Journalist Pietro Mazzara has offered some reflections on what has been an ‘exhausting’ but ‘exhilarating’ summer transfer window for AC Milan.
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It was a turbulent start to the offseason for Milan as Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement, then Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara were sacked as the technical and sporting director, arousing questions about the plans moving forward.
The reasons for the fall-out between Maldini and RedBird Capital were debated at length, but then Giorgio Furlani and chief scout Geoffrey Moncada got to work, quickly selling Sandro Tonali which created another violent storm.
Then, ten signings were made to rebuild the squad and add depth that wasn’t there last season, with the general consensus being that there was some good business done with the Tonali money.
In his latest piece for MilanNews, Mazzara talks about some reflections that he made late on the night of deadline day after the final piece had been published.
“It’s 00:48 on September 2 here on MilanNews. We made the last market launch of the summer session, namely the move of Fode Ballo-Touré to Fulham,” he began.
“After Gigio Torre pressed confirm on that news it was as if everything stopped for a moment. For a few seconds, staring at the iPhone screen, I thought about what we talked about and experienced from June to September.
“Three months of absolute delirium, which started with the sensational bang of the dismissal of Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara by a Gerry Cardinale very lucid in making his decision, to eradicate – as owner – a poisonous situation that had now been created within Milan.
“This was the two-headed monster which then also led to the rift between the ‘Maldiners’ and those who instead wanted to watch and draw his conclusions on the work carried out by Giorgio Furlani, Geoffrey Moncada and Antonio D’Ottavio in this new phase of AC Milan in Yankee style.
“Let’s be clear, Maldini and Massara as well as the current trio have tried to work for the good of Milan, but with different strategies and concepts.
“In June, when Milan let Thuram go after the request for 6.5 million in salary, unedifying opinions circulated – from some insiders – about our managers.
“Today they no longer mock them, because Milan have once again anticipated the times and are putting themselves in advantageous positions that the others are unable to emulate.
“Accounts in order, transfers worth their weight in gold like that of Tonali to give fresh life to a market that has revolutionized the squad available to Pioli.
“Now the ball is in the court, but I swear I don’t remember such an exhausting, exhilarating and full of things to talk about summer session.”
