AC Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani has lifted the lid on why the management decided to go for Alvaro Morata, who signed his contract earlier today.
Milan have been linked with various different strikers over the past few weeks from Joshua Zirkzee and Jonathan David to Romelu Lukaku and Santiago Gimenez, but it seems they have finally settled on Morata.
The Spaniard did his medical this morning before going on holiday, and will earn €5m net per year during a four-year contract, with the option of a fifth season. Due to his release clause, the Rossoneri will pay a €13m fee to bring him to the club.
Morata himself confirmed that the move is done in an interview earlier today, and now Furlani has spoken to Sky while in Madrid having travelled to Spain for the contract signing. He was asked about why Milan went for him over some of the other names linked.
“Alvaro has expressed his desire, now we have to complete some formalities. We’re almost there. Bureaucratic issues? Yes, but not many,” he said (via Calciomercato.com).
“He is a great champion and you can see it right away. You can see that he is the captain of Spain. I found him optimistic, confident and ready to go, even if he will now take a well-deserved vacation.
“Ibrahimovic, who knows what it means to be Milan’s striker, and Fonseca, who explained to him how central he will be to his project, were fundamental in convincing him.”
I just knew from the moment we started to have issues with Zirkzee that we will end up with some 30+ striker and that managment will once again show how little ambition they have, but at the same time expect great results and titles.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect Morata and everything he has done in his career, but having him as a 1st option is unnacceptable. They were saying for 3 seasons that next summer will be a big ST investment, and in the end we go for Morata. Doesnt make any sense. And Im pretty confident that we will not get Fofana for CDM but rather someone like Partey or something like that.
Couldn’t agree more to your submission..useless management
If Morata was mid 20s we’d be enthusiastic about this, but because he’s 31 we’re not for some reason. He’s a proper professional who brings the experience that we’re losing with Giroud – I think four years is one too many, but otherwise it’s a pretty solid signing for me.
Are there more exciting options with more potential out there? Yes, sure. But I back Morata’s ‘floor’ to be higher than most of those as he’s been consistent for a long time. Good to plan around for the next couple of seasons.
I’d have been excited by Zirkzee, David, Giminez or someone like that (I don’t believe the likes of Sesko, Gyokeres are feasible), but also very worried about the investment not working out. With Morata I don’t have as much concern about this coming season and his ability to fit in to the squad we have.
“I’d have been excited by Zirkzee, David, Giminez or someone like that (I don’t believe the likes of Sesko, Gyokeres are feasible), but also very worried about the investment not working out. With Morata I don’t have as much concern about this coming season and his ability to fit in to the squad we have.”
Indeed. I’m one of the biggest Morata haters in the world but still this transfer makes a lot of sense and is the one with the lowest risk of all the candidates. Morata instead of a 20-something striker will also be good for Camarda.
“Morata instead of a 20-something striker will also be good for Camarda.”
This. I think people are underestimating the impact Camarda’s progression may be having on planning. If he keeps going the way he has been in Serie C, and scores ~15 goals as a 17 year old (and turning 17 late in the season) playing among professional footballers, we might very well see him join the first team next season (although I personally would prefer for him to take one step at a time, so one season in Serie B after Serie C). At 17 he won’t be a starter, but for his and the club’s sake should see good time. This will be achievable with a player like Morata, a low risk in terms of transfer fee and age. If we’d signed Zirkzee, there would be more downward pressure on Camarda, and given that the latter is still only on a 3 year contract we’d risk forcing him to move elsewhere.
So Morata is just a stopgap until Camarda eventually becomes a starting striker for Milan? We’re doomed to stagnate until then, hoping that the wonderkid will succeed. In my opinion it would be a better idea to get that young blue chip striker with right now and if you have an embarrassment of rich in a few years because you have two top strikers, you can still sell one. But that’s what top clubs do and Milan is here for 4th place and budget.
“So Morata is just a stopgap until Camarda eventually becomes a starting striker for Milan?”
– Obviously.
“We’re doomed to stagnate until then”
– And here come Mr.Positivity again with his positive attitude. We could have bought Zirkzee/Sesko/Gimenez/InsertAnyName here for a massive amount of $$$s and he could have flopped miserably. Morata is the safest bet of all.
If Milan gets Füllkrug as well, our attack is good. Good enough for scudetto fight if all the old players keep performing like they have. The biggest issue is fixing the leaky defense and I’m 100% sure Fonseca will succeed better with that than Pioli.
So the starting striker for a Spain team that just won the Euros, at a cost that is a fraction of any other decent striker, is not good enough for you?
Yes, Zirkzee is young, but don’t forget that Morata scored almost doubled the number of goals that he did, in a significantly less attack-minded team.
Just because his signing is cheaper, does not mean its bad. Look at the facts above emotion.
Except Morata is a highly proven player and your statement is wrong. Also there are still indications we will get someone in their 20s. A proven player for a high pressure team.
corner kicks just became a lot more valuable
That clown should be fired….. Furlani fart!!!!
True that.
Milan likes perennial, senatorial, experienced 9’s. We will probably keep them around too, until Camarda develops and is ready. Then we will look for somebody to complement him.
That sounds like a decent plan. That will also take pressure of Camarda as Morata is expected to be the #9 for the next 2-3 years.
You forgot the key adjective, which is “cheap”. I don’t hate the signing though
Someone to regularly play as a starter till Camarda is ready to step in should be around 27 years old. Camarda is 16, so he will need at least 3-4 years before he is a regular starter material. Even Haaland, a physically very strong one, started to regularly play at Salzburg at the age of 19.
The team has sufficient younger legs in Leao, Pulisic, and Chuk, and presumably Morata’s position doesn’t require the legs those positions require — especially if he is a “replacement for Giroud,” as everyone is reporting.
The real issue may be whether he is willing to play a secondary role and be a team player. It will be difficult to transition from being captain of Spain and winning the Euros to being more of a team role player. But at his age, he better get use to thinking about the team first.
That’s exactly what his role was for Spain. Spain attacked through their wingers with Morata often dropping deep to help out the midfield. Did you watch any of their games? Or do you just like to post nonsense for the sake of it?
“The team has sufficient younger legs in Leao, Pulisic, and Chuk, and presumably Morata’s position doesn’t require the legs those positions require”
If you watched any Spain matches at all, you’d noticed that Morata isn’t the slowest or the most stagnant player. He moves a lot actually.
“The real issue may be whether he is willing to play a secondary role and be a team player.”
Team player??? He was the bloody captain of the team. He’s a team player for sure. He wasn’t selected to be the captain for his awesome finishing skills or incredible talent but being the (team) player he is.
“he better get use to thinking about the team first.”
LOL. Get use to? Just read the sentence above. 😀
If you look at this transfer objectively, it’s a good one, we are getting a matured, battle tested striker, who will hit the ground running, at it was the Coach who specifically wanted him, then you also look at Jovic who is 26, who is a experienced, has won trophies, who technically, physically and tactically is good, then you also look at Okafor who with good and hard work can be turned into a good scorer, then you look at the youngsters , Nasti, Lazetic, Colombo,Camarda and even Maldini,then you begin to understand we have a bright future in attack , then the club is also looking for another Striker , who hopefully should be Abraham, he is 26, fast, Mobile, physically good and technically also a good player, then you begin to understand Morata will guarantee the present, and allow the others to develop with less pressure.
Except camarda none of young strikers will stay in Milan nor the current management let them stay in Milan.
Jovic is 26y old but physically he is not young at all. He can be definitely good sub but we need young striker. I don’t think T abraham can happen as he cost 30m.
A finger to bite
Milan’s 20 most expensive strikers:
Andre Silva, 38M, 2017/18
Inzaghi, 36.2M, 2001/02
Piatek, 35M, 2018/19
Bacca, 33.3M, 2015/16
Ibrahimovic, 30M, 2010/11
Kalinic, 27.5M, 2017/18
Gilardino, 25M, 2005/06
Pato, 24M, 2007/08
Shevchenko, 23.9M, 1999/00
Balotelli, 20M, 2012/23
Jose Mari, 19M, 1999/00
Javi Moreno, 16M, 2001/02
Huntelaar, 15M, 2009/10
Oliveira, 15M, 2006/07
Luiz Adriano, 14M, 2015/16
*Morata*, 13M, 2024/25
Pazzini, 12.5M, 2012/23
Bierhoff, 12.5M, 1998/99
Papin, 12M, 1992/93
Borriello, 11.8M, 2008/09
Some of the least effective are some of the most expensive. Silva, Piatek, Bacca and Kalinic were all flops costing the club 134M between 2015-19. 134M over four seasons!
Then Jose Mari, Javi Moreno, Oliveira and Luiz Adriano cost another 64M altogether and were complete garbage.
And adjusted for inflation, some of those flops are even more than first appears. Morata was a steal at this price. The media is trying to add in his wages, but that’s funny math.
Some of these names and numbers is enough to make you cry. Kalinac 😭
All best strikers that Milan paid is équivalent to 60/80m at this time.
Stop comparing different generations.
You should be ashamed to not think that we will get a good young striker since 3years but its same each year.
Morata can never be a sole striker for 60matches nor 90mins game.
Hardly he will play 60good mins but thats not just what we are looking for.
He is not Giroud nor Zlatan, to play at very old age.
Inflation (actual inflation) calculators are too easy to find on the internet. Shevchenko would cost 41,097,331.91 in today’s Euros. Not that much for such a talent. Less than Zirkzee. If anything Shevchenko would cost 80M today because of the fake inflation brought on by the silly money that the petrostates have dumped into football. So it makes Morata’s purchase even more shrewd from a value standpoint.
I wouldn’t call Piatek & Bacca flops. They were just victims of being in the club at the wrong time. The service was non-existing and if you look at their chances converted ratios, they did a great job. Bacca is the last Milan player to score 20 goals in one season. You call him a flop? How many goals should he have scored to be a success? Giroud scored ~15 goals. Was he a flop?
I hate this Furlani guy, he is useless
I’m sure that upsets him.