Ranking the Priorities for Milan in the Summer Window | OneFootball

It’s been a mixed bag for Milan early in the summer, as they sold Theo Hernandez, which was totally expected, and Tijjani Reijnders, which, while the fee was a bit low but fine, came out of the blue since he had renewed his contract not too long ago and seemed committed to the club.

They quickly addressed the midfield by nabbing Luka Modric and Samuele Ricci. Two solid signings, for which timing was of the essence to beat out the competition. Then, it has been crickets for the last couple of weeks, which is worrying. There’s an eternity left in the window, so it’s not time to panic. However, the sooner you bring in new players, the better, especially after a coaching change, and if you are focusing on young foreigners who will need time to adjust. They have a lot to do, so they’d better get a move on to be somewhat ready for the opener.

Left-Back

Milan didn’t get a haul for Hernandez given his contractual situation, so it’s hard to imagine they’ll onboard a super-duper player to substitute for him. Nor should they, as this role isn’t a point of emphasis in Massimiliano Allegri’s scheme. Alexis Saelemaekers and Alex Jimenez are options, but they are both right-footed. Moreover, they might be too aggressive for the coach’s liking, especially with Rafael Leao gallivanting in front of them. A defensive-minded, reliable, and steady hand so their star doesn’t have to track back too much, would suffice. The latest names on their radar are Pervis Estupinan and Fran Garcia, Calciomercato informs.

Box-to-Box Midfielder

In a year without the cups, a line formed by Youssouf Fofana, Samuele Ricci, and Modric, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Warren Bondo as the top deputies, could perhaps hold up. That’s if the Real Madrid legend and the Englishman stay healthy, the ex-Monaco star responds well to a more dynamic role, and there are reasons to be optimistic about that, and if the Milan boss likes the former Monza youngster. That’s a lot of hypotheticals. They can be solved by adding another quality contributor. While they are stuck on Ardon Jashari and Javi Guerra for now, Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto report (via SOSFanta), they can go in a number of directions. The roles of their present pieces aren’t set in stone. Surely, somebody with a few goals in him wouldn’t hurt, given what they have lost. However, they shouldn’t be chasing the ghost of Reijnders, or they’ll only find disappointment.

Right-Back

Saelemaekers and Jimenez have better chances of working out here. The former is coming off a season where he mostly played as a wing-back for Roma, while the latter got a lot of reps while Davide Calabria and Emerson Royal were either injured or struggling. However, the Belgian international has never consistently starred in such a defensive role. He might end up being more useful as their third winger and change-of-pace guy off the bench. Their starlet is still a work in progress. At least, the Milan brass appears to think that way, as they have been hard at work to find a new starting-caliber player. Christian Pulisic has a higher work rate than Leao, but they could help him out too by not bringing in an overly attacking partner on the flank.

Striker

They have to add one after partying ways with all their deputies. Still, it’d be a little early and almost disheartening after a lengthy chase and hefty investment, to give up on Santiago Gimenez as their go-to-guy after just six months, where he wasn’t even a regular and the whole team was out of whack under a coach who became a dead man walking shortly after being appointed. He has his flaws, but his nose for the goal is remarkable. They have just inquired about Rasmus Hojlund, Gianluigi Di Marzio reports. The traits and caliber of players they are eyeing are votes of no-confidence toward the Mexican marksman. Dusan Vlahovic could be an interesting reclamation project if he can be signed for very little, but he didn’t exactly light it up under Allegri, even if the two have a nice rapport. They should consider acquiring a cheap, savvy, and muscular no.2, and see where they are at in January. It’s not like they are going to be an explosive and prolific team anyway.

Center-Back

It’s at the bottom of the pile because they technically have four pretty good center-backs already, although not a clear leader. Other than due to the confusion on the bench and Mike Maignan’s occasional blunders, there must be a reason if Milan haven’t been superb, or even passable, in the back for two seasons in a row. The problem here is that they first need to sell either Malick Thiaw or Fikayo Tomori for a good chunk of change. They are safe bets to fare better elsewhere. Then, they would have to sign a high-end defender who would raise the bar on his own and lift everybody near him. However, those don’t grow on trees and are very expensive. Considering how many holes they have to plug, they’ll probably just hope that their new manager and his cautious approach are enough to make their current men perform to the best of their abilities and complete the development of those who have room to grow.