GdS: Gonzalez, Timber and more – analytics suggests six midfield targets for Milan | OneFootball

It is now no secret that AC Milan are in the market for another defensive midfielder, and there are a number of options to explore.

Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders have played a lot of minutes already, and while names like Morten Frendrup and Reda Belahyane are doing the rounds, La Gazzetta dello Sport consulted Wallabies and Football Intelligence to find other targets.

The parameters were as follows: a defensive midfielder, who does not cost more than €20m (market value below that) and who is not older than 25 years. Below are the results.

Nicolo Rovella: He is perhaps the most familiar name given that he has impressed with Lazio so far. He has a high completion rate for passes (93%) and provides crucial defensive coverage too, however convincing a domestic rival to sell will be tough.

Nicolas Gonzalez: He made his debut with Barcelona in 2021 after coming through their academy. Then he spent a year on loan at Valencia and now he is at Porto. He is 22 years old, but in some ways he plays like a veteran. He can play virtually any midfield role, while he has four goals and three assists this season.

Raphael Onyedika: His first time at San Siro ended after just 40 minutes with a straight red card in Club Brugge’s defeat to Milan. However, the 23-year-old continues to seem like a bargain after Brugge paid €10 to snatch him from Midtjylland. Now his price might be double that, and he certainly offers more defensive characteristics.

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Angelo Stiller: After coming through Bayern Munich’s academy, Stiller continues to surprise everyone at Stuttgart. He knows how to dictate the pace of the game, averaging  over 90 touches per match, and in September he also made his debut with the German senior national team.

Quentin Timber: The Feyenoord man offers something interesting: he has already played alongside Tijjani Reijnders five times for the Netherlands and in a deeper role, allowing the Milan man to push forward. However, he shoots 1.8 times per game, and averages over 2 tackles. In short, he can do both phases well.

Andy Diouf: The 21-year-old has played every midfield role from being sat in front of the defence to being behind the strikers. He is certainly the least defensive of the list but the most similar to Reijnders. However, he also recovers a lot of balls in the defensive phase (6 on average) and covers a lot of ground.