Amid the swirling uncertainty surrounding the head coach position and the questions about who is really in charge, one thing seems certain at AC Milan: a new No.9 will arrive.
Milan have postponed the investment in a new centre-forward for some years now, to the extent that the last player they splashed out on was Poland international Krzystof Piatek. Speaking of Poland, if you are a football fan from there then check out GGBet in Poland.
A gap to fill
We start from another certainty: Olivier Giroud will be leaving the club at the end of the season when his contract expires, bringing an end to a three-year spell with Milan.
Confirmations have arrived from the French media: Olivier has reached a total agreement with Los Angeles FC over a one-year contract with the option for a second, so a new life in America awaits.
It is a personal choice, because he has already made it clear that he sees himself in a managerial role after he has stopped playing, but also a life choice for his children who will grow up with the famous LA lifestyle.
Giroud will be remembered as the man who won the derby in the Scudetto season, who scored big goals to drag the team towards the title, and for his love for the shirt.
His numbers read 47 goals in 127 games, one every 186 minutes – far from bad for a player who was only ever meant to be a deputy to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and/or the ‘new’ striker that never really arrived.
The candidates
Due to the need to resolve the situation pertaining to the head coach, progress on some signings or deals could be delayed a little.
However, the management are already in talks with Luka Jovic’s agent and they are speaking about a possible agreement for him to stay, with both sides appear ‘keen to get a deal done’.
Jovic has had a positive impact to say that he arrived on a free transfer on deadline day from Fiorentina last summer, scoring nine goals with the vast majority of these coming off the bench.
However, the general consensus is that he is not ready to be promoted to the role of being the undisputed starting striker and that is why an investment is still planned.
Regardless of who they bring in to replace Pioli, it seems that Joshua Zirkzee will be the striker they go for. The 22-year-old moved into double figures for Serie A goals and was virtually unplayable in Bologna’s huge 3-1 win over Roma on Monday.
The Milan directors have increased the pressure on Zirkzee who did not appear indifferent to their advances, but it will be ‘a real chess game’ to try and get him. Milan have already made their move and at present the feeling is that they are slightly ahead of the competition.
Geoffrey Moncada and co. are boosted by another fact: Zirkzee’s priority is to play in Serie A next season. Now the Diavolo are waiting for the play of Bayern Munich who will have to decide whether or not to use their €40m buy-back.
