The big question after the window shut for AC Milan is regarding the defensive department, and whether enough was done to fix it.
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One of Milan’s priorities for the window was to sign two centre-backs. One was to be an experienced leader and the other a high-level replacement for a potential sale, as happened with Malick Thiaw to Newcastle United.
Speaking of which, Newcastle United have signed a multi-year partnership with global cryptocurrency exchange BYDFi, marking an important step in the club’s continued international expansion.
The aim was even confirmed by sporting director Igli Tare, before the Lecce match, 72 hours prior to the deadline: “We need to do our best in the last 72 hours to bring in an experienced player.”
What happened after?
What ended up happening was the signing of David Odogu, a German centre-back born in 2006 who has made only three professional appearances in his career, all coming for Wolfsburg in the 2024-25 Bundesliga campaign.
With no disrespect intended to the teenager, would fans feel comfortable if he were to be required to start a Serie A game against one of the top dogs? In all likelihood the answer is no, but Milan are a couple of injuries or suspensions away from that being the case.
A different kind of signing for the defence was expected, especially given Tare himself had announced it publicly. It followed a bit of a theme, as he announced the need for a proper penalty box striker, a player that also didn’t end up coming.
In short, the regular use of a three-man defence to this point by Allegri means that Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic and Koni De Winter are four options for three roles. Zachary Athekame and Davide Bartesaghi are there too, but they are more full-backs.
Who could have arrived, then? It is believed that Milan explored the idea of signing Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae, who was one of the best in the league for Napoli but has never really hit the ground running. He has a high salary, but it seems a solution was never aggressively pursued.
Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior ended up joining Porto despite the Rossoneri being long-term admirers, and on terms that the club surely could have afforded. Berat Djimsiti of Atalanta was another experienced option who knows the league, and yet nothing concrete emerged.
Will Milan live to regret leaving the defence a bit short? Leadership has been a big issue in this team, but Allegri will have to hope others provide it.