AC Milan’s defensive unit attracted a lot of praise for their performance during last night’s draw against Spurs that secured progress into the Champions League quarter-finals.
As Fabrizio Romano reports on his Twitter, it is a rearguard that did not cost Milan that much to assemble when compared to some of the astronomical figures being paid in the modern market just to buy individuals.
First of all there is Mike Maignan, who arrived from Lille in the summer of 2021 to be the replacement for Gianluigi Donnarumma after he decided not to sign a new contract, and he was acquired from the Ligue 1 club for just €15m.
Speaking of Ligue 1 clubs, the Rossoneri pulled off an incredible coup by signing Pierre Kalulu on what was effectively a free transfer (with payment of a development fee less than €500k). He had not made a senior appearance for Lyon, showing the strength of the scouting department.
Malick Thiaw arrived last summer from Schalke 04 in a deal costing just €6m after he had impressed in their promotion season from the 2. Bundesliga, and finally Fikayo Tomori was bought for €29m from Chelsea after impressing on an initial loan.
Maignan is 27 years of age, Kalulu 22, Thiaw just 21 and Tomori 25, making it a young back line established for just €50m which should lead the team into the future.
