Doubts about Milan transfers and Maldini’s fears proved justified

Milan were one of the most active clubs in the summer window, but a few doubts that had emerged during the latest transfer campaign have proved to be justified, just like Paolo Maldini’s fears, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.

Milan are on the verge of being eliminated from the Champions League group phase and have won just one of the last five Serie A games, sitting third in the table, six points below leaders Inter.

The Rossoneri had had a great start to the season, which brought them to the top of the Serie A table after eight rounds, two points clear of Inter despite a heavy 5-1 loss in a derby della Madonnina. Somehow, it was not entirely expected as the Rossoneri had welcomed many new faces over the summer, financing almost fully their transfer campaign with the sale of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle.

Midfield and attack were entirely reshaped with the signings of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tijjani Reijnders, Yunus Musah, Samuel Chukwueze, Christian Pulisic, Noah Okafor, Luka Romero and Luka Jovic. Although the early signs were promising, shortcomings in building the squad soon emerged.

Former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi was one of those raising eyebrows during the summer when noticing Milan had signed no Italian players except second-choice keeper Marco Sportiello. Now, it is not guaranteed that more Italians in the team would have brought different results at San Siro, even if it may be easier for an Italian player in an Italian team to feel a higher sense of belonging, especially in the early stages.

At the same time, the Rossoneri seem to lack an influential leader in the dressing room. They have experienced players like Olivier Giroud and others who have been around for a few years such as Davide Calabria – the only Italian regular starter – Rafael Leao and Ismael Bennaer. Still, it feels that the departures of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paolo Maldini have left a void and it doesn’t sound surprising that Gerry Cardinale is in talks with Ibra to make him return to Milanello as a club director or an addition to Pioli’s staff.

Furthermore, during the summer, Milan were looking for a centre-forward who would not make Giroud’s absence felt and could potentially fight for a starting spot with the Frenchman. Okafor was initially drafted in, but the versatile Swiss international was mainly seen as a winger by Pioli, so the Rossoneri pounced on Fiorentina exile Jovic to complete their attacking department on the deadline day.

The Diavoli had targeted Marcus Thuram, but once the Frenchman chose Inter, they turned their attention to different players, waiting until the last day of negotiations to sign a backup for Giroud. La Gazzetta dello Sport has recently reported that Milan have targeted Jonathan David for January, suggesting that club directors still feel the attacking department was not completed over the summer.

This is not to say Milan have signed weak players. Most of them are adapting relatively quickly. Pulisic has four goals and two assists, Reijnders has been playing consistently, and Chukwueze scored his first Milan goal against Borussia Dortmund last night. The point is that this team may not be enough for short-term success, which is what the above-mentioned Maldini feared.

It is no secret that the former defender expected higher investments from the club without necessarily selling a big asset. He had also targeted different reinforcements, such as Domenico Berardi, but the Rossoneri owners opted to continue on the ‘sustainability’ path, signing young players at a relatively low price and hoping to make them develop, help Milan win trophies and leave for higher sums.

It had worked in the previous season as Milan ended the 2022-23 financial year with a €6m net profit, but off the pitch, the Rossoneri are now running the risk of not achieving crucial, short-term results such as qualifying for the Champions League Round of 16, despite the Group of Death.

@lorebetto