The lawyer and football finance expert Felice Raimondo has explained why AC Milan are in such a good position to invest in the squad during the summer mercato.
One of the criticisms that has frequently been directed at the Milan ownership is that they have publicly bragged about how the financial situation of the club is so positive but this hasn’t necessarily been partnered with a big net spend.
For example, after the 2021-22 Scudetto win the big signing was Charles De Ketelaere from Club Brugge, but he was the only addition who cost a significant amount and as a result many argue that the momentum was lost. Another two trophy-less seasons have since followed.
Raimondo spoke on Radio Rossonera to talk about Milan’s financial situation in a way that most fans want to interpret it, i.e. what it means for the summer transfer window.
“Based on the data available from the information we have learned from the media, Milan should have increased its revenues from sponsorship by approximately €35m,” he said.
“The biggest increases linked to PUMA, Emirates and sleeve sponsor MSC. The increase compensates for the lower revenues from a worse European campaign [compared to last season] this year. We held our own, from this point of view.
“We could undoubtedly spend more than what we spend today. Also by virtue of UEFA rules, according to which Milan at the moment, if we add the two financial results of 2022-23 and 2023-24, should be at around +40 million.
“And UEFA will evaluate the three aggregates, and therefore also the next 2024-25. The sum of these can even reach €-60m. Milan could have a deficit of as much as -60.
“Considering that we start from €+40m, we could afford a deficit of €-100m. It seems absurd, but understand that there is room to invest more in the squad. We will certainly be able to spend more than in past years.
“I am confident that sporting ambitions will be increased. We have the ability to do so. If we are told that we want to win, the way to do it is to spend more and invest greater sums in the raw material, the squad.”
which means we can invest 140mil? would be a great thing to see #Moneyball operation try to spend 140mil on 3 players (CB, CDM and ST)
Spending doesn’t mean much when you buy rubbish. Out of last summer spending spree only Pulisic and Okafor from the bench showed something. Chuk can probably be counted as well once he gets full preseason. He’s showing glimpses. But the new 60 million midfield is utter sh*t.
To be honest Pulosic was an absolute steal, his figures could have been much higher with a more competitive team and a clinical finisher upfront. And Reijnders is not bad at all tbh, can’t call it a flop yet, the only one who doesn’t convince is RLC
Reijnders is not able to defend and not able to score or provide assists on a regular basis so he’s far from a key contributor.
I like Pulisic but he’s a non factor against top opponents so his value was probably right.
Absolutely you are wrong about reijnders he isn’t defensive player he is offensive player is like you are playing kaka in midfield defense which isn’t gonna work reijnders need good couch and good defensive midfielder next to him then he can show his class he is wonderful player
That’s rubbish.
Pulisic drew the winning penalty in the DFB Pokal final when he was 17. He scored, and was on a breakaway towards a second, when he popped his hamstring in an FA Cup final. People also seem to forget that when Chelsea won the Champions League, Pulisic tied Messi’s fouls against record because he was unplayable, scoring one and assisting a second of their three goals in the semifinal tie against Real Madrid.
that was before his injury.. Barth’s observation is in regards to this season. Pulisic didn’t put up points agaisnt the best teams consistently, be it in Europe or domestically He struggled to beat his markers when he was matched for speed or power and agility. He did well against weaker clubs.
I like Tijjani in the attacking phase, Milan already have Adli, then bring in Tijjani, RLC & Musah, they are not DMF, even though we need replacements for Kessie & Tonali. Milan needs a new defender To be a competitor to Tomori and Thiaw, management chose to bring in Pelegrino, while Inter could bring in Pavard.
Pulisic is the only high quality player we signed, and considering his old value and how well he’s been doing, you can pretty much call him a steal.
Reijnders isn’t that bad, but given how many midfielders we signed and the absolute catastrophy that is currently Musah, I’d have prefered we didn’t purchase both of them and go for a better midfielder, you know, a player actually better than Tonali.
To be faire to Loftus-Cheek he is a mezzala who is currently being used as a support striker, but I think purchasing a midfielder who can defend who have been better.
Chukwueze still has to prove himself.
We definitely need a top striker, defensive mid and a center back as long as we keep everything the way it is
Last years transfer campaign was brilliant.
Pulisic is maybe the best player this season.
Reijnders has developed into one of the best midfielders in europe and has become a key player on the Netherlands national team.
RLC has beside providing the club with goals and assist, added som physicality to the midfield.
Okafor is a key rotation player who has scored key goals.
Jovic, as a bench players, has provided what could be asked of him.
Musah is an extremely talented player who can be used on a lot of different positions. It is up to the manager to get the best out of him.
Chukwueze is the only disappointment. He doesn’t fit the kind of play that Milan plays.
I agree with you mostly. I would even add that RLC (often criticized) has provided goals despite being played out of position.
I like Musah. There’s a lot of potential there. Just needs time to develop. He can be a more complete DM than Kessie.
Chuk has improved a lot since the start of season and can only get better in his second year.
But the players brought in have a lot of potential.
We have a good core. Our players are good. The problem is they are used out of position, underperform because of it and the fans over react and call them “sh|t” LOL!!!
Reijnders is not a pivot player nor is he defensive.
RLC is not an attacking mid. He’s a box to box.
Puli hit the ground running but like the other players, fails in big games. Mainly because of poor tactics and management.
Adli is not a defensive mid. Benny isn’t a defensive mid but can work there with another Kessie figure.
The forwards we have are not suited for a 9 position. Oka, Jovic would do better in a two striker system.
Pioli has been jamming square pegs into round holes all season because of his tactical limits AND because no DM’s had been brought in. Plenty of blame to go around.
This summer the areas of need HAVE to be addressed with quality signings. We are on a healthy financial foundation. RedBird has shown they are willing to spend. They have to spend wisely this summer.
Facts. Anyone would think we’d bought a bunch of dog sh*t Serie B players the way people carry on.
Facts? Here are other facts.
Loftus-Cheek has been terribly inconsistent all season. We bought him because he was buried in the depth chart at Chelsea and nobody wanted him.
Reijnders was a nobody. He seems like a nice guy, he reminds me of Kakà for his character, but he has absolutely no impact either defensively or offensively. He has almost nothing to show despite being one of the most used players.
Pulisic fails in big games maybe because he has a ceiling. Nobody wanted him and he was also buried in the depth chart at Chelsea. He has been helpful but he’s still far from top players in Europe.
You can say that everything is Pioli’s fault or you can say that the mercato was stupid because of that trading mentality. Musah, Pellegrino, Romero, Chukwueze and Reijnders look like guys that they hope to resell for profit. Jovic was never a target until we were in a bad situation the last day of the mercato. The loans of Colombo and Gabbia were idiotic as well. What to expect of such a lousy management, we don’t even know the exact roles of the guys…
I think the truth is kind of in-between.
Regardless of how bad Pulisic was in Chelsea, he is certainly doing pretty well with us. Is he failing in big games ? Can you name me this season the players who did well in big games ? Because what I see is an entire team collapsing. Aside from the 2-1 win against PSG, I don’t remember a single big game where we did well.
Loftus-Cheek is a mezzala currently being used as a support striker. I won’t say he is inconsistent but rather his lack of creativity is being exposed when he doesn’t score.
For Reijnders I more or less agree. In fact since we also got Musah, I would have prefer we get none of them and go for a single midfielder for a bigger price who can bring much more to the table. But again he is not a defensive midfielder, he is a central midfielder who is being used as a double pivot because we reverted back to a 4-2-3-1, after purchasing players for a 4-3-3.
Then invest in a top coach, and not waste good players on coach like Fonseca…
Basically, we need a coach who
1) doesn’t play players out of their position
2) doesn’t give special insurance for players based on their PAST performances but give a chance whoever is the best RIGHT NOW.
3) Someone who is not over creative with bull*t tactics and ideas
Even his offensive skills aren’t that good, poor shooting, poor long passes, decision making… Just average