who ticks all the above boxes, knows Serie A, is young, and is INEXPENSIVE. I can't think of any but Keita. I know he wants Juve, which is pretty dumb considering Dybala is the undisputed LW there, but he'd do well for his career to get his ass to Milanello ASAP. We need him, he needs us, and Lotito likes our offer; it's vital that Fassone get Lotito's consent to have Montella call the little punk and persuade him.

As for Torino-Niang, yeah, good, let that piece'a'shit Cairo suffer. It could've been the sweetest deal for him to let Belotti come for 60 plus Niang and Paletta. Still can't believe it.

So we bring in someone who doesn't want us and could potentially be toxic personality wise? I don't think he's worth the price. There has to be other wingers out there... and F&M love to shop in the Bundesliga and there may be some available there.

Tbf to Keita, Dybala is far from the undisputed LW at Juve since he has played maybe 15min at LW in 2 years. Our LW is Mandzukic for now so he might think that he can bench him with time.

GiancarloC wrote:So we bring in someone who doesn't want us and could potentially be toxic personality wise? I don't think he's worth the price. There has to be other wingers out there... and F&M love to shop in the Bundesliga and there may be some available there.

If he's quality, then I couldn't care less. This is 2017 and you'd be hard-pressed to find unprofessional players in top European leagues. Though he may be one of those who sees our team as the elevator to the likes of Barca, if he does play well and earns us a 30-40m profit, then I'd say screw it and let's sign him anyway.

Right now, we need players who can PERFORM. True Rossoneri become club legends like Gattuso and Ambrosini; I doubt we are looking for a club legend in Keita. The deal is simple: just put on your jersey, get out there, score a goal every two games, have an assist every four games, and then GTFO for a good price if you wanna.

Undoubtedly, I'd take Werner or Pulisic over Keita any day of the week, but can we possibly get our hands on one of those for less than 80m? Keita can be had for 30m. It's a no-brainer which basket we gotta put all our eggs in.

rincon wrote:Tbf to Keita, Dybala is far from the undisputed LW at Juve since he has played maybe 15min at LW in 2 years. Our LW is Mandzukic for now so he might think that he can bench him with time.

Truth is that Dybala is not a playmaker, nor a targetman. He is condemned to play as LW and if he can't, he'll have a Fabregas-esque career whose main position nobody still knows FFS. In any case, though you may be right, it's clear that competition for a place in Milan is far less intense than in Juve. You already have Douglas Costa who can also have a say in the LW of a 4-3-3.

What is this about Dybala LW? he has never played there. His 4 seasons in Serie A have all been in the center. Condemned to play LW? he's left footed forward. If he moves to a wing its to the right.

But of course he would have an easier time getting playing time in Milan.

IrasMaldinista wrote:
If he's quality, then I couldn't care less. This is 2017 and you'd be hard-pressed to find unprofessional players in top European leagues. Though he may be one of those who sees our team as the elevator to the likes of Barca, if he does play well and earns us a 30-40m profit, then I'd say screw it and let's sign him anyway.

Um, Keita seems pretty childish and unprofessional, and he rejected us two or three times this summer. Lazio accepted our offers, and we even increased it for some reason... we had him in a double deal and he refused us. Biglia+Keita for 50 million I think.

Right now, we need players who can PERFORM. True Rossoneri become club legends like Gattuso and Ambrosini; I doubt we are looking for a club legend in Keita. The deal is simple: just put on your jersey, get out there, score a goal every two games, have an assist every four games, and then GTFO for a good price if you wanna.

Look I like Keita quality wise, but his personality turns me off and he is acting quite unprofessionally. In addition, he has rejected our team several times. You can't force someone to come here. Perhaps we really need to look at the Bundesliga. Draxler for 50 million rather.

http://www.milannews.it/calciomercato-milan/bologna-idea-jose-mauri-se-parte-crisetig-265840

Anyways something you might like.

rincon wrote:What is this about Dybala LW? he has never played there. His 4 seasons in Serie A have all been in the center. Condemned to play LW? he's left footed forward. If he moves to a wing its to the right.

But of course he would have an easier time getting playing time in Milan.

You're correct on both counts.

We still need players in the attack and he would start for us right off the bat.

I like the player's quality, but his constant refusal to join us is a bit concerning.

rincon wrote:What is this about Dybala LW? he has never played there. His 4 seasons in Serie A have all been in the center. Condemned to play LW? he's left footed forward. If he moves to a wing its to the right.

But of course he would have an easier time getting playing time in Milan.

My bad, my bad. I totally forgot he's a lefty.

Still, let is all celebrate my outstanding sagacity as to Douglas Costa's competence as a LW and forget that dumb verdict.

If you don't want the bastard, tell him so. Let Keita Baldass' confusion end already and know that there's no better destination for him than Milan.

GiancarloC wrote:
Perhaps we really need to look at the Bundesliga. Draxler for 50 million rather.

http://www.milannews.it/calciomercato-milan/bologna-idea-jose-mauri-se-parte-crisetig-265840

Anyways something you might like.

I don't think Draxler will say yes to us. Apparently he's one of those enigmatic egomaniacs in the mold of Menez as well, and thinks he belongs to the starting XI of the very best. Too bad for him, for he shall miss out on the prestige of il Diavoli. In any case, he's no scorer and we need one of those.

As for Mauri and Bologna, Gian; where's your humanity? Bologna are not a club who can afford to spend on terrible players. We must honor the principles of ethics and not give him to any economically weak club. The best solution for the good of the game is to either misinform Qataris and make them believe Mauri is the next Xavi and they must buy him at any price, or just shoot him.

Barca's signing of Dembele for 148m is even more ridiculous than the Neymar saga, and it only makes things difficult for up-and-comers like us. At least Neymar is a proven AAA game-changer, the quintessential 21st-century superstar, and he can carry a whole team on his shoulder; the future dominator of the Ballon d'Or scene; but who the heck is Dembele? How can one guarantee he won't be the new Balotelli? I hope he proves to be awesome, but these fees are utter madness.

This makes me admire our transfer business like never before. Franck Kessie is a flawless box-to-boxer and definitely better than that useless show-off, Pogba, yet we signed him for a quarter of the latter's price. Semedo is not half the right-back Andrea Conti is, but he was bought for twice the fee. We've done an outstanding job, truly. The only problem is that our squad was ultra horrible and needed 15 new faces, so we couldn't afford to sign overly expensive first-rate players like Aubameyang.

Don't know about you, but I for one find it amazing that after a long time Milan has a CEO I fully trust. It's a new sensation. Just compare him with Bartomeu who paid that much for Jeremy Mathieu AKA the French Favalli, and Andre Gomes AKA the Portuguese Jose Mauri. Fassone and Mirabelli are the absolute stars of summer 2017.

Up and comers...? I am sorry but while I disapprove of mediocre signings like Kalinic, this isn't an up and coming team. This is a team with a name. We aren't Dortmund which is an endless supermarket. We are Milan and we have a golden history.

I like the mercato, asides from my differences on Kalinic. Barcelona has spent tons of cash and have little to show for it. If Messi goes, they will be in major trouble. Dembele could easily flop. He cost 2/3rds of what we spent? Good god.

And stop hounding Mauri. He will be loaned and loaned and loaned and released. He will end his career in the Series B. We have many more players ahead of him and I don't think Montella is a fan.

Someone in the media said Cutrone could be the next Belotti at a younger age and is progressing faster than Belotti. Some also have said he will be worth more than Donnarumma himself.

I hope to Zeus that they are right.

GiancarloC wrote:Up and comers...? I am sorry but while I disapprove of mediocre signings like Kalinic, this isn't an up and coming team. This is a team with a name. We aren't Dortmund which is an endless supermarket. We are Milan and we have a golden history.

I am the first to kill and to die for this team, but this has nothing to do with facts. We are doubtless an up-and-coming TEAM, but doubtless not an up-and-coming CLUB.

Ranking 10th and 7th aren't exactly signs of indomitability. Our history has nothing to do with what happens on the field. We've been terrible for too long, and this season is our chance to announce our rebirth.

I'm not old, but old enough to have seen and learned that football superpowers go through cycles. Real Madrid was for so many years no more than a decent league team, struggling to get past the last 16 in UCL. Look how irrepressible they are now and very much on their way to win that shit for the 3rd year in a row. So was Barca, and so was Juve as well. We, I hope, are finally done with mediocrity.

GiancarloC wrote:Someone in the media said Cutrone could be the next Belotti at a younger age and is progressing faster than Belotti.

While it's reckless to jump on hype trains before three great seasons (as you and I agreed in the case of Belotti and his ridiculous, unjustified price), from what I hear, Cutrone has it in him to become a Rossonero legend. He is no show-off like Pogba, no mentally ill young man like Balotelli, takes training and professional life seriously, and most importantly to me as a fan, is crazy about his club. I can safely say, however, that many unfortunate factors must work in unison to stop his rapid development into Italy's no. 9 in the next three World Cups.

IrasMaldinista wrote:I am the first to kill and to die for this team, but this has nothing to do with facts. We are doubtless an up-and-coming TEAM, but doubtless not an up-and-coming CLUB.

I don't know about that. I guess we will have to see. I guess it's more just semantics, but results will matter.

While it's reckless to jump on hype trains before three great seasons (as you and I agreed in the case of Belotti and his ridiculous, unjustified price), from what I hear, Cutrone has it in him to become a Rossonero legend. He is no show-off like Pogba, no mentally ill young man like Balotelli, takes training and professional life seriously, and most importantly to me as a fan, is crazy about his club. I can safely say, however, that many unfortunate factors must work in unison to stop his rapid development into Italy's no. 9 in the next three World Cups.

Balotelli could have been world class, but he pretty much threw it all away with his attitude. They don't even like him anymore at Nice. He's a toxic person to the team and he's been sent off quite a few times for stupid things. As far as Cutrone, I would have to see more. 3 goals in 5 official games isn't bad so far. But we really need to see more. I got my hopes about El Sharaawy and Pato in the past... and that was met with disappointment in the end.

I started watching football when it was still very much prevalent to play with 3-man defenses, because they believed it was imperative to have a sweeper and two central defenders on the field, and thought it impossible for a player to both attack and defend for 90 (or 120) minutes i.e. laughed off the idea of today's modern full-back. My national team, as I remember in particular, played a peculiar 3-6-1 (some say invented by Stanko Poklepović) that I still can't understand.

Then the developments effected by Sacchi's innovative ideas set in and fullbacks like Captain Paolo and Cafu symbolized modern 4-man defenses with stamina-freak full-backs.

Then from the early 2010s, Guardiola and Conte reintroduced modified versions of 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 that either served to push a team toward more attack- or defense-minded football depending on the manager.

Although they did initially succeed to confuse oppositions who'd naturally gotten used to dealing with 4-X-X formations for two decades, I think they're terrible now. I simply fail to appreciate the merits of these 3-X-X formations. I think they're inherently démodé and ancient-looking. The idea of three CBs on the field leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, and I hate the wing-back position. Sure, any formation, be it 3-3-1-3 or 2-5-3 or 5-4-1, is welcome as a plan B, but 3-X-X as Plan A? Ugh. Yikes.

I said all the above to arrive at my point: it is worrying me the willingness I detect in fans and pundits alike to see Milan play regularly with three CBs at the back. The current poll on Milannews.it also confirms my suspicion.

Having to leave out Suso and one between Calhanoglu or Bonaventura on the bench is the least of my issues with this unpleasant transformation.

What do you think?

3-4-3. But 3-5-2 isn't bad. And Juve did employ it in the CL. But we aren't them. A formation is only as good as the players playing it. Plenty of top teams do employ a three man defense.

http://www.football-italia.net/108984/cutrone-%E2%80%98milan-taught-me-lot%E2%80%99

He has a good head on his shoulders and is not over the top. That seems to be a rare trait for those of his age, and let's hope his stellar form continues.

He and Silva could be our front line maybe for years to come. And we need them both seeing as to how bad Kalinic was in his first game.

"I wanted Juventus so bad, I'm joining Monaco!!!"

http://m.milannews.it/news/ufficiale-keita-passa-al-monaco-266286

Sorry for anyone hoping we would sign this clown. Maybe Lazio will want Niang now?

GiancarloC wrote:"I wanted Juventus so bad, I'm joining Monaco!!!"

http://m.milannews.it/news/ufficiale-keita-passa-al-monaco-266286

Sorry for anyone hoping we would sign this clown. Maybe Lazio will want Niang now?

What a bitch. Let's just say he didn't deserve this magical jersey.

Let's see now... who are the fastest wingers we can get either on loan or on the cheap?
What a shame Chelsea signed Oxlade. He's equally good down the wing and the middle. But he wasn't the goal-scoring winger we want.

Even Draxler can't be our man. He isn't terribly fast, doesn't score, has an attitude, and plays somewhat like Bonaventura. An excellent player we don't urgently need.

Our dude, Yong Hong, should put in the money for Alexis Sanchez, FFS. Let me daydream.

Obviously I'm being too picky; as if we have 200m left to spend and all players lined up ready to join us. I suppose at this point any decent left winger would do.

We can try for Arda Turan, Memphis Depay, Andre Ayew, Julian Brandt, Payet, or even Oyarzabal.

As for midfielder, the options are countless. I deeply believe we can do it.

Oxlade is all speed and no brains.

And some of those other names we should stay away from. No need filling our team with filler that contributes almost nothing.

As I said, our mercato is closed. I think we were done with that slower than molasses Croatian. Nobody else is coming and if someone does I will surprised.

GiancarloC wrote:Oxlade is all speed and no brains.

And some of those other names we should stay away from. No need filling our team with filler that contributes almost nothing.

As I said, our mercato is closed. I think we were done with that slower than molasses Croatian. Nobody else is coming and if someone does I will surprised.

I totally disagree about your point on fillers. The perfect example is Borini: we hate to see his clueless ass on the pitch, but have you imagined what the situation would be like without him? He's started every single game, and that is no small "contribution."

Unfortunately, and I feel terrible for having to say this, but right now we need fillers more than any other big club. As things stand, we can't afford to care about whether Oxlade is all speed and no brain or vice versa; we need depth, and as we know there isn't much money left, superstars can wait.

The defense is simply awesome, as it is peopled with superstars, young talents and fillers in optimal proportion. But in midfield and attack, so dire the situation is that fillers are welcome of any age and track record.

In retrospect, letting go of Kucka has been our biggest mercato mistake as he was the perfect vice-Kessie. We could also have extended Pasalic's loan deal and purchased Mati outright for less than 2m. It's maximally baffling that Sosa and Mauri are here, but those three are gone. Actually, baffling is not the word: it's idiotic.

But in attack, though we succeeded in letting go of useless scrub, we've added absolutely, utterly no wide men.

I hope you'll be proven wrong on Mercato as well. It'd be a catastrophe if you were proven right.
I prefer to keep dreaming, for it will not result in prosecution. If Montella's and his bosses' heads are in the right place, we will no doubt do something, even if the incoming players should be no more than fillers.

Then we end up midtable forever. Either we need to sign bigger names or we will never accomplish anything. It is too late to sign anyone big and no one else is coming. Fassone said we are good as we are.