AC Milan had an expansive summer window with 10 players arriving and crucially depth added to the midfield and attack, but one gap they didn’t really fill could become a major regret.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport report that the Milan management carried out a summer transfer market aimed at going for the Scudetto, but the more matches go by the bigger the question mark becomes over the striker role.
The decision not to invest a generous portion of the budget on a centre-forward seems at present the only unconvincing move by the Rossoneri in the revolution that gave Pioli a team that wants the second star.
Milan got rid of Divock Origi, but having dragged out the negotiations with Mehdi Taremi and then having to give up at the last minute, it left them in a difficult position.
Luka Jovic was not at the top of Giorgio Furlani and Geoffrey Moncada’s wish list and this is clear to everyone. Insteaf, he was the easiest to get with such little time available on deadline day.
Milan needed another centre-forward with a goal scoring track record. Giroud at almost 37 years of age can no longer be the indispensable one, so his replacement had to be a certainty.
Jovic is a gamble: he is talented yes, but during his spells at Real Madrid and Fiorentina he struggled for consistency after his success at Eintracht Frankfurt.
The fact that 25 shots weren’t enough against Newcastle and the fact that Jovic watched the match from the bench suggests that Pioli also has some doubts.
Noah Okafor meanwhile has played four games in Serie A but he is not a No.9 who can replace Giroud in terms of his characteristics at least, because he is more of an alternative to Leao.
