Work continues by the AC Milan management on trimming the squad down, and an enquiry has arrived over a young talent.
Ruben Amorim’s first summer at Milan continues with the preseason campaign (almost) over. The last outing against Chelsea wasn’t particularly positive, while the tests against Celtic and Inter were certainly better.
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Milan are therefore a work in progress, as everyone presumed they would be. Throughout all of this, the transfer market remains a key focus for the Portuguese manager’s squad, especially regarding outgoings given there are over 30 players in the squad.
Based on the reports in the past 24 hours, it seems as though Youssouf Fofana, Samuele Ricci, Fikayo Tomori and even Zachary Athekame are the names that haven’t convinced Amorim so far. Meanwhile, the match against Torino, scheduled for August 23rd, is approaching.
According to Matteo Moretto (via MilanNews), the Granata have actually asked for information about signing young talent Alphadjo Cissè. We’ll see if this situation gains momentum in the coming hours and if Milan are willing to sanction his exit.
As a reminder, Cisse was signed from Hellas Verona having impressed on loan at Catanzaro in Serie B. He missed almost all of the second half of the season with a serious muscle issue that needed surgery, but Amorim has used him in each of the friendlies so far, so he clearly sees something.
Gazzetta: “Lautaro and Maignan, two different ways of being captain.”
by Enrico Ferrazzi
Journalist Olivero commented on the different ways in which Lautaro Martinez and Mike Maignan act as captain
GB Olivero, in the pages of Gazzetta dello Sport , spoke about Lautaro Martinez and Mike Maignan as follows: “Yesterday Lautaro showed up in Appiano Gentile. Could he have asked for extra holidays? Of course. Would he have been granted them? Certainly, also because the Argentine pulls his weight all year round. But he did none of that. Lautaro enjoyed twenty days of rest, he metabolised the disappointment of losing the World Cup final without playing a single minute and is preparing for another season as a protagonist. Together with him, in Appiano, was Marcus Thuram who experienced the World Cup as a gatecrasher (one minute on the pitch) but always with a smile. The same smile shown in the first images in training.
Mike Maignan is a less cheerful type, a matter of character. His World Cup ended the day before Lautaro’s, with England conceding six goals in the third-place play-off. But his vacation will last a week longer. The AC Milan captain will return to Milanello on the 16th, four days after the scheduled date (which already seemed generous). Rabiot has the same schedule: after all, if the captain does it, anyone can. The example, yes. Maignan is a goalkeeper, undergoes a different training program, and takes little time to prepare for his official debut. But if some fans turn up their noses, well, that’s normal, because the new schedule requires a rolling start: five matchdays before the autumn break, losing ground immediately would be serious.
Evidently, Maignan didn’t consider how Milan’s season ended, with their shocking exclusion from the Champions League. He didn’t consider Amorim’s need to coach the entire squad. He didn’t consider his role in the locker room, which is just as important as his role on the pitch . There are worse things, of course, and if the club granted him a few extra days off, he’ll have made his assessments. Two great saves will be enough for Maignan to make peace with the fans, who are struggling to forgive him even for missing Baresi’s funeral. He was on the other side of the world and didn’t know Franco well, true. But there was time to return, and the armband isn’t a decorative element: it imposes a line of conduct, especially when you have to pay homage to the man who wore it masterfully for 15 years.”
Add to this ibra’s barbecue during and/or after the match against Chelsea, you get the ugliest picture.
Might be better for him to go on a loan after such an injury.
Cisse is a very interesting player, I was looking forward to watching him this season.
He would have gotten playing time with the inconsistent Pulisic,RLC, Nkunu and Leao(if he stays) and seems more polished then Ossola.
Gallinani should come in and take over now!
Then he will bring back Maldini and then Milan will have some future for winning something and be feared in Seria A!