Milan could have been reborn with the Chinese – Yonghong Li did much better than Elliott

By Oliver Fisher -

With the COVID-19 emergency ongoing, the topic of football has rightly gone into the background, but there are those who keep wondering what will become of the future Milan.

Despite the huge investments of recent years, especially those of the former president Yonghong Li, the team has continually failed to recover. Today we want to focus precisely on the work of Yonghong, who remained in office as president of the club from 13 April 2017, until July 2018.

Although public opinion has been mixed from the beginning regarding Mr. Li it must be said that, for investments and results, he had a short but understood era.

Breaking mercato records

The nearly €200million spent in a single market session represents a real record. A budget that, until the arrival of Mr. Li, had never been seen, neither in Italy nor at a club like Milan.

It was also expenditure that for the particular season in question was up there with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Milan had returned to striking fear for the first time in a while.

Unfortunately, however, the market choices have not turned out to be right. Yonghong had no luck choosing the executives who led the market. From Andre Silva to Bonucci, from Biglia to Kalinic – the errors have been manifold and unforgivable.

At the end of the market, after spending €194.48million (as the highly reliable Transfermarkt.it states), the Mirabelli and Fassone duo did not satisfy the ownership who wanted a top striker like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but for whom the hopes faded after Bonucci came.

Return to Europe and a trophy

At the helm of Milan, Yonghong Li immediately obtains two important results: the first is that of the Italian Super Cup, won in December 2016, although still with the old leadership at the helm. The second, at the end of the season, was a return to Europa League which would then be repeated the next season.

Challenge to Juventus

Bonucci’s arrival at Milan, for around €42million euros, for the first time in many years, marks an important downside. Juventus no longer bought the strongest players, thus weakening the other competitors in Serie A but, for once, AC Milan did.

The same situation will then be repeated with the arrival of Biglia, another unfortunate purchase by Mirabelli and Fassone. As if that were not enough, Gianluigi Donnarumma – targeted by Juventus and PSG – agreed to sign a rich contract and commit his future to his boyhood team.

Since Yonghong

From the failures marked by the signings of Higuain and Caldara and the appointment of Giampaolo, plus the departures of Leonardo, Boban, and perhaps Maldini, the Rossoneri flags were first seduced by Elliott and then abandoned. A continuous change and recycling that only affects, once again, the history of a glorious club.

since the abandonment of Mr. Li, for economic and bureaucratic reasons, Milan is still under the guidance of Elliott. A fund that, unlike Mr. Yonghong Li, who had presented himself saying he wanted to win immediately, doing the facts by immediately entering €200million destined for the purchase of many players; is certainly not doing better than the previous one.

Instead, they wish to decrease the budget and continue to repeat two phrases that do not resonate well with Milan fans: patience and young players.

Patience is something that everyone has lost. It is patience that, at least for a year with Mr. Li, had turned into investing and winning immediately. It is too bad that some choices have not gone the right way. Maybe now we will be talking about another Milan.

Tags AC Milan Yonghong Li
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