Thursday 6 August 2015

Honda wanted by Premier League clubs

There are some players in the team that doesn't fit into Mihajlovic's plan and the Serbian is not satisfied with them at Rossoneri club, such as Verdi and Agazzi and Zaccardo.

Recently, Honda has joined the list. The Japanese, who had joined Ac Milan free in January 2014 and was expected to do a lot for the team.

According to reports from Tuttosport this morning, the Japanese doesn't want to be seen as just a way of marketing the brand in Asia. His number 10 shirt is the most sold in the Middle East, and there are a lot of sponsors for him in Japan. 

Milan are making the most of the player commercially, especially with a lot of newspapers and magazines put his picture on the cover.

During the Audi Cup the player's accompanies met with Galliani to understand Honda's condition with the club. The Japanese international has many clubs interested in him especially in England such as Tottenham and Everton. Keisuke Honda prefers to play as the playmaker, but is not doing very well. As well as the fact that coach Mihailovic has several alternatives in this position such as Bonaventure, Menez, and Suso. The Japanese wants to feel that he is an important part in Mihajlovic's formation, and if thats not the case then he prefers to leave the club. The coach is also not convinced with his performances during pre-season and wouldn't mind letting him go. The upcoming days will bring more information about the owner of the number 10.

Wednesday 5 August 2015

Match Report: Bayern Munich - Milan 3-0

The fact that we played two good games against Inter and Real Madrid got us all thinking that we can really do something against the team that won against Barcelona with seven goals on aggregate in the Champions League.

The spirit and the intense training that we read and witnessed in videos and heard about pushed us to think that we are ready to take Serie A to the next level, and even when we heard Marchisio's comments about Milan being Juve's competitors for the Scudetto.

Some of you will say it's Bayern Munich, or they are at home or even that we only have one month of preparation, and i agree with all that but the fact that we only saw their goalkeeper in the 44th minute is embarrassing and we all saw how that attitude changed for 15 minutes in the second half, we missed the character that Miha was trying to rebuild and he expressed his feelings on the pitch kicking the ball back furiously at a wrong pass which we saw a lot of. 

As usual Miha started with a classic 4-3-1-2 with Bacca and Adriano as forwards and Honda behind the strikers, Bertolacci and Bonaventura as wide Midfielders with De Jong as a safety CM. In the back we had a ghost of a Right Back "De Sciglio" Ely and Zabata with very solid performances for both regardless of the first goal and yet another ghost on the Left back with Antonelli.

The game started and with more than 20 minutes passed we could see that position was almost 80% to the home side and all of a sudden we had 2 right backs and 2 left as Bona and Berto were defending stupidly without any effectiveness what so ever. The strikers were forced to push back for lack of support with all communications channels broken into pieces thanks to Honda's lack of basic passing skills or by Munich's Midfielders characteristic. And what killed me the most was that there wasn't any real tactics behind all i saw was someone trying to prove that he is the best team in the world forgetting what team they were up against. 

For now we will keep on praying that the three more names that we all really wants "IbraRomagnoli and Witsel" will join before the season starts so we can really try and start to call it a new project, even though if you really ask me a left-back is so important that we really can't ignore at all.

My Rating for AC Milan Players out of 10:

D. Lopez: 5
Nothing much to say, but he's the best signing for years.

De Sciglio: 3
I really loved him back in his debut season, but the fact that he's not even trying anymore is what's killing me the most. The way he acted on the second goal wasn't even Italian "Defensive wise" he was looking at the ball stupidly like from minute one he was saying we will lose for sure so why try at all, and i swear if we played the same way we did against Real Madrid we would have our heads held high and so happy with the work but no he wants to remind you of Pippo's bad period.  

Zapata: 5.5
We can't blame him for that stupid goal, but the fact that he stopped this side for more than one time was fantastic.

R. Ely: 5.5
All friendly's long, i did enjoy this player the most along Calabria, he's putting on a good performance after another and i can't see anything but good future for him.

Antonelli: 3.5
Just one more over De Sciglio so i can point out how disappointed i am of him, but both players didn't do anything that impressed.

De Jong: 6
The only player i love that we have in games like this, as if we missed him it would've been a disaster that we would have been talking about today and if he had scored that long ranger, Guardiola would have giving him the Audi cup himself.

Bonaventura: 4.5
Playing wide wasn't the way to go, and with lack of concentration on the defensive side i can't say anymore.

Bertolacci: 5
Worked and ran a lot, but no focus, losing the ball had to cover more than one position which is hard for a young player at the moment.

Honda: 4.5
All over the place, tried some good moves, but had to defend more than help on the offensive side

Bacca and L. Adriano: 5
Both did their defensive part and we witnessed some movements in the second half but without any good Mid's i can't really rank a striker unless he's Messi and even he sometimes can't do anything without his supporting actors.

Tuesday 4 August 2015

Audi Cup - AC Milan's prostate exam?

The already classic and prestigious pre-season tournament, Audi Cup, with no less than Bayern Munich vs A.C. Milan will start in just a few hours. But why do we use these shocking words to speak about this beautiful game?

Yes, we used "prostate exam", a name as uncomfortable as it's meaning. But this name is a perfect metaphor to analyze what Milan is facing today. This is a test to see if we are in a good shape, if we are healthy, if we can go on with our life as it is or if we have to take care of some aspects. And the best way to face our reality is to go to the doctor Bayern Munich without no fear.

We will be playing against one of the best teams in the world, we were one of these huge teams, our players and staff were full of stars, and we were representing Italy in the best way. This can hurt a little, but we have to face it, analyze it and move on. The best way to move on and also going back to our best level is going through hard tests.

Today, we are in a crisis. We can say that we are facing the 50 years crisis, and you all know that means we have to take that uncomfortable test at that age. We were young once, very healthy, winning against the same teams in this tournament, showing a great football. Today we have to reinvent our self, discover our weaknesses and react immediately.

Is Rodrigo Ely ready to be the second central defence? Is Mexes the first central? Is our defence complete? Will the middle guys be able to stop Bayern's army and try to build some maneuver? Are the new players ready to be a part of Sinisa's project? Are they enough to plug the holes of last year?

These are the uncomfortable questions that this hard test will try to answer, even if pre-season games don't tell the whole story.

Witsel Intermediary: "Zenit wants €30"

Witsel's Intermediary (Riccardo Napolitano) has once again spoked about his client's possible move to Milan. 

"If Zenit has dropped their asking price to €30m? Yes, they would let Witsel leave for €30m, but they could also accept €25+bonuses"

"At the moment, Zenit have received no official offer for Witsel."

Milan, who have been following Witsel for a while now, is not the only club interested in the Belgian's services, with Juventus showing their interest as well.

"Who is in pole position for Witsel between Juve and Milan? Milan has followed him for a long time and has not dropped their interest, while Juve's interest is a bit outdated. Anything can happen at any point."

Champions League play has been rumored to be a big part of Witsel's decision but Napolitano denies this.

"If Champions League will be decisive in his decision on which club he joins? Absolutely not. He wants to play for a top club. Juve and Milan are on the same level for him."

"When negotiations can start? Anything after mid-August will be a good time, but I think it could go down to the last days of the transfer market, when Galliani usually lands his targets."



Thursday 30 July 2015

AC Milan vs Real Madrid: The Positives

The game against Real Madrid has provided us fans with a lot of hope and optimism. I dare to say that the lost today has given a lot more promise than the win against Inter. Here are some of the postives from the match.

Match Report: Milan 0-0 Real Madrid (9-10 PK)

Milan line-up: Diego López; De Sciglio, Ely, Alex, Antonelli, De Jong, Poli, Bertolacci, Suso, Niang Cerci.

Real Madrid line-up: Keylor Navas; Danilo, Pepe, Varane, Arbeloa, Modric, Casemiro, Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Lucas Vásquez.

FIRST HALF:

Milan dominated the first quarter of the match. What Mihajlovic pursue in the hard training session was shown on the pitch. Antonelli had the first chance of goal of the game by eluding some rivals Maradona’s style and finally Navas stopped the shot.
De Sciglio and Poli were responsible of controlling Cristiano Ronaldo’s attempt to dribble to seek for his objectives in the field.

Niang demonstrated big efforts, skills and showed great movements in the attacking line. He made some attempts that made Madrid’s keeper struggled with. Rodrigo Ely, as in the past games has been a solid wall and guaranteed security in the back line of the team, once again proved that he has great talent.

SECOND HALF:

Milan line-up: Diego López; De Sciglio, Mexès, Zapata, Antonelli; De Jong, Montolivo, Mauri, 
Honda; Adriano, Bacca.

Real Madrid line-up: Casilla; Danilo, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa; Kroos, Casemiro, Isco, Bale; Cristiano Ronaldo, Jesé.

The second half started the same way as the first half. Milan’s winning mentality made them attack constantly even if their rivals were Real Madrid. The white team tried to control the game with the help of Isco who created a good chance by crossing the ball to find Cristiano Ronaldo’s header, fortunately saved by Diego López’s foot.

The new attacking duo of AC Milan improved the movement in the attacking line and displayed a more offensive team.  Honda crossed a ball that Zapata brought down with his head for Carlos Bacca who made a beautiful volley and Casilla made an extraordinary save.

Mihajlovic made his moves and made substitutions. Donnaruma, Calabria and Paletta replaced López, De Sciglio and Antonelli. Then, Luiz Adriano stole a ball from Sergio Ramos and made a perfect counterattack with his teammate Bacca. The Brazilian passed the ball to the Colombian who let Madrid’s defense on the floor but his shot was saved by once again, Casilla.

Finally, the match ended up 0-0. Milan did not concede in the entire pre-season tournament. Sinisa subbed Mexès for Matri and the match had to be decided by penalties. Milan had 16 year-old GK Donnaruma…

PENALTIES:

De Jong O
Matri O
Bacca X
Honda O
L. Adriano O
Montolivo O
Zapata O
Mauri O
Calabria O
Paletta O
Donnaruma X (He saved Kroos’s penalty)

Real Madrid ended up with the tittle of the International Champions Cup 2015, however Milan showed a great game-play.




He regrets joining Milan instead of Inter?

According to Goal.com, Alessio Cerci who arrived on a loan-transfer from Atlético Madrid last season, said to Tuttosport that he didn’t like the way he was treated by the team last season.  The Italian international stated that he had many offers in the last January’s transfer window but opted to choose the second most successful team in Europe: AC Milan.

"I made the mistake to trust people. Several clubs wanted me, including Inter, but I eventually picked Milan because they gave me the guarantee that I would play all games,"


Last season, due to bad performances and disagreements with Pippo Inzaghi, Cerci had 9 appearances, scored only 1 goal and made 4 assists. The player was not happy with the situation and his girlfriend, Federica Riccardi, attacked Pippo Inzaghi when she was commentating for RAI's programme "Quelli Che Il Calcio":


“Alessio is in good shape, it makes no sense to introduce him at the end of the match. It’s completely pointless.” She argued.


Now, before the preseason game vs Real Madrid, Cerci said that the promises made by Milan were broken:


"This was never the case in the end. I never played more than two games in a row. There was no rotation and I was substituted more than anyone else. They were not clear to me. I had not been playing much for three to four months and it was obvious that I needed game time and faith. I never got that," Cerci alleged.


Nevertheless, even though Milan brought the top scorer of the Europa League, Carlos Bacca and the second top scorer of the Champions league, Luiz Adriano and (only one goal behind Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar) it's possibly bringing Ibrahimovic back according to Alfredo Pedulla, Cerci is determined to win himself a spot in the initial team of the 2015-2016 season:


"I know that there is stiff competition for places, but I am second to none if I train well. I can challenge any attacker. I feel the confidence of the club now and I am enjoying a fine pre-season. I have great desire and determination." The player stated.


The early declarations of Milan’s forward mentioned tons of times that he refused Inter to join the red and black team of Milano, Is he regretting the move to Milan or he is simply expressing his frustration in order to convince Sinisa to start him up?


Tuttosport claimed that AC Milan is keen by saying that the Italian is not for sale, but after this interview, we will have to wait and see what August will mean to Alessio’s future.




Monday 27 July 2015

Witsel to Milan? Updates:

Axel Witsel from Zenit St.Petersburg has been linked with AC milan and Chelsea this summer. His price is too high and both teams are not willing to meet it. Axel is a strong midfielder who could make a huge contribution to Milan especially since Montolivo is not reliable due to the mistakes he makes and the amount of injuries he suffer.

Negotiations with Witsel had died off in the past week since his price was too high and Galliani's main focus was on Romagnoli and Ibrahimovic. Does a shift to focus back on witsel mean that the deal for Romagnoli has been confirmed? Only time can tell. According to Mediaset "There could be a new contact today between Roma & Milan for Romagnoli at the Serie A fixtures draw". 

Witsels intermediary has been getting a lot of attention from the few phrases he has said:

"Negotiations blocked? Absolutely not. Milan are still negotiating about Witsel's arrival."

"It's not a simple deal, which is why the Rossoneri are dealing very cautiously." 

"I think that Milan will do anything to bring Witsel. He's waiting and would be thrilled to play for Milan."

We have seen this before with Jackson Martinez's agent. This could be a way to just get Chelsea to make a bigger offer or for other teams to make their move, or the agent is just being honest and that Milan actually is the destination for Witsel by the end of this summer. 

Milan seems to be getting stronger and stronger with more players coming in. Inter Milan have just confirmed Jovetic's arrival and the Milan derby will certainly be something to look forward to again. 

Forza Milan


M'Baye Niang to Newcastle?

Newcastle United, have according to TMW, made a €6-7M offer for the French striker M'Baye Niang. Will Milan sell their young talent?  

The English mid-table club has been trying to sign Niang again and again. Especially headcoach McClaren is really attracted by him.

However, Niang preferred to stay in Italy and in January 2015 he chosed CFC Genoa and moved there on loan. In 14 games for Genoa he scored five goals and two assists, including a goal against AC Milan. The season with Genoa has brought life back into Niang's career.  

Currently Niang is playing for Milan. He made two remarkable appearances against Lyon and Inter. The 20 year-old is physically and mentally on a high level, showing a big potential.  Milan's headcoach Sinisa Mihajlovic didn't accept the offer from the English club. "Niang remains at Milanello, at least until a new striker comes." Milan won't let go such a great talent. But if Zlatan Ibrahimovic joins Milan, there will be no more space for Niang. He would have to face a competition with Menez, Honda, Bacca, Ibrahimovic, Cerci, Luiz Adriano, etc. 

Possibly Niang will be loaned out for the next season. What can be said is that ACM won't sell Niang, epsecially not for a sum like €6-7M. He has a great potential and could be very important for Milan's future.

Thursday 23 July 2015

Zapata's possible renewal.

If Milan signs Romagnoli, who would be his partner in the defense?

Milan has many players in the defense nowadays: Paletta, Alex, Zapata, Mexes. However, the Rossoneri’s performance in that part of the field has been out of an excellent level since the two lasts seasons. Therefore, the priority regarding il mercato is signing a central defender like Roma’s 20 year old Romagnoli, who is the coach’s and team’s preferred option. Tuttosport has claimed that the Brazilian defender Alex will leave the team if the Italian prospect arrives, with Besiktas, Antalyaspor and Santos interested. Nevertheless, what about the ones who are actually staying?

Mihajilovic was impressed by Zapata’s performance with his national team Colombia in the recent Copa América, where he managed to control football’s talents such as Ángel Di María or Neymar Jr. Consequently, according to Tuttosport, the Serbian coach will try to bring back his full potential at a club’s level.


On the other hand, CalcioMercato.com has reported that due to Sinisa’s desires, the club will try to find an agreement with the Colombian player to renew his contract that expires in June, 2016. If the news are true, then it is most likely that the partner for the center-back that reinforces Milan’s defense will be partnered up with Cristian Zapata.
 

Updates on Ibrahimovic, Witsel and Romagnoli

Romangoli, Ibrahimovic, and possibly Witsel will arrive this August

According to Matteo Pedrosi, Romagnoli is going to be a Milan player no later than the 4th of August.

As of Ibrahimovic, he recently told the media that his future is in Mino Raiola hands, which could mean he's really close to joining Milan as Raiola has a good relation with Milan and Galliani.

Regarding Witsel, he has recently refused an offer from Chelsea, and could be waiting for AC Milan as there was news earlier this week that he was told to not take any "serious" decisions regarding his future until August. Probably by then Milan would've already acquired a defender "Romagnoli" and an attacker "Ibrahimovic" and their hands would be empty for the Witsel deal.

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Player Profile: Carlos Bacca

The new signing of AC Milan, Carlos Bacca recently arrived to Milan and he's currently with the squad for the team’s preseason in China. The Rossoneri payed €30 million for the player who will earn €3.5 million per year. The Colombian striker will wear number 70 because it was the number he used in the Colombian league.

Carlos Bacca started his professional career In Junior F.C (The most prestigious club of the north of Colombia) in 2006. At first, he did not have much playing time making he’s loan to the second division of Colombia (Barranquilla F.C) and then Venezuela (Minervén) a reality. Bacca scored 24 goals and gained fame as a feared striker.

He accomplished to win the league in Colombia with 73 goals on 130 apps. However, what majority of people do not know is that he worked as a bus driver and as an angler to sustain his family due to economic problems.

Thanks to his excellent performances, in 2012, he signed with the Belgian club Brugge where he made 45 appearances and scored 28 goals becoming the top striker of the Belgian league. After a majestic form in the season 2012-2013, he won the player of the year in Belgium.

Whilst Bacca increased his goals, several teams of Europe got interested in his talent but Sevilla were the ones to catch him in their nets. He signed for €7 million. The Colombian striker reached a word class level with the Spanish club scoring 34 goals in 71 appearances. Likewise, he was a fundamental part in the gaining of the two titles of UEFA Europa League (2013-2014 and 2014-2015) that Sevilla managed to win. The 28 year-old striker was voted as the best signing of  2013-2014 by Spanish journal MARCA as well as the season's best player, ahead of Real Madrid's Angel Di Maria and FC Barcelona's Neymar.

Meanwhile, in his national team he has not been lucky. Carlos Bacca was included in Colombia’s national team squad for World cup 2014; nevertheless, he only played a game because of injuries. Correspondingly, in the recent Copa América, he was sanctioned with two matches for an incident between him and Neymar jr. The player has scored 7 goals in 20 appearances.

WhoScored qualifies him as centre forward with 7.11 rating; His strengths is finishing, while his passing and offside awareness are his weaknesses. His style of playing tells that Bacca is an indirect set piece threat and does not dive against rival’s tackles.

Milan is anxious to see him with the Rossoneri shirt. Let us wait and see if he reaches his full potential in Italy, and as he has stated is his wish, to take the team 



Milan interested in Olivier Kemen

Olivier Kemen, a 19 year old French midfielder who has attracted many European clubs including AC Milan due to his unique talent.

According to French news papers, AC Milan have grown a recent interest in the Newcastle youngster. He has attracted the attention of many clubs like Liverpool and Tottenham. Kemen, born in 1996, is a very talented midfielder with a very bright future ahead.

In 2013, he transferred from French side FC Metz to EPL side Newcastle, where he plays for the under-19 team. He prefers to play as a central midfielder, but doesn't mind playing as an attacking or a defensive midfielder.

If Milan sign him, they will be building a very young and competitive squad, with the likes of Niang and Suso upfront,  Mastour and Mauri in the midfield, and De Sciglio, Calabria in the back, and the possible arrival of the highly rated center back Romagnoli.

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Transfer recap! "Menez will stay at Milan"

Cerci wants Torino return

Tuttosport claims that Cerci is pushing for a return to Torino, who can only loan him with salary to be paid by Milan.

Cerci where one of Torino's stars in the 2013/14 season before he left for Spanish club Atletico Madrid.

Mihajlovic willing to sell Menez

Leggo reports that Mihajlovic has given his go-ahead to sell Menez, who could join El Shaarawy at Monaco. While Menez's agent later on denied these romours saying: "Jeremy will definitely stay at Milan. There has been no contact with Liverpool."

Milan still interested in Witsel

Tuttosport reports that Milan have asked Witsel through intermediaries to wait a couple of weeks until a final decision is made regarding negotiations. Chelsea are reportedly ready to offer €34m for the Belgian.

Albertazzi to leave Milan

Albertazzi is close to joining Bologna, where he spent his youth career before moving to Milan in 2008. [MilanNews]

Soriano an alternative

If AC Milan fail to sign Axel Witsel, they will focus on signing Roberto Soriano, according to CorSera.

Soriano played under Sinisa Mihajlovic's management at Sampdoria last season, and seem willing to reunite with his former coach.

Romagnoli still on Milan's radar

CdS reports that Galliani probably will re-open the Romagnoli-negotiations with Roma next week. The player still prefers to join Milan. Milan have offered €25m for the defender while Roma still wants €30m.

Oduamadi to Sanliurfaspor 

Oduamadi has signed a 1-year loan deal with Turkish club Sanliurfaspor.





Monday 20 July 2015

Transfer Recap: Romagnoli Optimism, Chelsea bid for Witsel

Players on Market Staying Behind

CorSera reported today that four players will not travel to China with the team for the Asian pre-season tour. Goalkeeper Michael Agazzi, Defenders Albertazzi and Zaccardo, and attacker Simone Verdi will stay in Italy, as the club intends to sell them this summer. Rumors later circulated that Hachim Mastour could also be left out of Mihajlovic's squad.

Gazzetta has reported that Simone Verdi is "very close" to completing a move to Genoa for around €1.5  million.

Alex Offers From Turkey

Tuttosport reported today that Besiktas of Turkey are interested in Milan's Brazilian defender Alex, joining Santos FC and fellow Turkish outfit, Antalyaspor as possible destinations for the centerback.

Zlatan Back to Milan

MilanNews joined almost every other media outlet in Italy in confirming that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will join the club within ten days. News was broken over the weekend that Zlatan will be allowed to leave Paris-St. Germain after the French Supercup in Montreal on August 1st. Ibra will reportedly sign a three year deal work €7.5 million a season.

Milan Wait on Witsel, Chelsea Make A Bid

MilanNews also reported today that Milan will shift focus back to Zenit St. Petersburg Midfielder, Axel Witsel, once the club signs Ibrahimovic and a central defender. However Milan may have waited too long, as CdS reported today that English club Chelsea have submitted a €34 million bid, close to the Russian club's valuation of the Belgian, and have a verbal agreement and can negotiate with the player.

Optimism Over Romagnoli

Mediaset claims AC Milan's bid for Roma's center back, Alessio Romagnoli is €25 million + €3 million in added bonuses and MilanNews confirmed Milan will not exceed this bid. While it was reportedly rejected by Roma, there is optimism in Italy that Romagnoli will end up a Milan player, as he is reportedly pushing for the move.

Preseason Profits

CorSport reported this evening that Milan stand to make €4.5 million in their preseason tours of China and Germany next month. Milan will first travel to China to play in the Intercontinental Championship, playing rivals Inter and Spanish giants, Real Madrid, before coming back to Europe to participate alongside Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup.





Sunday 19 July 2015

Milan's Forgotten Midfielder

After last season, everyone associated with Milan, wanted to forget it ever happened. Players, supporters and management. With a little bright spots to look at, no player will be hoping for a fresh start with new boss Sinisa Mihajlovic more than former club captain Riccardo Montolivo. Monto, as he is affectionately called by Milan's fanbase, was restricted to just 9 starts last season and only made 1 more appearance off the bench. After a gruesome leg break in the warm up to last years FIFA World Cup, it can come as little surprise. Nonetheless, it is a season Montolivo will want to forget. 

Under former boss, Filippo Inzaghi, Montolivo was marginalized in an ever changing formation. When he did play, Milan was so poor he could hardly influence the match.  He averaged just an 80.4% pass completion on just over 42 attempted passes per match. To put that into perspective, in his first year with Milan in 2012-2013 Montolivo averaged an 86.4% completion on 66.5 pass attempts per match.  In that same year, Monto had an average match rating of 7.46 compared to the 6.76 he averaged this season.  

In the new formation Miha plans to play, 4-3-1-2, Monto has the ability to play anywhere in the midfield diamond.  His best position may be as a RCM or LCM flanking Nigel de Jong. With de Jong taking up the defensive responsibilities, Montolivo can express himself in more of a shuttling role alongside the destroyer. In his first season with Milan, Monto averaged a whopping 12.1 long balls a game. He was always on the lookout for the imposing Mario Balotelli or the speedster Stephen El Shaarawy who frequently looked to get in behind.  Although that year Max Allegri mostly opted for a 4-3-3, Monto has the chance to showcase his passing rage with both Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca.  

Montolivo should be able to play with Milan's 20 million man, Andrea Bertolacci. Where Montolivo is better sitting deeper and playing from a less advanced position, Bertolacci can get forward much better. With 6 goals and 8 assists for Genoa last season as well as 1.4 key passes per game (a pass that leads to a shot) Bertolacci can influence the attack. Defensively, Monto is a better player than Bertolacci. Where Bertolacci averages 2 tackles and 1 interception a game in his career, Monto averages 3 tackles and 2.6 interceptions. Adding this steel to the midfield will be a huge boost to an incredibly shaky defense.  

With the rumor mills circling, we could get the chance to see Monto playing alongside Ibrahimovic who could easily slot in to the #10 spot in the formation. If this does indeed happen, Monto will be all the more necessary in order to make up for the lack of defensive work the team would be bound to get from Ibra. For all his brilliance offensively, Ibrahimovic will leave us with 1 less defensive player on a team who severely struggled defensively last season.  

Riccardo Montolivo has the chance to be a key player for Milan next season. If he can get back to his best, Milan could be Juventus's biggest Scudetto threat next season. If he has another poor year, Milan will struggle to find a midfield inspiration that can do all he can. I loved Bonaventura last season, but he is better replacement, or competition to Bertolacci. A lot could ride on Monto, but he should be up for the test. He is Milan's forgotten man, and keeping the spotlight off him will help.  

**all stats are courtesy of whoscored.com

Transfer recap! Attacking trio off the market.

Front 3 set to remain.

In recent days, it has been reported that Cerci, Niang and Suso could be on their way out of Milan but, Milannews reports that all 3 are off the market and will not be joining Genoa. Corriere Dello Sport claims that Milan have said no to Genoa about sending Suso and Niang out on loan.


Milan still eyeing a top defender.

As many news outlets have been reporting as well as members of the Milan board the Rossoneri are looking for a defender to strengthen the back line. Gazzetta Dello Sport are reporting that Milan have made an offer to Zenit center-back Ezequiel Garay and the offer is in the region of €25m.

Duo in the race for Verdi.

Corriere Dello Sport reports that Capri and Atalanta are in the race to sign Milan attacker Simone Verdi and that Genoa are not interested in the player.

Colombian delight for Milan.

Milan fans will be delighted to know that Carlos Bacca has arrived in Milan today and will be available at Mihajlovic disposal from tomorrow. The Colombian striker has recently been on holiday in his home nation and is now ready to start training with his new team.

Permission granted for after French super cup.

Alfredo Pedulla a very reliable journalist this market has reported that Ibrahimovic will be allowed to move to Milan after the French super cup final on the 1st August. It's reported that Ibra has a pact with PSG that allows him to move once the super cup final has been played. The contract has been agreed with Milan and the rumours are Zlatan will sign a 3-year contract with the Rossoneri earning €7.5m per year.

Is the €30 Million Arsenal and AC Milan target defender Romagnoli really worth it?

Milan have had a very interesting Transfer Market so far. Purchasing players like Luiz Adriano, Carlos Bacca, Bertolacci; while also landing players like Jose Mauri on free transfers. Milan in the past season have been known for their weak Midfield and Defending. Even though they managed to get a high number of goals, it was all thanks to Jeremy Menez who had a good season. Besides Menez, none of the attackers really performed well other than Honda in the first 3-4 games.

Milan have significantly improved their midfield while still after players in the likes of Fellaini and Witsel. While still waiting on Ibrahimovic. Milan have been linked to Romagnoli from AS Roma for the past 3-4 weeks. The player played under Sinisa Mijhalovic last season at Sampdoria whilst being on loan. Mijhalovic is very keen on signing the Italian youngster, however he has said "I like strawberries, but i will never overpay for them" stating that he would not spend alot of money on the player. Romagnoli is a good defender, left footed, strong, athletic and fast. He is exactly what AC Milan need. It is however a risk because of his age since he hasn't developed. It is hard to tell whether players will improve to be good or bad.

For teams like Milan, who are finishing mid table but aren't supposed to; they have to take such risks and spend huge amounts of money on players. The outcome of the players performance will be seen in the future however if he does turn out to be a flop, Milan have the right to say they did purchase him and it wasn't their fault.

Arsenal are however moving really close to the defender according to Metro news. The headline states "Alessio Romagnoli cleared for Arsenal transfer with Roma happy to sell to Gunners over Ac Milan". It will be tough to see another strongly linked player move to another team. Like Kondogbia, however Milan have their eyes set on players like Garay from Zenit St Petersburg and Laporte from Athletico Bilbao.

Personally, i believe that Romagnoli will be worth the money since Milan have that money available, the rest is up to the player and how he performs.

Bacca: "I want to score many goals"

Milan signing Carlos Bacca arrived in Milano today and spoked briefly about his transfer to the San Siro side.

"Why Milan? It is a great and very ambitious club," Bacca told reporters at Malpensa airport.

"My goal is to score many goals and bring Milan back to the top and to the Champions League. I promise to give everything in games and training in order to reach our objectives."

"Number 70? It's a number I had in Colombia, but I couldn't have in Spain. Here the chance occured and I took it."

Bacca also spoked about a possible Ibrahimovic return and said that "he would help the team a lot."

"Ibrahimovic is a player who scores many goals. I don't know what will happen, but if he arrived, he would help a lot."


BREAKING: Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Milan in August

Reports out of Italy this past week have suggested that Milan will push for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in August and SportItalia's Alfredo Pedulla has confirmed that this is true.

"Ibrahimovic has a pact with the Sheik. He will leave Paris-St. Germain for free after the French Supercup on August 1st, and will sign a three year deal with Milan worth €7.5 million per year. PSG will sign Lyon-striker Lacazette as a replacement." 



Saturday 18 July 2015

Milan suffered first defeat under Mihajlovic



LYON: Lopes; Jallet, Umtiti, Rose, Bedimo; Tolisso, Gonalons (C), Ferri; Fekir; Beauvue, Njie.


Subs: Gorgelin, Benzia, Grenier, Kalulu, Kone, Labidi, Lacazette, Malbranque, Mvuemba, Zeffane

MILAN: Diego Lopez; Calabria, Alex, Ely, De Sciglio; De Jong, Nocerino, Bertolacci; Bonaventura; Niang, Suso.

Subs: Abbiati, Donnarumma, Paletta, Antonelli, Mauri, Honda, Poli, Montolivo, Mexes, Cerci, Matri.  


The rossoneri travelled to France for what was their third pre-season friendly after previous wins over Alcione and Legnano.

Milan enjoyed more of the possession in the opening exchanges, keeping the ball well and winning a series of corners, but unable to test the Lyon goalkeeper or fashion out any clear-cut chances. After 19 minutes Niang latched onto a superb through ball by Suso and showed great strength to work himself into a shooting position before shooting agonisingly wide. Then, against the run of play the home side broke the deadlock and took the lead when Fekir curled a free-kick past Diego Lopez after 24 minutes.

After the interval, Milan almost scored through Poli from a good Cerci assist. Lyon almost made in 2-0 but Diego Lopez was at his best to deny Jallet from making it 2-0 for the French side, blocking the Frenchman’s shot from close range. Moments later Poli found the equaliser in spectacular fashion, rifling the ball past Lopes with an unstoppable right foot screamer from distance. Finally, it was the home side that went on to regain their lead on 80 minutes through Lacazette and it proved to be the game’s winning goal.

This means that Milan suffered their first pre-season friendly lost, and also the first lost under Mihailovic. Overall, it wasn't a bad game, but it definitely showed the fragilties in our defence, especially for Lyon's winning goal. Hopefully,  reinforcements in that department will come sooner rather than later.



Transfer recap! €100m funding!

Galliani to get more money.

Mr. Bee will soon complete the acquisition of 48% of Milan's shares with the Thai set to be in Milano next weekend according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport. La Republicca are reporting that Galliani will have another €100m to spend in the market because of the sale.

Who stays who goes?

La Gazzetta Dello Sport (GdS) are reporting what the chances are of players staying who have recently been linked with a move away from the club.
Niang 95%
Cerci 90%
Nocerino 65%
Suso 50%
GdS are confident that Niang will remain at the club this season where as there is a good chance that Suso might not be playing football at the San Siro this season. Corriere Della Sera reports that Mihajlovic want's to keep both Cerci and Suso at the Rossoneri this season. GdS claim that Suso could leave on loan. Mediaset claims that Empoli are interested in Milan's left back Albertazzi.

Milan, Genoa meeting.

Galliani today had a meeting with Genoa president and discussed a number of players that could be transferred between the 2 clubs. Niang and Suso have both been linked with a move to Genoa and they're 2 of the players that have been discussed today between Galliani and Preziosi. Niang's agent has said that "Niang will stay at Milan." According to Sky Simone Verdi was another name mentioned with the Milan youngster potentially heading to Genoa. Most names mentioned were Milan players linked with a potential move to Genoa but Matteo Pedrosi reports that Diego Perotti of Genoa has caught the eye of Milan with the Rossoneri said to be interested in the player.

Blues in for Witsel.

The Witsel saga continues with Corriere Dello Sport reporting that Chelsea are set to make a €34m offer to Zenit for the services of their midfielder. Witsel has been linked with a move to Milan and the Rossoneri are still interested in brining in a midfielder with one of Witsel and Soriano 2 of the options for Milan.

Roma defender on stand by.

Romagnoli is currently on stand by for the Rossoneri and Tuttosport are reporting that Astori is an alternative if Milan fail to sign the Italy U21 international.

Bacca on his way.

Carlos Bacca will arrive in Milan tomorrow after leaving Colombia today.






Agent: "Niang will stay at Milan"

Earlier today sky reported that M'baye Niang could be heading to Genoa, where he was on loan last season.

In an interview with CalcioNews24, Niang's agent denied the rumours about his client moving to Genoa.

"Could he go on loan to Genoa? No," Moussa Ndiaye told CalcioNews24.

“There are a lot of rumours in the transfer window, but everyone knows he has renewed with Milan. The loan to Genoa was a success, but his present is Milan."

“After having an operation in May, M’Baye didn’t go on holiday, he did everything to be fit and ready for the start of pre-season.
“Everything is ok, he’s working as hard as the rest of the team, and wants to prove that Milan were right to have faith in him.
“Of course, he’s attracted the attention of several Italian, English and French clubs, which is flattering, but the situation is clear.”



Friday 17 July 2015

Milan Top Ten Great Defenders

The search for quality defenders continue for Milan, as offers for Romagnoli continue to be rejected. Names such as Hummels and Savic were mentioned, but until now nothing has happened. As we wait for the saga to continue, it must be admitted that it has been a long time since we got a truly world class defender. Looking back, the last time would be Thiago Silva. Historically, Milan has been represented with so many top class defenders. This article is dedicated to look back at the players that we once have, and what has been missing for us this past few seasons.  Here are the top 10 defenders that has done the proud colours of the Rossoneri, in my lifetime that is.


10. Kakha Kaladze

Milan paid 16 million to Dynamo Kiev for him in 2001. He won eight trophies with Milan for nine seasons and can play in any part of the defence. That what makes him such an important part of Ancelotti's team.

Luiz Adriano: "I'll give my best for this shirt"

Milan signing Luiz Adriano arrived in Milano today and spoked briefly about his transfer to the San Siro side.

"I’m very happy to be here, and I can’t wait to make myself available for the Coach," Luiz Adriano told reporters at Malpensa airport.

"I worked with a personal trainer in Brazil, so physically I’m fine."

"I’m very happy to play for Milan, and I’ll give my best for this shirt. Many clubs were interested, but I decided to come to Milan."

“Why? For the club’s history, and for what they’ve done in football. There’s also a great tradition of Brazilian players here, so I’m happy.”

Thursday 16 July 2015

Transfer Recap! Reds chasing Milan hitman?

Liverpool interested in Milan hitman.

Mediaset reports that the Merseyside club have made an offer to the Rossoneri for Menez which is said to be in the region of €15m. The Frenchman bagged 16 goals for Milan last season in his first campaign with the club after joining them on a free transfer. With the arrivals of Bacca and Luiz Adriano and the potential arrival of Ibra, Menez could soon be on his way out of the San-Siro. Corriere Della Sera denies the Liverpool have made an offer for Menez.

Romagnoli saga continues.

The Romagnoli transfer situation is still ongoing with nobody quite sure if he will arrive at Milan or not. Galliani has said today that " We will not raise our €25m bid for Romagnoli." This could be classical mind games from Galliani in an attempt not to pay the full asking price and get Roma to lower their demands. SportItalia are reporting that Arsenal are interested in the center back, but that Milan are in pole position for his signature. La Republica claims that Milan will add €5m in bonuses to reach Roma's €30m asking price for the player.

Savic an alternative?

Reports are circulating that Milan's alternative to Romagnoli is Fiorentina's center back Savic who is a Montenegrin international. Tuttosport are reporting that the asking price for the defender is €25m. Galliani has given his comments on the Savic rumors. "Savic? We already have 5 central defenders which I think is the right number. We'll see."

Milan looking to offload.

Milan are looking to reduce their squad size to fit in with new rules for the coming season. Corriere Della Sera reports that Albertazzi, Agazzi and Verdi are 3 players that are expected to leave the squad this summer, Corriere Dello Sport reports that Milan are looking to get rid of Alessio Cerci who is currently on loan for another 12 months from Atletico Madrid.







Milan's Defender Search: Arsenal Join Romagnoli Search, Abdennour Linked to Milan, Savic Price Set

Milan are still looking for a new defender to bolster the center of their defense. The position is believe to be the top priority for Milan at the moment, with talks with Witsel and Ibrahimovic cooling off until Milan find their new central defender.

Gunners Join Romagnoli Race

Reports from Gazzetta dello Sport this morning claimed London club Arsenal FC are interested in Roma's young defender, Alessio Romagnoli. Roma has reiterated that their price is €30 million for the player and Arsenal could be willing to pay that much. Roma would prefer to sell Romagnoli to a club outside of Italy, but Milan remain in pole position, according to SportItalia.

Milan Vice President, Adriano Galliani spoke about the player today, saying Milan's most recent offer of €25 million is the final offer and is "non-negotiable". However, La Repubblica believes that while Milan's offer will remain €25 million, they could add up to €5 million in bonuses.

Abdennour Linked to Milan

Tunisian media caused a stir this morning, claiming Monaco's Tunisian defender, Aymen Abdennour, had completed a €30 million move to AC Milan who were linked to the defender last month and had their latest bid for Alessio Romagnoli rejected by AS Roma.

The links were quickly squashed on Twitter by Milan Director, Umberto Gandini, who reminded fans that Milan has acquired the only two Non-EU players it is allowed to this offseason, used by new strike-duo Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano.

Abdennour is believed to not have acquired a French passport, needing to have lived and played in France for five years, only having four under his belt.

Latest reports out of Italy this evening suggested by TMW that Milan could still purchase Abdennour and send him back to Monaco on loan this upcoming season or send him to another Serie A club with an open Non-EU spot.

Fiorentina Set Savic Price

ACF Fiorentina have set a price tag on their young Montenegrin defender, Stefan Savic. Tuttosport has reported that any club asking for Savic's services will need to pay €25 million. The player has been linked to Milan as an alternative if they fail to capture the signature of Roma's Alessio Romagnoli, with the player's agent, Zarko Pelicic, hinting the player would like to join Milan.

The decision would have to come soon, as English Giants, Manchester United, are interested in bringing the player back to the city, where he played for crosstown-rivals Manchester City for a season.

Calciomercato reported tonight that Zenit St. Petersburg have made an offer for Savic and the player could be heading to Russia.