Winter Mercato

Originally Posted by Jim_UK

Why is Pato a problem? Pato & Huntelaar would form an awesome strikeforce i reckon.

Pato needs space plus he's taken up the places of one of our signings up front for this season ... what I am saying is if we hadn't gotton Pato, Dinho+Huntelaar would have been plausible, now I don't think so ... unless one of Gila, Pippo, Ronaldo goes, we could hope for at most one new striker - either Dinho/Etoo or someone more versatile than Huntelaar, like JB, Di Natale, etc.

I don't see how having Etoo is going to be any different from having Huntelaar. Either one of them will still take a striker's position and no others.

Still, i'd be just as happy if we secured him this season and brought him in next season.

Originally Posted by Jim_UK

I don't see how having Etoo is going to be any different from having Huntelaar. Either one of them will still take a striker's position and no others.

Still, i'd be just as happy if we secured him this season and brought him in next season.

Etoo is a player who doesn't become available every day, you get one shot at buying him and if you miss it, it's over ... he is seen by the management, at least I think so, as a player who is proven at the highest level and is a diffrenece maker (and he is only a couple of years older than Huntelaar) ... i.e. the type of player for whom we can afford to open a space in our attack - whether it would be by introducing Pato more slowly into the first team or, if we have to, selling Gila or Ronaldo (wouldn't be surprised if he goes to US after this season).

and he is a different type of player than Huntelaar - etoo is not a target man, he can be one but his strength is in falling back and actively participating in building the attack. Comparing etoo and Huntelaar is kind of like comparing Sheva and Pippo.

But I think Silvio is set on chasing Dinho and Etoo has always been like a plan B for a big-star transfer.

I'm not comparing them as strikers. What i was pointing out is that they could both only play in one position, they can't occupy any other spots in the team. Plus there's no way we're going to get either Etoo or Ronaldinho, so getting Huntelaar is the next best thing.

i would prefer us to get huntelaar now, than let Juve get him next season.

Milan’s lethargic start to the transfer season could be coming to a thrilling finale as the acquisitions of Pato and most recently Emerson could be capped by the signing of Ajax ace Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.


Milan’s lethargic start to the transfer season could be coming to a thrilling finale as the acquisitions of Pato and most recently Emerson could be capped by the signing of Ajax ace Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.



Rossoneri legend Ruud Gullit is reported to have personally recommended the free-scoring 24-year-old to his former employers, and Milan’s strong Dutch connection could give them the edge over fellow suitors Juventus and Real Madrid.



Huntelaar put his disappointment at being left out of the Netherlands squad on Friday behind him with a highly impressive four-goal haul during Ajax’s rout of De Graafschap on the weekend. He is said to be eager to stick it out in Amsterdam for another year before making the inevitable move to one of Europe’s top leagues, but there are signs that a big-money transfer within this August is a possibility.


He could be a very good acquisition the only thing is when will he play. We will have Ronaldo, Inzaghi, Gilardino and then Huntleear and then in January we get Pato. I just dont want to see the kid wallowing on the bench. He would be a very good buy. Could pair well with Ronaldo or Gilardino. I just dont see this happening

Originally Posted by Jim_UK

I'm not comparing them as strikers. What i was pointing out is that they could both only play in one position, they can't occupy any other spots in the team. Plus there's no way we're going to get either Etoo or Ronaldinho, so getting Huntelaar is the next best thing.

I think Milan will relinquish the idea of getting etoo/dinho only on 30/31 august and then move in for their back up plan (I do think we have one).
And Huntelaar is not the next best thing, JIm - he is a one-dimensional striker and until we have Gila and Pippo with us, Huntelaar is out of the question IMO.

Dinho and Etoo are players with different characteristics so the next best thing as you called it, should/would be a player of similar type - similar to Dinho/Etoo, not Huntelaar - and such players are JB and Di Natale (I am mentioning these two as they have been associated with Milan recently).

and again, Huntelaar is cup-tied, that makes his coming to Milan, for this year at least, even more unlikely.

Also, I am pretty sure that Milan management is not completely sold on Huntelaar as he has yet to prove himself at the level that matters most and Milan is playing at ... and Gila, who before his coming to Milan had much more impressive stats than the Dutchman, is a fresh proof that having potential may well not mean much when your new club is called Milan.
That's why, after the arrival of Pato, Milan are likely to move for more proven players than another potentially good player like Gila/Pato.

Frankly, the only way for Milan to go for Huntelaar IMO is if Gila fails to improve this season and we sell him thus losing our young, target man, who still has to learn and improve.
If Gila stays but Pippo retures, we'd be losing an established and experienced target man, not a youngster but a finished article ... so, I'd expect Milan to go for a similarly experienced player to replace Pippo - someone establshed and at least 28 yo old (like Trez for instance).
I relaly doubt Milan will be willing to end up with two "I need time to learn the ropes" young target men like Gila and Huntelaar on the team, at the same time ... with an even younger Pato around.

just a thought, may be they're after huntelaar after ronaldo injured. so, they'll give ronaldo, inzaghi, gila the CL spot, and get Huntelaar for serie A.

Originally Posted by zlatanov

And Huntelaar is not the next best thing, JIm - he is a one-dimensional striker and until we have Gila and Pippo with us, Huntelaar is out of the question IMO.

Name me a better striker who's available?

and again, Huntelaar is cup-tied, that makes his coming to Milan, for this year at least, even more unlikely.

I don't see why this will make alot of difference if we really want him. Like i said before, if anything it'll lower his price.

Also, I am pretty sure that Milan management is not completely sold on Huntelaar as he has yet to prove himself at the level that matters most and Milan is playing at ... and Gila, who before his coming to Milan had much more impressive stats than the Dutchman, is a fresh proof that having potential may well not mean much when your new club is called Milan.

No it might not mean he'll succeed with us, but then it doesn't rule it out either. Just because Gilardino is struggling doesn't mean Huntelaar will. Plus Huntelaar has alot more European experience than Gilardino did and playing against the top Dutch teams is surely the equivalent to playing against mid-table Serie A teams. So i don't think he's as far behind in proving himself as you make out.

Chelsea have bought Belletti, which might mean an end to their Alves chase.

I have a feeling that we'll all forget about Sheva and Ronaldo once Pato starts doing his job in Milan. Milan rarely pays 20 mln for a 17 year old boy. Leonardo and Braida know what they are doing...

Huntelaar is a fantastic striker but I dont see us bringing anyone untill Pato arrives. ONLY IF, and we as a fans cant know that for sure, only if Ronaldo is actually in pretty bad shape and Carlo thinks he cant give much this season...they MAYBE we'll go for Di Natale of someone like that.

off topic:

Dont want to be boring, but this is a question. Have you guys seen Srna from Sakhtar play?? For some unknown reason Sakhtar owner doesnt wanna sell him and he has some mad contract in there. But this man plays simply brilliant football. Plays like a mad man. Every single game he does something extraordinary. I cant believe he still plays in Ucraine league... Im not saying Milan needs him , its just horribkle to see those kind of palyers never make it on headlines when they should.

guys... hahaha, chech this out...

"To [president Ramon] Calderon I said, you are failing here. [Milan president] Berlusconi doesn't lack money and has a 'pretty face' at Milan - who is it?

It was Maldini before, but now it is Kaka.

"The boy in all the photos is Kaka. And Berlusconi, who lives an aesthetic life, and loves the aesthetic players, will never let such a man go." - Fabio CAPELLO !

Emerson got no. 5 and Materazzi got injured for 4 months!! buahahahaha. . .

Originally Posted by mrki

Dont want to be boring, but this is a question. Have you guys seen Srna from Sakhtar play?? For some unknown reason Sakhtar owner doesnt wanna sell him and he has some mad contract in there. But this man plays simply brilliant football. Plays like a mad man. Every single game he does something extraordinary. I cant believe he still plays in Ucraine league... Im not saying Milan needs him , its just horribkle to see those kind of palyers never make it on headlines when they should.

i think the reason for this is that he plays that good only in NT jersey... I haven't seen him play like that for shaktar..

maybe it's the well known croatian passion when playing for NT...i always remember asanovic, jerkan, and such players who never gave such amazing plays to their clubs like their NT

Originally Posted by Jim_UK

Name me a better striker who's available?

is he? after Ajax sold Sneijder, I am not so sure - they said before that they will sell only one of Sneijder Huntelaar this year, not both.
Plus, other than his presumed availability, what does he have going for him - nothig ... he is CL cup-tied and he is the type ofstriker we DO NOT need now that we have Pippo and Gila.
If we do need a striker or rather if we go for one, he will be a different type of player than Huntelaar is.

By this logic, we should be piling up promising players just becasue they had one good season somewhere even if they are not the type of player we need ... and again, you are overvaluing Huntelaar as he is yet to prove himself at the level fo football that counts ... there are a whole bunch of players out there who fit this criteria and I am sure for each one of them, their fans would claim what you claim for Huntelaar - that he is the real deal.
If that's the criteria to become a Milan player, then I guess we should form a B and C squad for all the Huntelaars from all the smaller championships in Europe.

If Huntelaar was a player Milan wanted, then I guess we'd have gone for that Dinamo Zagreb Brazilian kid who went to Arsenal or better yet - Claudio Pizarro, who was proven and free at that. Or Rolando Bianchi - Huntelaar is not more proven then Bianchi was when he became one of the most prolific striker in Serie A.
The only difference between Huntelaar and these guys is that his media fame/hype is bigger, nothing else - apart from Pizarro, all those young players have potential and have shown promise at lower level of football but are unproven on the big scene, nothing different than Huntelaar.

I don't see why this will make alot of difference if we really want him. Like i said before, if anything it'll lower his price.

no it won't because, as mentioned, Ajax don;t want to sell him and Sneijder in one summer. And given the crazy money they got for Sneijder - twice than they had hoped for at the start of the summer - it would take an offer they cannot refuse to make them wanna sell him (they have a Dutch title and CL spot to fight for, after all).

No it might not mean he'll succeed with us, but then it doesn't rule it out either. Just because Gilardino is struggling doesn't mean Huntelaar will. Plus Huntelaar has alot more European experience than Gilardino did and playing against the top Dutch teams is surely the equivalent to playing against mid-table Serie A teams. So i don't think he's as far behind in proving himself as you make out.

Chelsea have bought Belletti, which might mean an end to their Alves chase.

no, it doesn;t mean he will fail but by this logic we should go for any striker who managed to top the goalscoring charts of any half-decent championship - and there are at least 10 such players every year in Europe ... most of them, we'll never make it in big football as it eventually turns out to be the case.

Playing vs. small italian teams is not the same as playing vs top dutch teams as italian teams make the work of strikers a lot more difficult with their closed, defensive tactics.
In the end of the day those small italian teams may not be successful when you look at the bigger picture - hence the term "small" - but their philosophy is always to defend in numbers and when that's the case, it doesn't matter if you are playing vs a smaller italian team or not - forwards always find it different (read more difficlut) than it would be vs a more famous but not so defensive team.

Huntelaar's CL experience is no different than Gila's back then - he had only half a season with Ajax in CL (actually, just 2 games) - he went to Ajax in the winer of the 2005/2006 season and only played for them in the two games vs Inter where he scored an odd goal but ajax went out of the competition - that's two games in CL for that year.

and the next year, last season (2006/07), Ajax failed to qualify for the group stage after losing from Copenhagen in two games.
In Europe, Huntelaar has played 10 games altogether (only 4 in CL), counting qualifiers, the only good team Huntelaar managed to score is Inter, all the rest of his goals came vs team like Copenhagen, legia Warsaw, and some teams that I don't even remeber the names of.

And that unimpressive record belongs to a 24 yo player (Huntelaar is no longer a 20 yo promise) and when Gila came to Milan, he was 23 yo with the difference that he was serie A's best, or 2nd best goalscorer (just a goal behind Sheva) for 2 years in a row and that was a record achieved in Italy, not Holland - obviously, Gila's record would have much more "weight" when Milan decide if a player has proven himself enough in order for them to make a move.

While it doesn't mean that Huntelaar could not possibly turn out to be a better player than Gila, when it comes to having proven their qualities, Milan had more reasons to go for Gila than they do now to go for Huntelaar.

Originally Posted by zlatanov

no, it doesn;t mean he will fail but by this logic we should go for any striker who managed to top the goalscoring charts of any half-decent championship - and there are at least 10 such players every year in Europe ... most of them, we'll never make it in big football as it eventually turns out to be the case.

Zlat it's the basis of your logic as well, so arguing against me is like arguing against yourself. You're saying he might come here and fail and i'm saying he might come here and succeed. What's the difference?

Playing vs. small italian teams is not the same as playing vs top dutch teams

If this was the case then we'd surely be able to beat top Dutch teams easily, something we've not done when we've played them. I find your dismissal of the top Dutch teams a bit disrespectful to be honest.

Huntelaar's CL experience is no different than Gila's back then

I was careful to say European experience and not CL experience as Huntelaar had some European experience with Herenveen in the Uefa cup. Now maybe we should just buy players with the top level of experience, playing in World Cup finals, CL finals, winning league titles, domestic cup finals and anyone without all of this kind of experience should be immediately cast aside as not worthy!


I think like my discussion with Dev, we should just agree to disagree.

Jim, there are no guarantees that Huntelaar would perform in Milan. He is so similar to how Pippo/Gila play and he is young and coming from a different league. All these factors are disadvantages he has, and let alone being cup-tied. Dude whether you like it or not, we will not be going for him this summer.

Adriano has proven that he has what it takes to be one of the best players in the world from his Parma days and early Inter days. What I think he needs is simply a change of environment to find his form again (just like Gila). I think Adriano will feel at ease with the 'Milan family' attitude and will eventually start performing.