Tuttosport: Milan turn to Bologna winger as Messias and/or Saelemaekers could leave

AC Milan are on the lookout for a potential option to bolster the right wing department and add a player with more goal threat, a report claims.

According to this morning’s edition of Tuttosport (via MilanNews), one of Junior Messias and Alexis Saelemakers could leave the club in the summer window and it cannot be totally excluded that both depart.

Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara are therefore scouting out the potential options to improve on the right flank and spread the attacking threat, with the candidacy of Riccardo Orsolini rising.

The Bologna star has scored scored 11 goals in Serie A this year, adding four assists, and the hypothesis is growing in momentum given the cost of other options.

He is 26 years of age so entering his prime years and would help with the composition of the squad lists given he is a home-grown player, coming through the youth system at Ascoli before his move to Juventus.

Tags AC Milan Riccardo Orsolini

30 Comments

  1. Saladmakers out! Patience after years of waiting for development and results have ended. Keep Messiah as a back-up, until next season.

    1. I disagree, saelemaekers has been doing pretty good this season and he can play in several positions and regardless of what people thinks he is actually a pretty technical gifted player. Unless we recieve a good offer for him or he was demanded as part of a deal for sms or another big signing id keep him as he is still a young player with room to improve. Messias on the other hand should be sold but obviously wont fetcfh as much money as saelemaekers would do.

      1. Agreed. Saelemakers might not have the speed and charm of Leao but you can tell that he’s a very technical player. However, he OFTEN makes all the wrong decisions, but this should be improved as he’s getting more and more experienced. He also helped out on the defence, linking up well with Calabria.

        Messias had been such a great, heartwarming story, however, all good things must come to an end and I think it’s time to part ways.

        1. Absolutely and i agree that the messias story is quite heartwarming considering his previous line of work its quite the fairytale but it would make sense selling him now which propably wont be the biggest issue in italy either.

      2. “I disagree, saelemaekers has been doing pretty good this season”

        On what aspect exactly?
        And explain to me how and where saelemaekers is better than Messias this season. Prove ur claims with stats.

        1. First of all i doint need to proove anything to you as i said he has been doing pretty good this season which i do believe he has done.

          Age will undoubtedly be part of the equation in regard of whether we should keep him or messias but he actually had a great impact on our progression from the cl group as he scored some important goals there that helped us advance from the group stage. He has more room to develope than messias even though the brazilian has 2 more goals he is also 32s whereas saelemakers is 23 so for me its the logical move to keep him instead
          He can also play various positions which is good for the club due to its financial restraints. Messias also often looks selfish in his choices.
          Not everything is about stats even though they can be usefull as well to but if you look at messias and saelemakers they have roughly played the same ammount of minutes and as mentioned messias has 2 more goals but it could easily be expected that a player of his age would be further ahead then due to his experience. Finally saelemaekers also contributes better than messias when we are under pressure from an attacking side.
          IEither way i prefer saelemaekers staying.

          1. The best way to reply this long article after reading just the first line is “both Messias and Saelemaekers are not what we need.”

            How many seasons has Saelemaekers played with Milan before the arrival of Messias who is ileven below average yet in his first 2 seasons he has better goal records and assists than Saelemaekers.

            My take is both should leave in other words Messias has been better than Saelemaekers stats don’t lie, Saelemaekers is a winger for fvck sake why is he doing the job of a midfielder?

          2. I can understand your sentiment even though i still believe saelemaekers could still be a valuable squad member for years to come but we also has to look at all the squad needs and what we have available to spend and buying 2 new right wings of better quality would propably take a big piece of the transfer funds while other areas also need attention so i think its better going for one great one and then keep the belgian as a backup.
            Regardless of them playing the same position then its propably fairly propable to say that one will keep developing while the other sooner or later will regress and the same with more risk of injuries happening for the brazilian as well.
            Therefore i think a lot speaks for us keeping saelemaekers than messias if one were to be kept but we doesnt have to agree about everything here so thats fine as well. In the event we get a good offer for saelemaekers and it actually would be ebenficial for certain marquee signings i wont exclude it either though but i prefer saelemaekers staying as things stands now,

    2. You got it twisted bro. Alexis work rate and defending are wayyyy better than Messias, his offense has improved markedly this season, and he’s only 23. Move on Messias and keep Alexis.

      1. What progress we are talking about – 21/22 2 goals 3 assists, this season 4 goals and 2 assists?! Without numbers everyone has an opinion.

        1. Salad is just a better player plus he’s young and getting better. Messias is in his 30s and just going downhill.

          1. He isnt on the pitch at all. Pioli kept choosing Messias and Diaz over Salad. So out he can go. Bring capital by his sell.
            Also, yes part of the rw job IS to score goals and provide crosses aka assists

          2. @flyingturtle, “Pioli kept choosing Messias and Diaz over Salad. So out he can go.” You mean Pioli can go? I agree. A blithering idiot can see that Saladmaker was in better form than Messiah for the last month of the season. Doesn’t score and doesn’t assist? He’s originally a right wingback, so I wouldn’t expect him to have world class offensive skills.

            For the last month of the season Salad was dangerous, brining energy, dribbling and yes actually scoring a couple. He had a couple of more chances, but as a wingback one can’t really complain. It’s not his fault he’s been pushed up the pitch, this is a deficiency of the club not having a real RW. His decision making will improve with experience. It already has. He’s 23. So all signs point to keeping him over 31 y/o Serie B Messias. It’s really a no-brainer. Sign Orsolini, or whomever, and keep Salad as the backup/late game hold-the-lead defensive winger.

          3. He plays RWD not a Defender. It is obvious that we cannot compete with top class clubs because it is predictable that 90% of our attacks will go from the left

    3. Personally I’d say the other way around. Alexis is young, enthusiastic and has value.

      If the club sold him for decent gains, no problem, but he’s pretty excellent in the defensive phase with the amount of ground Pioli can ask him to cover. I don’t imagine he’ll become an amazing attacker but I think he offers more to the squad.

  2. Yes for Orsolini. Focusing on Italy players is also good. 15 goal contribution is better than our two wingers and he is still young. He can do about 6 seasons with Milan and even get better. A good deal too. We can keep all three wingers since their earnings is not that much. Pioli can move Saelemakers to be leao’s buck up. All he needs is to be consistent and learn from leao. He has speed, strength and can beat his man.

  3. Yes for Orsolini. Focusing on Italy players is also good. 15 goal contribution is better than our two wingers and he is still young. He can do about 6 seasons with Milan and even get better. A good deal too. We can keep all three wingers since their earnings is not that much. Pioli can move Saelemakers to be leao’s buck up. All he needs is to be consistent and learn from leao. He has speed, strength and can beat his man.
    Forza Milan

  4. Saelermakers has a complete quality than messias he always give his best I’m following that player.very solid and strong junior messias should leave he is old and saelermakers is gifted and still young

  5. Average player. At 26 he is what he is. Better than Messias. Slightly better than Salesmakers. So it’s an upgrade – but the bar is set pretty low lol. Wow how ambitious Redbird are. Orsolini is our prized RW signing lol. Pop the champagne bottles. If this is all we can afford we aren’t moving the needle that much

    1. He couldn’t cut its at Juventus nor Atalanta. So not sure he will make it at another bigger club. Seems like he’s a star at a lower Italian club but can’t hack it at bigger ones. There are a long list of those players. If he wasn’t Italian I doubt we’d be interested in him. Like I said at 26, usually players are done developing and what you see is what you get. So ya it’s a small upgrade cause our RW is so weak – but I wouldn’t get your hopes up. He’s unproven with a big club or internationally and likely will not make much of an impact. Sad if this is all we can get to improve one of our weakest positions for the past many years…

  6. “I disagree, saelemaekers has been doing pretty good this season”

    On what aspect exactly?
    And explain to me how and where saelemaekers is better than Messias this season. Prove ur claims with stats.

    1. [Competition – appearances/goals/assists/subs on/subs off]

      RW Messias (age 32):
      Serie A – 24/5/2/6/15
      Champions League – 9/1/0/7/2
      Coppa Italia – 1/0/0/1/0

      49% starting eleven; 43% minutes; 11% goal participation

      RWB Saelemaekers (age 23):
      Serie A – 29/2/2/15/14
      Champions League – 8/2/0/4/4
      Coppa Italia – 1/0/0/0/1

      38% starting eleven; 42% minutes; 7% goal participation

      Pretty even all in all, so we have to extrapolate. Saelemaekers starts less, subs in more, is WAY younger, and is not technically an attacker. Oh and Saelemaekers has 11 caps and one goal for Belgium vs. nothing for Messias with Brazil. Competition is stiffer with Brazil, but still the international experience and consideration are there. Thus, given the almost even stats one has to conclude that Saelemaekers has more upside and is thus the better one to hold on to.

Comments are closed

Serie A Standings

Live football scores . Current table, fixtures & results.