The signing of Luka Modric and the departure of Francesco Camarda raise questions about AC Milan’s project, according to a report.
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Sporting director Igli Tare confirmed earlier this week that Modric will sign on a free transfer, to add experience and leadership to a team that sorely lacks it. He also confirmed that Camarda is heading to Lecce on loan for the year, with the club maintaining overall control.
Doubt about the moves
In a piece on La Gazzetta dello Sport, the columnist Franco Arturi states: ‘Milan, if you take Modric and sell Camarda ask yourself two questions’. The former is almost 40 years of age and is coming to the end of his career, while the latter – at 17 – is right at the start.
While the Croatian is a phenomenal athlete, there are concerns about his ability to play as a regista, one of the most demanding roles. The Italian – who is the same age as Lamine Yamal – apparently needs to learn the ropes at Lecce.
He has been very often aggregated to the first team and has already made several appearances with the senior side. Arturi adds: “Evidently the ‘jewel’ is not so precious or there is a great fear of keeping him in the squad among the two-three strikers who will rotate.
“For a team that has shown for years an inability to press and consequently attack it, it would seem essential to have freshness and the ability to repeatedly run at maximum speed.
“Focusing on an elderly playmaker and giving up on a young player full of energy is understandable only in an Italian context, fundamentally the enemy of young talents, as Julio Velasco denounced in a recent interview.”
Pioli’s example
How did Stefano Pioli’s Milan win the Scudetto? By presenting one of the youngest teams in Europe, led by a 21-year-old Tonali and a 22-year-old Leao, surrounded by a gang of peers and a few veterans. Apparently that historic result was not enough to point the way.
Milan have also had Donnarumma debut at 16, while Baresi, Maldini, Van Basten and even Rivera became stars while very young. This is not a discussion that can be confined to the Rossoneri, either.
Inter showed up at the Champions League final with a squad with an average age of over 29, one of the highest in Europe, and was perhaps not coincidentally overwhelmed by a PSG that, on the contrary, was the youngest, under 24. It is something to think about.