GdS: Lukaku, Fofana and more from Leao – the plan to create a ‘Milan XL’ | OneFootball

The AC Milan management are looking to make the team bigger so that they can compete on a physical level above all in Europe, a report claims.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the mission is to create a ‘Milan XL’ to try to play the part of a giant in Italy and Europe. The hunt for big and strong players is the trend of the Rossoneri summer transfer window and it is for this reason.

Talent is not enough, in top matches you need broad shoulders. Thus, the Rossoneri are looking with interest at the idea of acquiring potential and physique of Youssouf Fofana as a shield to protect the defence, and above all they are focusing on the goals and size of Romelu Lukaku.

It is no coincidence that almost all the centre-forwards targeted by the club are over six feet tall: from Joshua Zirkzee to Benjamin Sesko, from Samu Omorodion to Lukaku himself. Strength and endurance are needed, and ‘Big Rom’ has always played more than 35 matches per season since leaving Belgium.

Bulking up

It is physicality that Milan are seeking in the other departments because they want to bridge the distance that separates it from Inter in Italy and to do so quickly, a gap that is evident above all in the derbies but also games against top teams in the Champions League.

The intensity of European football requires toned muscles, to score goals or not to concede them. In addition to Lukaku up front and Fofana in the middle, there is Igor of Brighton and formerly of Fiorentina among the ideas for the defence, and Emerson Royal himself for the right side.

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Fonseca and the staff will soon also begin working with the ‘big’ names, in the literal sense, already at the club. Ruben Loftus-Cheek added solidity to the midfield last season, while Malick Thiaw could be useful for the defence. Ismael Bennacer and Yacine Adli, on the other hand, are at risk.

Leao’s role

In addition to the aforementioned, Fonseca will ask Leao to be less passive and more incisive. Rafa takes care of his body obsessively, also relying on a personal trainer, and he has grown compared to the summer of 2019.

He not only has the shooting of a forward and the dribbling of a winger, but he would also like to have the consistency to assert himself in duels. Fonseca will ask him to be more involved in overall play and to carry the team on his shoulders.

When dribbling fails, he must be able to drag with force. In the XL project of the new Milan there are not only Lukaku and Fofana, but also the idea of ​​making Leao’s excessive physical power count, moving closer to the goal in search of scoring in new ways.