CM: Strinic and Halilovic to Alvarez and Lucca – why Gazidis changed Milan’s recruitment strategy

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan have adapted their vision since CEO Ivan Gazidis joined the club but they remain fixed on a certain type of recruitment process, a report claims.

Calciomercato.com focuses on free transfers and how important they have been in recent times, with big names such as Wijnaldum, Messi, Aguero, Depay, Alaba and Sergio Ramos all leaving clubs where they were deemed very important to start a new experience in another country.

Milan have tended to go down a different path to using free transfers since Elliott Management took over the club. The transfer window which saw Reina, Strinic and Halilovic all join under the watch of Fassone and Mirabelli certainly left some scars, which means Ibrahimovic and Mandzukic are the only two free agents to join under Elliott.

Obviously Ibra is a leader that was added to a young group, an opportunity that could not be passed on, while the Croatian was an emergency solution to shore up the attack. CEO Ivan Gazidis has made it clear why he is not a fan of free transfers previously.

“What is meant by this concept? Enriching the club with futuristic assets, a scenario that free transfers can hardly guarantee not so much from a technical point of view, but more from an economic point of view,” he said.

“Sporadic deals of this kind that involve players in full activity, rather than taking athletes who are entering the waning phase of their career, it is however more preferable for the club to invest in the card of young players or in any case in a phase of ascent.

“Better a reasonable expense for the card rather than a small one in the face of a higher salary, a more ‘cumbersome’ fixed cost from the point of view of the accounts for the club.”

Because of this stance, the value of the Milan squad in the last two years has grown not only from a technical point of view – an aspect linked to the results – but also on the balance sheet which is crucial both for the accounts and for the brand.

Maldini and Massara are ready to continue on this path, which is why if Belotti remains in orbit as a potential opportunity, the headlights are always focused on young prospects in Italy and abroad such as Julian Alvarez, Tommaso Berti and Lorenzo Lucca for give some examples.


READ MORE: Milan have already earmarked out of favour duo for January sale

Tags AC Milan Andrea Belotti Ivan Gazidis Julian Alvarez Lorenzo Lucca Tommaso Berti Yacine Adli
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