Journalist Mauro Suma has explained why AC Milan have so much belief in the youth project and why painful decisions regarding young players precede the growth of the squad.
Ever since the change of ownership to Elliott Management and then RedBird Capital, there has been a very clear strategy put in place to focus on younger players, first by investing in a new core which includes the likes of Theo Hernandez, Rafael Leao and others.
However, that was not the only concrete step that was taken either. Having been spoken about for months, the green light arrived for the club to launch their Milan Futuro project, which will see an U23 team participate in Serie C from next season onwards.
Suma published a column for MilanNews in which he spoke about the tour of the USA and the summer transfer window, while he had some interesting things to say about Milan’s future-led vision.
“The economic, technical and strategic investment of Milan Futuro, the first UEFA Youth League final reached by an Italian team, the return after years in the Scudetto Primavera finals, the decision to focus on the contract renewals of Francesco [Camarda] and Kevin [Zeroli], the 18 years of age in two less of Pavlovic and Morata compared to the last Kjaer and the last Giroud, are all pieces of a policy that sees in young players not an obsession or a confinement, but a great opportunity first of all sporting and then also financial and growth,” he said.
“Of course, Morata is not very young, but Pavlovic is, like Jimenez and like others. It’s a shame, really, for Simic and Daniel Maldini, but like in the summer of 2018 of Cutrone and Locatelli the time has come to make choices. They remain and will be two excellent players who will complete their ascent anyway, even if not in red and black.
“The youth is a lever in which all of Milan and Giorgio Furlani believe a lot, as demonstrated by the face put on Milan Futuro by Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a moody summer moment external in which it was not easy to put it.
“There is the courage of RedBird in this vision. Just as there is a lot of sensitivity on the part of the entire club towards the players of the Rossoneri women’s team, who from this season will enjoy concrete guarantees in the event of maternity.
“From the automatic renewal with a one-year extension of the contract to assistance for child care, to support for flights, accommodation and other travel expenses for the children of the member. Chapeau. Onward.”
Management is greedy?
Management is wasting money?
There is a lack of ambition?
Where is all the investment?
Blah blah blah … Jerry’s anatomy … Blah blah blah?
Americans suck?
Anyone? Bueller?
No we will not be world beaters this year. Yes we are following a path blazed by RM for a sustainable economy engine to power world class football for decades at a time.
Forza Futuro. Forza Feminine.
Forza Milan
Yeah but why is it impossible to combine focusing on the first team and developing youth at the same time? All these guys speak of Milan like it’s some some Serie B team trying to become a big club starting from scratch. It’s the second club with the most UCL trophies in history, third in Ballon d’Or in history, two years from a Scudetto and one year from UCL semifinals, with world class players in the roster (while they lost some because the salary cap is somehow the same since Milan was 6th in Serie A and out of Europe) and the fastest growth in the world. Last summer the reported targets were Milinkovic-Savic, Berardi or Pulisic and suddenly we had random dudes that nobody ever heard of. The lack of ambition right now is loud and clear. For now it’s all about promises and speculation. Zlatan saying « we think about the third star » is the most ridiculous thing to say when we just witnessed the horror show of last season regarding Inter.
The thing is, American still sucks in football Management. I’m sure if profitable football club exist someday, it will be American behind it. But for now, only Liverpool with one EPL and one UCL can be called successful. Arsenal still bottles EPL, AS Roma seems to be rebuilding every season, Manchester United is no longer the best team in Manchester let alone england, Chelsea become the new Tottenham, Fiorentina, Genoa, Mallorca, Lyon nowhere near title contender.
Only Atalanta, and arguably Milan show positif sign.
It will be different if US run the league tho, NBA and NFL generates billions. MLB create brans like Yankee and Dodgers or Raiders.
TLDR; Americans still sucks in managing football club, they should manage Serie A instead.
Soon to see a great Milan