Blog: Milan – the bigger picture
Milan may not have the need to buy any more new players in January, but Ruben Reggiani thinks they might do well to sell a few
A performance like the one on Wednesday by Milan, especially in the month of January, can be a double-edged sword. It will validate the board’s position of not venturing further into the January transfer market after the arrival of David Beckham and youngster Dominic Adiyiah.
Essentially this means the arrival of just one player, the right-footed Englishman, as sources have already dismissed the chances of the Ghanaian forward breaking into the first team. Should Milan be truly done with intakes, they will need to pray for an injury free rest of term as their resources for a certain level of competitiveness are limited.
What we are likely to read though over the coming weeks is of players leaving Milanello for pastures new. Again this is a consequence of the team’s momentary form and Leonardo’s resistance to rotate which restricts space for some. Furthermore it is likely the Rossoneri will look to cash in on some of their assets in view of a busy summer spending spree.
First on that list is Christian Abbiati. The Italian ‘keeper is an undisputed talent, yet the newly found vein of form by Nelson Dida is likely to restrict his appearances and he is worth much more than a place on the bench. Four ‘keepers are too many, one must go, and Abbiati is not short of suitors.
In the defensive department two names appear to be close to goodbyes. Marek Jankulovski, seemingly blocked by the coming of age of Luca Antonini, is highly regarded in the Premier League and it shouldn’t be difficult to find him a new challenge. Kakha Kaladze, last in the centre-back pecking order, wants out and Milan won’t block his exit.
Then there is Alberto Paloschi, currently plying his trade at Parma. The Tardini outfit have already expressed a firm interest in obtaining his full ownership and the Under-21 striker could prove to be quite the cash cow.
Finally, we have Klass-Jan Huntelaar. Eager to make the trip to South Africa with the Netherlands, he is an option of interest across Europe. Possible destinations could be Luciano Spalletti’s Zenit, more likely though a return to Ajax or a move to Germany.
The proven quality of the striker shouldn’t make it impossible to obtain the summer cost of €15m. Yet every time he plays there is a large sense of camaraderie within the team, stressed in midweek by their insistence for him to take the penalty for the fifth goal. He may well stick it out till the end of the season.
Nevertheless the summer dreams that go by the names of Edin Dzeko, Florent Malouda and Milos Krasic will require considerable funds – somebody will have to raise the money…
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