Repubblica: Milan were targeting Berardi, Arnautovic and Milinkovic-Savic – what happens now

By Oliver Fisher -

The split between Paolo Maldini and AC Milan has changed some of the plans that were in place for the summer transfer window, a report claims.

According to a report from La Repubblica (via MilanNews), the sacking of Maldini and sporting director Ricky Massara has derailed the plans for the summer window that the duo had been working on for the last few weeks.

While the arrival of Daichi Kamada on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt does not seem at risk because the new management approve of the operation too, there are three targets over whom negotiations will now stop.

Sassuolo winger Domenico Berardi, Bologna striker Marko Arnautovic and Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic were all being spoken about by Maldini and Massara, but are not targets any more.

Brahim Diaz will return to Real and the ‘integrated working group’ that will take over Maldini’s responsibilities will have to make the transfer market with a budget of €35m plus the proceeds from sales.

Tags AC Milan Daichi Kamada Domenico Berardi Marko Arnautovic Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

19 Comments

  1. They must bring one more important player for free, and to buy midfielder and striker or right winger for 35 mil in total.

    For example Kamada AMF De Ketelaere RW and new striker and midfielder.

    Solution is to find replacements on free transfer as well and spend all money in 1 player like as for CDK

    Obviously Mladini run like a hell of scared, because young players can’t bring results. Thats why he wanted Muchelney older and experienced one, to compete now. Cardinale don’t want that. He wants more of Thiaw and Vranckx kind of a story.

    1. @Milanelo you either smoking too much cheap crack or licking too much of clowndinale sh*t stain ass which makes you looks like a complete mor*n.

    2. Though I don’t agree with your assesment on Maldini, I do agree with your solution, Kamada (free) for AM, CDK for RW, a free transfer for DM, and all the remaining budget for ST. However, I actually expect 60m+ for ST… not 35m…

  2. This was a magnificent transfer plan. Berardi and SMS are two of the very few players in the whole Europe who continuously hit double figures in the number of goals AND assists for the past few seasons.

    I have no doubt with Berardi and SMS we would win the Scudetto, while Arnautovic is a good replacement for Ibra, even though we needed another striker too.

    Such a shame. Maldini knew what he was doing.

    1. I have no doubt that if we would have gotten Berardi and SMS, we would have been title contenders for next season. If you only base your team on young prospects, well then that is exactly the results you are going. Young players who loose their head when things don’t go as planned. Experience is needed also.

  3. Now that everybody at the club just saw what happened when you don’t agree with the omnipotent Jerry, they all will be like “good idea my lord” to anything he says.

    This guy doesn’t know anything about football, so he probably thinks that you can find young prospects like Theo or Leao under a rock. Maldini knew that this core of players should have been joined by veterans, like Berardi or Milinkovic-Savic, to pursue Milan’s growth. Now, it is a major stepback. Maybe data works sometimes, but you can’t quantify psychology or off-field issues and it’s not a sustainable strategy.

    1. Data works and signing young prospects also can work, but it doesn’t win you any silverware, at least not anything worthy otherwise Arsenal and Dortmund had a full set of trophies in the last decade or so.

      Using data and signing prospects on the cheap serves one purpose, and that’s to make investors rich, which was obviously the plan as soon as this fund took control of Milan with a lot of money raised from different investors. They borrowed a lot of money and now they have a lot of people to keep happy. They expect a return on their investment.

      Building a stadium works in the same manner for them. Cardinale and his investors want maximum return on their investment, while Maldini wanted to honor the fans and the history of the club by actually winning trophies.

      So let’s not make a mistake here : winning trophies is a secondary objective for Redbird. Meaning it will rarely happens under their reign if at all. Not when there are clubs like Juventus and even Inter who put winning silverware as their top priority.

      Redbird’s plan is best used at a historically second rate football club, like Arsenal and Dortmund. It will never fly at a club like Milan because the fanbase expect trophies and will lose patience eventually.

      1. You what else these “winning is everything” slubs have in common? M A S S I V E D E B T S. Inter is in the red, what, like 200-300 million? It’s just not sustainable. Milan is debt free and close to running at a break even rate for the first time for as long as I can remember. Berlusconi, who was all for Milan’s glory, ran the damn club into the ground, then sold to some Shady Chinese Chicken just to get his money back. Love of Milan, right?

        I get your examples of Arsenal and so on, but running financially responsibly and winning are not necessarily mutually exclusive events. Milan has to be competitive in a Top4 way to guarantee returns. This, along with the stadium will establish a solid backbone for the club.

        This is not a bad change. Of course we all feel bad for Maldini, but if we support Maldini, we support Milan. Give it time. (I’ll hold you to it)

        1. Maldini achieved to win without a debt and yet he got fired.

          The club got rid of its previous debt, as it made profits for the past three or four seasons, the biggest salaries like Romagnoli and Kessié left, money surged with the Champions League campaign, but the available funds for the mercato are laughable.

          Are you familiar with speculation and dividends? Wall Street? Hedge funds? This is Milan’s reality right now. But you’re right, sports today are not about winning trophies, it’s about making wealthy aholes more and more rich. America f yeah!

        2. Take a minute and think about what you’re saying. We could’ve been “sustainable” all through the Berlusconi era and beyond and have like, zero trophies today. But then Milan wouldn’t be Milan and you most probably wouldn’t be a Milan fan.

          All the top clubs in the world have debts one way or another, at least the ones who are not run by a state. From Madrid to Barcelona to Manchester United, etc they all have massive amounts of debts, and they are not going anywhere. They have debts because they have the obligation to win, and it comes with these clubs when they buy them. Redbird have shown zero indication that they want to win.

          This is not just about Maldini. I accept corporate change but not the way they went about it. Though the bigger issue here is the ambition which is clearly lacking on Redbird’s part, despite them saying all the right words. You just need to read between the lines. Their ambition does NOT align with a club of Milan’s stature. If they wanted to operate taking zero risks then Milan was not the club for them.

          I prefer to be in debt and winning. It’s not my money. I’m a fan. I want the club to win trophies. Period.

          1. I agree with you on everything except from the last sentence. It IS our money!
            We go to the stadium, we pay for merchantise, TV rights etc. Players earn extra revenue with their wins, their rankings, and their qualifications. They bring the sponsors.

            The owners DO NOT use their own money, they are just managing ours…

            On the point now, like I said, I’m 100% with you,
            To hell withe the logistics! Barcelona has a 10-FIGURE DEBT! Inter is on the red, yet they win a trophy (or more) each year.

            I don’t buy it, sorry. WInning is the way to make new fans, and thus keep money incoming.
            Do you remember any Man City fans a decade ago? Keep having us a “profitable business” and then good luck trying to find any young Milan supporters (especially abroad) in the upcoming years to FINANCIALLY support your “healthy project”.
            #REDBIRDOUT
            #CARDINALEOUT

            Sports are about winning, not logistics.

          2. You are absolutely correct. I also said on another page that yes it’s actually our money in response to @Maldini’s heir. What I meant here is the money he raised to buy the club and the capital injections they need to do if a season goes wrong. Of course you are right about the fact that they mainly run the club through our money injections.

  4. SMS and Berardi are good targets. purfect mix of exp and not 2 old. Now they need to find another Tonali for dm and another Leao type for rw.. Good luck with that

  5. We can’t only buy 17 year olds and make them great in 5 years time. We need players who are good now and have experience.

  6. We will be back to banter era in no time. We will probably be signing free agents for the next few years. We will probably sell Leao, Theo and Maignan and find their cheap replacements. We will probably be fighting for the 4th place so that we are able to group stage of Champions League.

  7. It’s comical to read that Redbird do not want experienced players only young ones lol. Geez I wonder why that is? Could it be because they are cheaper and fit under our WAGE CAP? I mean only a cheap owner who doesn’t want to spend $$ says that because by the time the cheaper talent develops the established stars (Leao, Theo, Mike, etc,,) will leave. So it’s an endless cycle and one that will never need the Owner to spend big $$ to WIN. Just think where we would be WITHOUT Ibra and Giroud and Kajer? They brought experience and leadership and taught the lads how to win. That is priceless. IF we were serious about wining then players like SMS and Berardi to compliment our younger core is exactly what we needed – but that costs bigger $$ and that is something that eats into the PROFIT of Ownership – so that is why it is being abandoned. Shows they have No ambition to WIN.

    It is also hypocritical and extremely convenient Ownership wants all younger players BUT when we get them (adli, Aster, CDK, etc..) and they do not develop straight away – they blame who? Maldini? Surely not the coach who is responsible for developing them or the head scout who recommended them LOL. And the cycle continues. As I said – By the time those young players develop (if ever) the established stars will leave for greater riches in other leagues and clubs that are not bound by a WAGE CAP.

    Perfect system for Redbird/Elliot (who are pulling the strings) BUT not for the fans. In essence we are a feeder club now like Atalanta. BUT hey we are PROFITABLE. And that’s what matters. PROFIT over Titles.

    Welcome to the new AC Milan

  8. What happens now?

    We run out a bunch of new ideas, like attempting to sign players from France we can’t afford, and who are not suited to what we need, and get involved in the race for free agents whose wages we can’t afford.

    You know, those brand new ideas.

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