AC Milan quite literally tried until the end of the window to get Stefano Pioli a centre-forward, and the man who eventually arrived has a point to prove.
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MilanNews recall how Mehdi Taremi seemed to be the player who would arrive after a fee was agreed between Milan and Porto, but the requests for personal terms moved the goalposts. Then Rafa Mir and Willian José’s names emerged, but it was Jovic who came right at the end.
The Serbian striker joined the Rossoneri after a very complicated season in Florence. A lot was expected from him, and he managed 13 goals of which six were in the league.
Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano did not want to keep him for the current season and they were willing to let him go on a free transfer to Milan. However, there are some team-mates who saw a lot of talent in him.
Riccardo Sottil’s thoughts were revealed by Christian Vieri on BoboTV: “In Florence everyone is saddened by the farewell of the former Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt Serbian. I was having dinner in the same restaurant as Riccardo Sottil, his former teammate at Fiorentina, and he told me that he is strong, strong, strong.”
The field will be what determines if Sottil is correct, but what does seem obvious is that the Serbian has a good platform to try and relaunch his career. He is the deputy to Olivier Giroud and can help him manage his minutes, while it wouldn’t take much to improve on what Divock Origi did.
The transfer formula (free with the possibility of renewal for three years) means it is a low-risk and low-cost move for Milan, but it is the striker himself who must convince himself mentally and get back to being the player admired in Frankfurt.
