It seems that AC Milan are heading towards an Italian revolution, and this could be the case on and off the pitch.
In recent weeks, it has become very apparent that Milan want to make themselves an Italian outfit once again, and Fabio Paratici, who is expected to become the new sporting director, agrees with this idea.
So, with an Italian director and an increasingly likely to be Italian coach, the Rossoneri will start finding the pieces to the new puzzle, and Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes that a few ideas have been laid down so far.
An Azzurro attack
In the attack, there are three names that come above the others: Federico Chiesa, Riccardo Orsolini and Lorenzo Lucca. However, the club are aware of the fact that only bringing all of them to the club will be difficult.
Chiesa’s name floats around, with his situation in Liverpool favourable for any club with the finances to end it, giving he wants to return to being a starter. For Orsolini and Lucca, their names were mentioned in January, but other moves were made. The former could be available for cheaper, due to Tomasso Pobega’s loan, whilst Lucca’s future depends on the Tammy Abraham decision, with the Friulians asking for more than €35 million.
The Italian middleground
Abraham’s story is far from done yet, with him still showing signs of importance for the Diavolo. However, his high salary is off-putting for the club, so another option may be taken. Roma continue to ask about Alexis Saelemaekers, so if Abraham was not the answer, Bryan Cristante or Lorenzo Pellegrini could be sought, with both being looked at previously by the club.
Also on the list is Davide Frattesi, who could leave Inter, which Milan would be ready to pounce on.
Italian rearguard
At the back, Destiny Udogie is heavily admired, as are Pietro Comuzzo and Diego Coppola. If Theo were to depart, the first calls would be to Tottenham, it may seem, with Paratici having an excellent relationship with the player. Centrally, reinforcements are needed, and Coppola may be one of the future. Fiorentina, on the other hand, see Comuzzo as a ready player, and his €40m valuation reflects that.
-Chiesa is a has been. This is no longer the Euro 2020 Chiesa, this is a player almost always injured who barely played 400 minutes in total this season.
-Isn’t Lucca the player from Udinese who stole a penalty ? Do we really want a player like this ?
-I was a bit in favour of Orsolini for a while, but I’m not so sure if he became injury prone or not. But with 13 goals this season (3 of which from penaltys) for a player who didn’t even play 2000 minutes certainly look impressive.
-Frattesi ? Give me a break
And finally, while I don’t think ending up with more Italians is a bad thing (at least for UEFA quotas which won’t matter for us next season most likely), currently it feels like a plan with no substance or some sort of a fan service rather than an actual strategy, so I don’t know what to make of it.
I agree with your last point. The problem with the current management has been the lack of a clear plan conducive to footballing and financial success. Signing Italians for the sake of signing Italians is not a plan. Trusting this management to save the team crazy. With the exception of Orsolini, all the names mentioned here have serious red flags when it comes to fitness, ability, or attitude. I would be more optimistic if someone like Cassadei were mentioned.
This team needs a clear plan:
First of all, who will be the coach next season?
What is their pedigree and preferred system of play?
Can they realize that with minimum changes to the squad or is the management willing to overhaul the squad for the coach’s vision?
How do our Primavera and Futuro players fit in?
Hard no to Frattesi and Cristante – everyone else we can talk about.
Lucca is a low-class striker. His name shouldn’t be mentioned here.
Chiesa can be given a chance, though he should be willing to accept a salary reduction.
Orsolini, just like Berardi, could have been brought 5+ years ago. Why now? Now it is way too late.