Winter Mercato

How do you know they went half-hartedly Jim? Just because Tiago said that Juve was more determained, doesn't mean anything. For all we know, Juve might have offered him a more effective role in their side(and even if they didn't we can all see that he will most probably be a starter over there while it is a big argument whether he was going to be the same at Milan) and for him that might have been the "more determained" part he was talking about. You say he is better then Ambrosini and Brocchi and even possibly Seedorf, and I am not going to argue that. However, how can you say that he was easily going to be a starter among competition like that. In my oppinion Dhorasoo was possibly better then Ambrosini at the time as well but never became a starter and Vogel always performed great when one the field but never became a starter as well. Tiago was going to face a very stiff competition to put a foot on the field among players that have Carlo's trust. In my oppinion, he knew that very well and that was I think one of the big reasons he chose Juve.

About Abidal, like you said he stated he wanted Barcelona and there is nothing to be ashamed of in that. After all, not every player in the world wants to play for Milan as there are other great clubs out there as well. I don't see how we could be more persuasive unless we offer so much more money to him then Barcelona, which in my oppinion is not necessary to double player's salaries just to make them come to Milan.

Suazo....again a player that said that he has been in constant contact with Inter since last summer. A player that gave his word to them and a man that stood by his word. We offered more money then Inter to Cagliari and I doubt the offer to Suazo himself was any lower then Inter's. So there was a lot of determination to get him, but the whole move was twisted so we dropped it.

Originally Posted by icculus

the local dope dealer....

You almost got me into stitches .....this is hilarious....

I really want a midfielder, an attacker, 2 defenders and a GK.

Most of you are fully commited to Dida, but I don't think he's fully commited to the net. He won't be good next year, he will make us suffer, making useless mistakes, don't be fooled by a few good matches. I say buy the following players.

GK: Landreau (Next Casillas AT LEAST;check out vids)
Defence: Mexes,Zaccardo(age?)
Midfield: Quaresma or Emerson(IF cheap.)
Attack:Eto'o and Pato OR Kerlon, one of the two to fill in for R99 since hes injured quite literally half the season..BUT to keep the salaries at a normal rate, SELL Oliveira, I don't think Galliani has the gutz to get rid of Gila

Milan debate Cassano bid
Saturday 30 June, 2007
Milan transfer guru Adriano Galliani has left the door open for Ronaldinho, Andriy Shevchenko and admitted the squad must vote on whether to welcome Antonio Cassano.

The Rossoneri thought they had signed their new striker when a £10m deal was struck with Cagliari, but David Suazo insisted on joining their arch rivals Inter, so the search is back on.

“I will not disturb other clubs,” he told Sky Italia. “I spoke with Barcelona’s top director after the President, who is Feran Soriano, but at the moment Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o are not for sale.”

Nonetheless, Galliani is keeping his hopes up, as the arrival of Thierry Henry could squeeze the Brazilian out of the Nou Camp.

“We will see. We are keeping our doors open and have a free non-EU member place because Kaka got married and now has an Italian passport.”

One of the other players earmarked for that spot was Shevchenko, who would welcome a return to San Siro just a year after his troubled £30m move to Chelsea.

The reports of another bid were fuelled when Sheva met with Paolo Maldini as both were on holiday in Miami.

“I am getting all sorts of information,” confessed Galliani. “When it comes to Shevchenko, we have to understand if there is a possibility of the transfer and at what price, but here as well Chelsea said no.

“He is also a non-EU member, but we have a place and are open to taking in any striker from any nationality in the world.”

That includes an Italian, so over the past few days Milan have come out into the open with their interest in Real Madrid misfit Cassano.

“Cassano is a player that I would like, but we all have to agree on the matter. I like him because it would be a fascinating challenge. He certainly doesn’t lack talent, so perhaps he would flourish in an environment like Milan, who knows?”

Former Roma starlet Cassano is notorious for his temperament and has had several bust-ups with Coaches at club and international level, including Fabio Capello and Gigi Del Neri.

It is reported that the Rossoneri will have a vote inside the locker room and among the Coaching staff before deciding whether to make a firm bid for the volatile player.

“We are working hard at the moment on cutting down the size of the squad and have already found placements for 11 of the 12 players who will be leaving this summer. The only one still to go is goalkeeper Marco Storari, who will certainly find the best place for him.”

Another of Milan’s shot-stoppers, Ferdinando Coppola, has been loaned out to Atalanta after spending last season at Piacenza.

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channel 4

Id rather look elsewhere (No Cassano, No Shevchenko).

I guess the bottom line is that none of us can claim that our transfer market have been failures---given the amount of success we have had on the pitch over the last five years. After all, aside from marketing related issues, that is the best way to measure success isnt it?

The only thing that frustrates me is the speed and efficiency with which we do things. You guys remember the Shevchenko transfer? That was done and dusted for big money, about six months BEFORE he actually joined us. Now our entire management knew that we needed a fast, technical striker many months ago. They have been courting Ronaldinho for the last year---Why havent they come up with some conclusions? If he is available, then we get him, if not let's look elsewhere and conclude the deal. Doesnt seem like we have any fixed targets. It's almost like: "If R10 is available, we will try for him" "If Etoo is available, we will make a bid" "We got Suazo, thats' the end of our mercato" " We would like to get Tiago" "Emerson is just the player we need"

My question is, who do we want? Seems like the management dont know. They should just list their main targets and go for them. If it's Suazo, then we should have given Inter a run for their money. If it is R10, then we should know by now whether he is available. If it was Tiago, then we could have given him some assurances and snatched him from Juve. If it was Emerson, then we should already be in negotiations....Frustrating..

k guys i say if we cant get eto'o who plain out said he doesnt wanna move from barca even though alot of us think otherwise since this is the "SILLY SEASON" but drobga hasnt commited to chelsea and we been linked with him since last summer and he wants to play in italy and iam sure he would like to win a champions league title..and wat better team to do it with than mighty milan...

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/30062007/...ure-doubt.html

not many people are talking about Cassano. IMO, he seems to be the one that is most linked with us at the moment. The way Galliani is talking about him, I actually think we might end up getting him. Its looking like it was only Cesare Maldini that was against him coming to Milan, but others like Galliani and Carlo want him. Let's see what happens.

Oh ya and btw, if in top form, Cassano > Eto'o, Gila, Ronaldo.. Cassano is special, if we just manage to cool his head, he can be something and can make our attack something, but that is a big IF.

I'd love to see us going for Cassano in attack and maybe Sheva too, giving away Oliveira and hopefully Gila too. I'd love to see us reinforce our defence with players like Zambrotta/Chivu (anyone else here think we might hijack him?). Midfield we seemed destined to get Emerson but reports simply just vanished and we started to see reports that we wanted to play Gourcuff more, but that makes no sense because Emerson was needed for a total different role than Gourcuff. Ahh nevermind I dont want to hurt my head thinkin about it, I have faith in our management but they are increasingly making me frustrated by their lack of movement and spending.

i wouldnt mind cassano as long as he doesnt throw his toys out the bram. Milan should offer him a year contract, and see what the Milan lab can do with him. That is my main worry, but with so many big names arround him he really would have to behave. If he wants to get his italy shirt back that is..

With Ronaldos and Inzaghis injurys i think we could do with 5 strikers

Gila
Inzaghi
Ronaldo
Sheva
Cassano

Then get pato next season if Ronaldo or inzaghi go.

i don't know guys all decent defenders are booked and galliani is cool about the midfeild " he shall see pirlo die from fatigue next season " and all strikers we think we get are attracted to milano's other side < i am worried >

BUT i think if we hurry up on barusso + luisao + luco gonzales + any striker" pato or etoo or cassano or santacruz " + a utility player " montolivo or rosina or deco " , we will all be very content

Berlusconi: Bring me Adriano!
Saturday 30 June, 2007
Milan President Silvio Berlusconi admits Andriy Shevchenko is too expensive, but publicly asks Inter for Adriano!

The patron has never disguised his fondness for Sheva, even after the £30m move to Chelsea leaving the door wide open for a surprise comeback.

“Shevchenko is always in first place for me, but Roman Abramovich is asking too much. Shevchenko would have no problem in returning to us and I am convinced he would be the ideal partner for Ronaldo.”

“Our fans must relax. We will get a great player, but without rushing it, as it is important to have patience,” said the patron after missing out on David Suazo to rivals Inter.

“Cagliari offered us Suazo, then when we discovered it was not possible to sign him, we stepped aside and refused to put obstacles in Inter’s path.”

The good rapport between the two ‘cugini’ could also see a shock summer transfer, as Suazo’s arrival pushes Adriano out of the Nerazzurri squad. Could Milan swoop for the unsettled hitman?

“If only! I have always liked Adriano a great deal and think that he would be at ease at Milan among all the Brazilians we have here,” smiled Berlusconi.

“Milan are a huge family and being here would give him the opportunity to express himself at his best, just as Ronaldo already has.”

This is not the first time that the thought of Adriano wearing the Rossoneri jersey has crossed the front pages, but Berlusconi takes it a step further.

“With what happened recently I’m not sure if it will be possible, as I called Massimo Moratti to organise a friendly match so Milan and Inter could celebrate their success together, but we haven’t been able to find a date yet.

“Having said that, I repeat that I would very much like Adriano at Milan if we could reach an agreement with Inter.”

Other candidates for the forward role include Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho, but Barcelona have stated the pair are not for sale.

“I also want to remind fans that we already have an important new player – Ronaldo can now compete for us in the Champions League.”

Meanwhile, Milan are closing in on former Juventus and Roma midfielder Emerson, who will not be needed at Real Madrid after Fabio Capello’s dismissal.

The Brazilian, known as ‘Puma’, has reportedly already been in negotiations with the Rossoneri for some time and finally got the all-clear to leave Madrid.

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channel 4

Originally Posted by hitmannq8

not many people are talking about Cassano. IMO, he seems to be the one that is most linked with us at the moment. The way Galliani is talking about him, I actually think we might end up getting him. Its looking like it was only Cesare Maldini that was against him coming to Milan, but others like Galliani and Carlo want him. Let's see what happens.

Oh ya and btw, if in top form, Cassano > Eto'o, Gila, Ronaldo.. Cassano is special, if we just manage to cool his head, he can be something and can make our attack something, but that is a big IF.

I'd love to see us going for Cassano in attack and maybe Sheva too, giving away Oliveira and hopefully Gila too. I'd love to see us reinforce our defence with players like Zambrotta/Chivu (anyone else here think we might hijack him?). Midfield we seemed destined to get Emerson but reports simply just vanished and we started to see reports that we wanted to play Gourcuff more, but that makes no sense because Emerson was needed for a total different role than Gourcuff. Ahh nevermind I dont want to hurt my head thinkin about it, I have faith in our management but they are increasingly making me frustrated by their lack of movement and spending.

In the interview that I have placed above, Berlu also said they would go for a young defender.

Yeah, I think the Cassano thing will go through because we can give Oli in exchange. Real want to get rid of Cassano, and we want to get rid of Oli.

Chelsea's Didier Drogba claims he is not yet certain to start the new season at Stamford Bridge.

The Ivorian hit-man had a sensational campaign with The Blues last term - bagging 33 goals and again emerging as one of the most feared strikers in Europe.

However, Drogba - linked with a possible move to Italy - insists he has not yet made up his mind whether to remain in West London.

"You want to know if I will still return to Chelsea? I will reply to that when I am ready. For now I am having a deserved vacation," he told The Sun.

"I love the English league and may not be in a hurry to leave England if you insist.

"But it's difficult to really predict what I want to do in the next week.

"I have been working hard and would love to win the Champions League with Chelsea.

"But, for now, let's just wait and see. I'm at the last big turning point of my career.

"It's time for one final big choice: 'Should I stay or should I go?'

"I am tempted to discover another world and to see what footballing life is like outside England."

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skysports.

I don't see why we would want Adriano, he's an even bigger lump than Ronaldo at the moment and his attitude/partying antics leave alot to be desired. I really hope we stay clear of him.

There's an interesting story on the CH4 site about Lyon's interest/offer for Grosso where they label him as the 'Inter benchwarmer'. I'd like to see a new, younger/better option for left-back instead of Favalli, so maybe Grosso or Pasquale of Fiorentina would be worth a shout.