Carlo Pellegatti believes that Inter’s exploits in the Champions League highlight some of the flaws in AC Milan’s ‘principled’ approach.
Milan have had and continue to have a rollercoaster relationship when it comes to dealing with agents, because the ownership have made it clear that they would rather stand firm than wilt under the pressure of having to pay a bit more.
In some cases this stance is very understandable, but in others it leads to missing out on players who go on to be very useful to the clubs that they sign for. Not paying more to renew Hakan Calhanoglu or sign Marcus Thuram spring to mind, especially after Inter reached another Champions League final.
Pellegatti published his weekly column for MilanNews and in one segment he spoke about how the aim to maintain a stance of principle has ended up costing more money since.
“I read that in the two Champions League matches played at San Siro, Inter earned around 22 million euros. The amount that Milan saved by not granting a fair salary increase to Calhanoglu, to Kessiè, with the commissions attached to the agents or to the representative of Marcus Thuram, who arrived at no cost, is more or less what they would have seen returned to the coffers, building a strong team, for the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Champions League. Why? On principle, never commissions!
“Tactics were used, not strategy. The difference is known to everyone. Tactics is a policy of small steps, which leads you to achieve small goals. Strategy is winning, it means adopting a long-term, wide-ranging plan.
“Perhaps it was Gerry Cardinale’s ambitious intention, but it failed. At least for now. In September 2023, the owner of RedBird in one of his very rare interviews with the Italian media, in fact categorically stated: ‘I want to change Italian football’.
“As for the Rossoneri, it would have been better not to change anything. His intentions have in fact miserably foundered, because Milan, with a strong squad, but badly led in all aspects, managerial and technical, is ninth in the standings, in the ‘desperate’ and sad hunt for the number eight position in the standings that would avoid the matches of early August.
“Exited badly from the Champions League, after losing against Dinamo Zagreb. With the certain objective of winning the Coppa Italia, the trophy that as Ancelotti once said, only interests those who win it.”
Trio vs Boligna suggested
Mike
Royal Pavlovic Gabbia
Walker Musah Rejnders Rlc
Gimenez Felix Luka
Rest Reijnders, play Bondo.
I’m disgusted to say I’m glad they won last night and hope they win the whole thing. Anything that highlights to our board what a terrible job they’re doing feels like a win to me.
It won’t change anything with Milan.
Gerry would be the first to send his congratulations to Inter in that case. He wouldn’t use it as motivation to invest in Milan.
The bastard said he wants to prop up Serie A as a whole, Inter winning will just justify his point of the whole league needing to be more attractive (to the detriment of Milan itself).
What a game in San Siro last night, even from neutral perspective it is one of the beat match in UCL history
how the aim to maintain a stance of principle has ended up costing more money since
Exactly this. Costing and losing more money in the end of the day.
The times and situations were different. With Hakan, Kessie, and even Donnarumma, Milan had a tight budget and a salary cap. Yes they are all talented but we won without Hakan and Donnarumma and in Kessie’s case, he wanted to leave. Thuram is a completely different issue and . We spent around 120 million that summer on players that have no place in the team. Another 50 million was spent on strikers this season.
I don’t think the focus should be on individual players though. The lack of a strategy at Milan is the problem. The firing of Maldini and Massara, the selling of Tonali and CDK, the consequent change of system, the 10 random signings, the coaching changes, the unprofessional behavior of the management…etc. These are Milan’s main issues, not Hakan or Thuram.
I think the Thuram one is a fair case study, he’s been the sort of player we have been missing and spent way more trying to find an alternative to. Good point not to focus on the individual players too much though, that’s not the main cause to our problems.
I don’t really blame the club for having such a stance with agents, they’re the blight of the game, but with Thuram Inter offered a higher salary (6M net v 5M net, with the growth decree tax rebate) and we didn’t think he was worth it… looks like we were wrong. Again.
this Milan squad on paper is a good one, has depth (to an extent) and has many individually gifted players that can change a game in an instant. i agree on with the writer on the aspect where he says ‘….because Milan, with a strong squad, but badly led in all aspects, managerial and technical, is ninth in the standings..’. BUt using M.Thuram, Kessie and HK to write an article saying we missed them is wrong because we won after throwing away HK, came second place two times in the league, secured a champions league semi-final berth after throwing away KEssie…
Its the management that is where we got it all wrong