Winter Transfer Window 2017
Kjaer makes no sense to me whatsoever. I think you either need to go for an experienced defender who's consistently playing at the highest level (i.e. CL or a top league), or you continue on the path of finding talented young players. Kjaer doesn't really fit into either of those, so coming in we're talking about a player who's not consistently playing at the highest competitive level nor has he shown that he's anything more than a pretty average defender. We already have Paletta, Gomez and Zapata, so why do we need another defender of this sort of quality/level? I'd rather we do one of two things, the first is assess Moris Sportelli from our youth (I've mentioned him in the primavera thread) and if he's deemed to genuinely be of the level he's touted at, then focus on bringing a top level experienced defender that can support the backline's growth and improve on Paletta. If Sportelli's not of the required level, look for someone that's of the highest potential that is maybe a little younger (early-mid 20s) that can grow with Romagnoli over the next year or two.

I actually think that this winter we need to focus on 2 players, a midfielder and a winger. Badelj seems more and more appealing right now given his qualities and versatility (I think he'll be able to play alongside Locatelli, but can also act as an alternative which we don't have). On the wing, it really depends on what our spending power is. If we can go for a first team solution for a player which we have ambition for (e.g. Keita Balde who's been linked), then great, but if not a guy who's maybe cheaper and will help ease some of the pressures we face (e.g. Gomez) might be a good solution short term.

Next summer, I'd really like us to focus on getting a top young midfielder for the future. Names I'm talking about are Tolisso, Keita, Kessie, Gagliardini, Pellegrini, Bazoer and Tielemans (probably my personal pick if I'm honest).
Kjaer? LOL Have we even seen this player play lately? It's like......"Oh, Kjaer might be available...he was good 10 years ago...he must be good now too...let's just go for it"! Big Grin

Dev, on the young midfielders you listed, Keita definitely seems the most appealing to me! I haven't seen too much of him but since a few weeks ago I have made the effort to catch Leipzig games and this kid seems to have that something special!
I haven't seen Tielemans play in a long time now. How is he doing? I read a lot of people saying that he's not improved over the last couple years and it sounds like he might be that player that people still talk about his potential at age 25.
Report: Bazoer to Wolfsburg
(12-10-2016, 01:57 PM)nefremo Wrote: Kjaer? LOL Have we even seen this player play lately? It's like......"Oh, Kjaer might be available...he was good 10 years ago...he must be good now too...let's just go for it"! Big Grin

Dev, on the young midfielders you listed, Keita definitely seems the most appealing to me! I haven't seen too much of him but since a few weeks ago I have made the effort to catch Leipzig games and this kid seems to have that something special!
I haven't seen Tielemans play in a long time now. How is he doing? I read a lot of people saying that he's not improved over the last couple years and it sounds like he might be that player that people still talk about his potential at age 25.

I don't watch Tielemans week in week out (don't watch the Belgian league), but I have had Anderlecht's european matches on in the background a few times where he's always impressed. This season he seems more involved in play, both in the offensive and defensive phase and has been scoring freely (quick check on wikipedia says 10 goals in 23 appearances this season), so I don't think his growth has stunted at all, just that he's no longer the new hyped kid on the block. We need to bear in mind that he's just 19 and has only been playing for a few years at the top level (having made his debut at an extremely young age). It's inevitable that in that time and at that age his growth won't be constant and he will have to go through some stalls to adjust at senior level. In that respect, I don't really consider his growth at all concerning at this point, and honestly like I've said the times I've had the chance to watch him he's impressed.

I think all round he's got ideal qualities we could use at Milan. He's physically very well built, strong for his age and has some pace, he's technically highly proficient, whether it be his control of the ball, his passing, his shooting and his feet in dribbling or the fact he's two footed, he's got quality in every respect. He's not one to shirk defensive duties either and playing box to box I see him as the ideal replacement for Kucka personally. He's pretty smart on the ball when I watch him, timing his passes based on the runs of teammates and looking up at the play around him rather than having head down and running forward. In all honesty, I think if we're looking at young talents, he's probably the most ideal candidate we could go for, given what we need.

If there's one aspect that I would be concerned about personally, it's he's probably still a very hot property to get among the big clubs and Belgian talents have a tendency to go to France or England often, so he might be difficult to get. I also don't think he can stay at Anderlecht too long, as with all due respect to the Belgian league, the lack of quality there will stunt his growth sooner rather than later.

On Keita, I'm with you that the guy looks pretty amazing this season, but where I have a tendency to hesitate is I know nothing about the guy other than what he's shown this year, as in I don't think he was really on anyone's radar prior to this season. With him, I'm just keeping an eye on him for now to see if this is real talent or a period of great form in a team that is seemingly overachieving. That's different to Tielemans, who I've watched on and off for a few years now and feel confident in being able to say I know what he's about. Even Locatelli I feel more confident on, because while this is his season to break through, I've followed the guy for a number of years in our primavera and saw what he's capable of. With Keita, I really like what I've seen, but it's literally been 2-3 months that I've seen it, so I don't feel confident in saying "yes, he's the right guy for us".
I really thought Tielemans is 22 or something at this point. I couldn't believe my eyes that he is still 19. I feel like he's been around forever. You have a point. There is still plenty of time for him to grow and improve. I'm actually going to try and catch the first 30 mins of Anderlecht - Club Brugge tomorrow before the Torino - Juve game starts. Should be a good chance to watch Tielemans.
Yeah, it does feel like he's been around for ages, but that's mostly just because he started at such an early age. My only concern with him, as with Bazoer and many young talents in the modern game is his attitude. However, as with most cases, it's only hearsay and rumours about any problems here, so I can't say for certain if it's actually the case.
If or when Bacca is sold in January...Galliani is lining up Pavoletti as his replacement with Zaza on loan as the alternative...Just watch.Bacca sold for around €25m and in comes Zaza on loan for €0...I am delighted with us being joint 2nd but when the fanfare dies down this Milan have been extremely lucky.A defeat to Roma a draw with Atalanta and similar results against Torino Napoli could see the wheels fall off this team.Couple that with a Bacca sale the liklehood of missing a key player or 2 this season could go to shit.

We're a couple of mids and a winger away from really lasting the long haul , But Im certain what needs to be done will not be done and we'll see the usual ridiculous catastrophic Galliani mercato of players on hefty wages that add nothing.


Our midfield without Bonaventura is a joke , Locatelli is doing well but also makes a lot of errors as is expected from an 18 yr old.Kucka is a decent backup but here he's a key starter.Sosa Poli are just shit.Our defence still leaks goals and conceeds every game even against the worst teams in the league.
Lapadula Im not sure is actually good enough to lead the line , he's reaching legendary status among fans online for his crying when Milan lose or draw but Im not sold on him being the guy we need up front he runs a lot snd a lot of is needless he needs to be smarter with his energy .We'll see how good he is in the next 4 games when he's not playing against very poor teams...I hope Im wrong.
Player Name Nationality Position Age Yearly wages (€) Contract running until
Carlos Bacca Colombian Forward 29 3,500,000 2019

Luiz Adriano Brazilian Forward 29 3,000,000 2020

Riccardo Montolivo Italian Midfielder 31 2,500,000 2019

Keisuke Honda Japanese Forward 30 2,500,000 2017

Ignazio Abate Italian Defender 29 2,300,000 2019

Andrea Bertolacci Italian Midfielder 25 2,000,000 2019

Alessio Romagnoli Italian Defender 21 2,000,000 2020

Cristian Zapata Colombian Defender 29 1,700,000 2019

Jose Sosa Argentine Midfielder 31 1,500,000 2018

Mattia De Sciglio Italian Defender 23 1,500,000 2018

Juraj Kucka Slovakian Midfielder 29 1,500,000 2019

Andrea Poli Italian Midfielder 26 1,500,000 2018

Luca Antonelli Italian Defender 29 1,500,000 2019

Matias Fernandez Chilean Midfielder 30 1,300,000 2017

Gabriel Paletta Italian Defender 30 1,000,000 2018

Gianluca Lapadula Italian Forward 26 1,000,000 2021

Suso Spanish Forward 22 1,000,000 2019

Giacomo Bonaventura Italian Midfielder 27 1,000,000 2019

Gustavo Gomez Paraguayan Defender 23 800,000 2021

Gabriel Brazilian Goalkeeper 23 800,000 2018

Rodrigo Ely Brazilian Defender 22 800,000 2019

M'Baye Niang French Forward 21 800,000 2019

Leonel Vangioni Argentine Defender 29 800,000 2019

Mario Pasalic Croatian Midfielder 21 800.000 2017

Davide Calabria Italian Defender 19 600,000 2020

Manuel Locatelli Italian Midfielder 18 300,000 2018

Gianluigi Donnarumma Italian Goalkeeper 17 160,000 2018

Alessandro Plizzarri Italian Goalkeeper 16 100,000 2018
Ouch
While it hurts to read , he's not wrong and its more the norm for players to have this view ATM like it or not...His assessment of Ramos Boateng being on another level is wrong though IMO

Sule: ‘Inter and Milan want me but…’

Hoffenheim defender Niklas Süle confirms interest from Inter and Milan, but won’t join either as they are “in decline”.

The 21-year-old is already a German international, and reportedly turned down a €30m move to Chelsea in the summer.

“Milan and Inter?” Süle considered in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I know my agent was contacted, but in my opinion a move to Italy wouldn’t make any sense.

“Milan and Inter have lost the magic which distinguished them. In the past they had great players, the clubs’ names have weight, it’s a beautiful city, the fans are passionate… but the clubs are in decline.

“Going to one of them from the Bundesliga would be a step back, as for years they’ve been struggling to qualify for Europe. I’d prefer the Premier League.”

But surely Italy is the home of great defenders?

“[Fabio] Cannavaro was instrumental in the 2006 World Cup, and I was excited by [Alessandro] Nesta.

“Now they’re no longer the best. [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Giorgio] Chiellini are good, but [Sergio] Ramos and [Jerome] Boateng are on another level.

“Serie A is only the fourth-best League in Europe.”

http://www.football-italia.net/95618...-want-me-but…’
Ramos is average CB, pretty slow and error prone. Yet he is great on headers, scores plently goals, then everyone forgets his mistakes. On the other hand, Boateng is dominant CB with great passing, however he is also average this season.

l agree with him on Bonucci and Chiellini. Juve's 3 man backline is big advantage for them and make them better than they are. in addition, Buffon's leadership is a big plus for them as well.