The Rumour Commode XXXVI - Mission Accomplished Edition

[Master Smurf]

"During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Gerry worked with entrepreneurs to build several successful multi-billion dollar companies, including Yankees Entertainment & Sports (“YES”) Network, the number one regional sports network in the United States."

Redbird's owners don't sound like chumps.

Yankees were already a monster brand with a big spending owner, similar to the Cowboys - if they helped the business and marketing side flourish great but they didnt have much to do with the sporting aspect of those organizations.

 

[ROSSONERI7]

Brahim is the enigma in this group. Messias, I can see being kept as a backup RW, but I can see him being let go so he can play regularly at a different club. Salad, I actually think he would play better in a 352/343 system, and honestly, he'd probably suit Conte at Spurs really well.

Brahim has another year on his loan. Bakayoko's loan is being cut short, so, it's not like Brahim has to stay. I wonder if they chose the two year loan, thinking he'd need two years to develop? The thing that bothers me about Brahim is that he hasn't tried to improve his passing until the last few months. Who knows what he can become?

I don't think Renato is being brought in to be our RW. Yes, against Chelsea, he looked like a top-class player there, but, that's not what you'd buy him for. He was playing RW like Hakan played LW (just, obviously, way better), and while he could provide that option for us, I think he's being brought in for the midfield.

This is going to be one of the most interesting transfer window since Maldini took over, that's for sure.

i think they'll keep Brahim. he'll have a role ... obviously as a backup and he has role to play as he has demonstrated before... as frustrating as his passing may be. he's affected and even won games.

Renato can play all the positions between defense and striker. i think he'll primarily be in the double pivot then can play anywhere else when needed.

for RW, i think there will be a Natural RW coming for Messias, who i don't think will stay. hopefully someone with the industry of Saelemaekers but will actual output. goals and assists.

i already have 60M mercato in my head, Elliott would be proud of me. lol

 

[Hitchens]

Good ole' @brk hit the nail on the head on the RW question.

I think the solution might come in "disguise", to many posters detriment. Maybe especially @Wild And patosheva, if he's still with us.

Say we sign Sanches, MGW(or someone similar) and Adli. That will instantly have multiplied Pioli's options for the AM/RW conundrum. Adli is already coming and is an exciting option at AM. Sanches is able to slot in at both RW and AM, but if Adli works wonderfully maybe he'll see most minutes as the RW when he isn't chipping in at CM. Saelemaekers is a hated figure by many, but both Maldini's ceremony for his 100 game anniversary and his interview speaks to a player who's rather close to Pioli and which the club actually believes in. He was renewed on a long deal just this fall, that was based on some analysis and Maldini instinct, I think. They know he had a subpar season, to put it mildly, but they still believe there is a player worth keeping in there, and that he may still unlock it. I didn't like the way he spoke about Tonali having a tough time before unlocking it "like myself", as he has such a long way to go. But there was some humility in there as well, nice to see and surprising given his body language in many instances. Main point is he won't be anything close to a presumptive starter, which may be both in his and the clubs favour.

So while we may all be looking with binoculars to the horizon to see a Salah/Mahrez type of player, it may come in a different form with enormous protests at the start, but when we start playing we understand that Paolo has fooled us again.

But I really like Hlozek, my shout for an expensive Leao-like signing this summer.

 

[patosheva]

What delusional fans wont say to make things sound better is FUCKING UNBELIVIBLE

 

[brk]

Yankees were already a monster brand with a big spending owner, similar to the Cowboys - if they helped the business and marketing side flourish great but they didnt have much to do with the sporting aspect of those organizations.

We don’t want them involved in the sporting side. That’s not their expertise. Let Maldini handle that.

 

[Ryo]

Reading that piece - all those sports attachments were to already extremely successful sporting enterprises, not because of them.

If they make Milan better (however they choose) then great but I think its for people here to point to them as the reason why those teams are doing well, only the Toulose case would be relevant.

I think the fact that Elliot are staying on is a really good indicator that even after doing their due diligence, they want to keep a stake in Milan, because they believe that RedBird has the ability to grow our profits to Elliot's expected levels (1.8 Billion was it?) in a relatively short period of time.

Otherwise, Elliot would just let go of all shares of Milan, wipe their hands and be done with the club.
At 1.3 Billion they're already laughing their way to the bank. That's double of all the investments that they put into Milan over the past 3 seasons (4 if we include the loan to Yonghong).

 

[Samaldinho]

I linked a video of him speaking about sports investing earlier

It seems like the focus of growth will be broadcasting revenue which Italian clubs massively underperform in foreign countries

I saw that. Italian clubs are severely underpaid considering the thirst for content--at least that would be the sales pitch to invest in Italian teams. A big part of that is how insular Juve, Inter, etc are when it comes to what market they prioritize. They fight endless battles, with DAZN and Sky brutally competing for domestic rights, while leaving foreign deals as an after-thought.

The easy part with Milan is that Berlusconi ran things so poorly, that he has not maximized the potential of the brand. Fassone did not understand this either. With Milan you can do the most basic fixes and make huge gains.

It's like needing to get some guy to lose weight. If the guy is overweight, is eating bad food, doesn't move all day, and you want him to lose weight--quick fixes like trading soda for water, eating healthier food, going for just a basic walk, it will make huge impacts. If you're in relative good shape and you want to cut down to like 5% body fat or whatever, the difficulty in just being "in shape" and being super cut and ripped, that is a harder thing to do.

With Milan it's like: "hey, did you know that people use the internet? Hey, did you know that you can sell stuff on the internet? Hey, did you know that if you own your own stadium, you can make more money? Hey, did you know that you can have partnerships in different countries, and when you do better, you can charge more money?"

The room for growth with Milan just to get into the low 400ish range of revenue is honestly super easy, you build a stadium and you have a competent marketing team.

The next part, to push into the upper 400's, the 500's, that's going to be difficult, and might involve trying to drag Serie A along, would need more championships, etc. Milan, right now, is a star athlete who stopped working out for a few years. Just getting him to drink water, stop eating McDonald's, and jog will make the world of a difference. That's what makes Milan so appealing.

 

[papaberlu]

"During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Gerry worked with entrepreneurs to build several successful multi-billion dollar companies, including Yankees Entertainment & Sports (“YES”) Network, the number one regional sports network in the United States."

Redbird's owners don't sound like chumps.

Yeah they will certainly "americanize" Milan in terms of broadcasting and structure, I just wish they had more financial muscle

With a massive summer, Milan can leap forward but for now, it will be a status-quo or more likely a step back

 

[mrki]

We will se what mercato it will be. I dont want any bullshit. We need 2, 3 top players.

 

[patosheva]

We will se what mercato it will be. I dont want any bullshit. We need 2, 3 top players.

Mrki good luck with that
Remember daplan and no need to invest

 

[brk]

What delusional fans wont say to make things sound better is FUCKING UNBELIVIBLE

Let’s all say it together:

We’re winning the Scudetto on Sunday.

 

[brk]

Mrki good luck with that
Remember daplan and no need to invest

I’m just curious, what do you think we need to invest this summer?

What’s your ideal summer transfer window?

 

[Samaldinho]

Yankees were already a monster brand with a big spending owner, similar to the Cowboys - if they helped the business and marketing side flourish great but they didnt have much to do with the sporting aspect of those organizations.

The Cowboys haven't won anything since the 90's. Not a damn thing. The Yankees, for them, the last two decades have been horrific, with a singular World Series, we've done better than them (if you make the CL equivalent to the World Series).

Milan is a massive brand that hasn't been maximized.

And as @brk said, we don't need them for the sporting side of things, anyway. Cardinale's work had nothing to do with the sporting side of things, but the business side of things, where Milan is a severely underdeveloped and underutilized brand.

 

[Master Smurf]

What delusional fans wont say to make things sound better is FUCKING UNBELIVIBLE

Well its kind of hard to argue with them when we are about to be crowned champions....


But when you bring up CL and they are adamant we werent outmatched in the group and go down a laundry list of excuses then its hard to argue with your statement

I think the fact that Elliot are staying on is a really good indicator that even after doing their due diligence, they want to keep a stake in Milan, because they believe that RedBird has the ability to grow our profits to Elliot's expected levels (1.8 Billion was it?) in a relatively short period of time.

Otherwise, Elliot would just let go of all shares of Milan, wipe their hands and be done with the club.
At 1.3 Billion they're already laughing their way to the bank. That's double of all the investments that they put into Milan over the past 3 seasons (4 if we include the loan to Yonghong).

I think this is a very romantic / naïve reading of the situation. Cynical view is they are getting above their asking price and keeping shares for 'free' - its a win win for them.

 

[Ryo]

Yeah they will certainly "americanize" Milan in terms of broadcasting and structure, I just wish they had more financial muscle

With a massive summer, Milan can leap forward but for now, it will be a status-quo or more likely a step back

You do know that FFP grants a certain leeway for clubs that are newly purchased, right?
Plus, we aren't even at 43% of our max transfer market capacity according to FFP's new rules.

People are all just speculating based on one or two sentences from interviews.
Do we even know how much is "not very much" to these guys?

Not very much in PSG terms would be 100-200M (They're spending 400M on Bappe alone this summer).
We are basing their "not very much" on what exactly?

 

[IL-Capitano]

We don’t want them involved in the sporting side. That’s not their expertise. Let Maldini handle that.

Yes let MMM handle the sporting side and they can deal with marketing and finances.

But on a more important note Lo Scudetto show down on Sunday it is going to be very exciting. Imagine the adrenaline running through the players right now! And on the I hope they walk out playing their best game of the season. Forza Milan, Forza Scudetto! Forza MMM

 

[Ryo]

Well its kind of hard to argue with them when we are about to be crowned champions....


But when you bring up CL and they are adamant we werent outmatched in the group and go down a laundry list of excuses then its hard to argue with your statement

I think this is a very romantic / naïve reading of the situation. Cynical view is they are getting above their asking price and keeping shares for 'free' - its a win win for them.

Sorry mate, but business doesn't work that way.
If Elliot thought that RedBird were going to be a negative, they would rid their hands of ALL Milan shares so that they won't suffer a loss.

They're keeping a stake in it for one reason alone, to earn more money.
That is the belief that is there with Elliot on Redbird.

 

[Samaldinho]

But when you bring up CL and they are adamant we werent outmatched in the group and go down a laundry list of excuses then its hard to argue with your statement

Lol.

 

[Master Smurf]

The Cowboys haven't won anything since the 90's. Not a damn thing. The Yankees, for them, the last two decades have been horrific, with a singular World Series, we've done better than them (if you make the CL equivalent to the World Series).

Milan is a massive brand that hasn't been maximized.

And as @brk said, we don't need them for the sporting side of things, anyway. Cardinale's work had nothing to do with the sporting side of things, but the business side of things, where Milan is a severely underdeveloped and underutilized brand.

Brk added that while I was posting - others posted previously pointing to their attachments (mostly Liverpool)

 

[Hitchens]

Lol.

 

[Master Smurf]

You do know that FFP grants a certain leeway for clubs that are newly purchased, right?
Plus, we aren't even at 43% of our max transfer market capacity according to FFP's new rules.

People are all just speculating based on one or two sentences from interviews.
Do we even know how much is "not very much" to these guys?

Not very much in PSG terms would be 100-200M (They're spending 400M on Bappe alone this summer).
We are basing their "not very much" on what exactly?

Yes we - including you and the others are all speculating

 

[Master Smurf]

Lol.

Throw a stone in the pig pen and we know who would be the first to squeal

 

[IL-Capitano]

Well its kind of hard to argue with them when we are about to be crowned champions....


But when you bring up CL and they are adamant we werent outmatched in the group and go down a laundry list of excuses then its hard to argue with your statement

I think this is a very romantic / naïve reading of the situation. Cynical view is they are getting above their asking price and keeping shares for 'free' - its a win win for them.

Of course the last champions league was disappointing. You had a squad of players most of whom had never played in it.

What they will have learned from that will amaze you. Each year they compete in it they will get more comfortable with that competition.

No one steps back into the champions league after years of exclusion and wins it immediately. PSG and City have spent absurd money and are yet to win it.

You make fair points regarding the last CL campaign but future CL campaigns will be better. Chill

And enjoy Sunday’s scudetto show down. Forza Milan.

 

[Ryo]

Yes we - including you and the others are all speculating

It makes me laugh when people speculate negatively when the buyers are spending 1.3 Billion on an asset that they will want to grow up to 1.8 Billion in a short period of time (to buy out Elliot's minor stake).
The only way to grow a football club is through increased revenues, and the only way to do that in a short amount of time is to invest in the brand -> The sporting aspect of it is hella important -> Invest in the team.
You don't generate interest or revenues in a brand that is trending downwards or a team that is on a losing trend year on year.
The "sleeping giants of football" narrative only works when said sleeping giant is showing signs of waking up and recovering.

 

[Samaldinho]

I love the shifting goal posts. I've said this before, but this year was supposed to be the year that we got "found out" and Serie A wasn't going to be weak, why? Because Allegri! And Sarri! And Mourinho! And Spaletti! No more penalties to help our offense. Bro...

But now that we're on top, right now, what happened all of a sudden? Serie A sucks! Look at Europe! Two years ago, Italy also had a bad year in Europe too, but it wasn't about Serie A being weak, no no no, Serie A was going to be strong! We got 2nd barelyyyyyyy and Milan was supposed to be blown away this year, so what happened? Wasn't the stadium noise supposed to make our players come back to earth? Oh, well "you see, on paper Milan's squad isn't good enough." Get the hell outta here man.

"Milan was never going to be sold for a billion," that's what people said. "Lol, Milan isn't worth a billion, hahaha" where's that energy now?

Please.

 

[papaberlu]

 

[Samaldinho]

Throw a stone in the pig pen and we know who would be the first to squeal

Isn't your faction's self appointed name "Team Crybaby" or am I wrong?

 

[A Wild Homosexual]

Good ole' @brk hit the nail on the head on the RW question.

I think the solution might come in "disguise", to many posters detriment. Maybe especially @Wild And patosheva, if he's still with us.

Say we sign Sanches, MGW(or someone similar) and Adli. That will instantly have multiplied Pioli's options for the AM/RW conundrum. Adli is already coming and is an exciting option at AM. Sanches is able to slot in at both RW and AM, but if Adli works wonderfully maybe he'll see most minutes as the RW when he isn't chipping in at CM. Saelemaekers is a hated figure by many, but both Maldini's ceremony for his 100 game anniversary and his interview speaks to a player who's rather close to Pioli and which the club actually believes in. He was renewed on a long deal just this fall, that was based on some analysis and Maldini instinct, I think. They know he had a subpar season, to put it mildly, but they still believe there is a player worth keeping in there, and that he may still unlock it. I didn't like the way he spoke about Tonali having a tough time before unlocking it "like myself", as he has such a long way to go. But there was some humility in there as well, nice to see and surprising given his body language in many instances. Main point is he won't be anything close to a presumptive starter, which may be both in his and the clubs favour.

So while we may all be looking with binoculars to the horizon to see a Salah/Mahrez type of player, it may come in a different form with enormous protests at the start, but when we start playing we understand that Paolo has fooled us again.

But I really like Hlozek, my shout for an expensive Leao-like signing this summer.

 

[A Wild Homosexual]

I saw that. Italian clubs are severely underpaid considering the thirst for content--at least that would be the sales pitch to invest in Italian teams. A big part of that is how insular Juve, Inter, etc are when it comes to what market they prioritize. They fight endless battles, with DAZN and Sky brutally competing for domestic rights, while leaving foreign deals as an after-thought.

The easy part with Milan is that Berlusconi ran things so poorly, that he has not maximized the potential of the brand. Fassone did not understand this either. With Milan you can do the most basic fixes and make huge gains.

It's like needing to get some guy to lose weight. If the guy is overweight, is eating bad food, doesn't move all day, and you want him to lose weight--quick fixes like trading soda for water, eating healthier food, going for just a basic walk, it will make huge impacts. If you're in relative good shape and you want to cut down to like 5% body fat or whatever, the difficulty in just being "in shape" and being super cut and ripped, that is a harder thing to do.

With Milan it's like: "hey, did you know that people use the internet? Hey, did you know that you can sell stuff on the internet? Hey, did you know that if you own your own stadium, you can make more money? Hey, did you know that you can have partnerships in different countries, and when you do better, you can charge more money?"

The room for growth with Milan just to get into the low 400ish range of revenue is honestly super easy, you build a stadium and you have a competent marketing team.

The next part, to push into the upper 400's, the 500's, that's going to be difficult, and might involve trying to drag Serie A along, would need more championships, etc. Milan, right now, is a star athlete who stopped working out for a few years. Just getting him to drink water, stop eating McDonald's, and jog will make the world of a difference. That's what makes Milan so appealing.

Dear lord , Leaf got Sam too.
He is starting to tell weird stories to make a point.

 

[Samaldinho]

I’m feeling the same. What I’m reading is very encouraging and he seems to have a lot more competency in the field than Elliott. I’ll be happy as long as he leaves the sporting side of the business to Maldini and they can focus on everything else.

The good thing is that Maldini seems untouchable now. He’s a legend that’s actually effective. He’s probably the best performing technical director in Europe right now. Why fix if it’s not broken?

I don't think any future owners could afford to lose Maldini. I think a big part of the success this year has been down to Maldini's charisma, as he seems to be part of what is going right for the mentality around the club--small things like medals for reaching milestones, for example--but put aside the fact that he is Milan royalty, he is very effective at what he does.

I hope they simply continue the work started under Gazidis, because, the mismanagement of Milan the last 15 years is inexcusable.