What must Maldini and Massara do to get Milan back to the top for next season?

DONNARUMMA AND IBRAHIMOVIC

Based off Milan’s recent drop in form, Inter are seemingly looking more likely to win the league. The question that would be raised by many Milan fans is what Maldini and Massara must do to get Milan back to the top in order to remain Serie A title contenders for next season and potentially push to become Serie A champions. More specifically, many fans will be wondering which players should stay, which should depart and which positions in our squad require an upgrade. For what I believe should be Maldini and Massara’s first course of action is to secure the contract renewals of our key players; the two most important being Zlatan and Donnarumma. As we all know, we know how much Zlatan has contributed to this Milan side. Since the day he arrived, he has instilled a winning mentality within the dressing room and has made a significant contribution on the field scoring 17 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions this season. Considering his age, he continues to show he is ageing like a fine wine by proving the doubters wrong by being a consistent threat for opposition defenders. In saying this, as per the Guardian from 6th April, Zlatan is due to sign a one-year extension in which could very well be his last hoorah as a footballer however has very much so earned his contract extension. Donnarumma, another leader within the dressing roomis so crucial to Milan’s future moving forward being one of the leading generational talents in world football and proving his worth week in and week out second in the Serie A with 9 clean sheets only behind Handanovic with 11. However, the only roadblock which is preventing the contract extension from being completed is Mino Raiola. Currently, Milan management are offering €8 million per season for the next two seasons, however Raiola is looking for €12 million including bonuses which on a short-term deal is not an ideal situation from a financial perspective. Amongst Milan fans there should be confidence in relation to Gigio’s renewal considering he has come out and said to Raiola as per La Stampa “I’m staying at Milan, take care of the formalities” but as we all know, anything can happen in world football.

THE AC MILAN OF THE FUTURE

As securing our key players is crucial as mentioned above, it is also important to redeem those who have proved their worth whilst on loan. The players worthy are Tonali and Tomori who are both on loan with an option to buy from Brescia and Chelsea, respectively. Tonali to say the least, certainly had a slow start to life in Milan and was criticised by many but has matured as time has gone by and has certainly proven his worth especially during a time where key players such as Bennacer were injured for a lengthy period and required Tonali to step up. It is a positive to see Tonali improving every week considering his potential and comparisons to players like Pirlo. Quite frankly, this one is a no brainer for Maldini and Massara to snap up Tonali’s option to buy of €25 million including bonuses. Tomori on the other hand who was signed in the January transfer window has been impeccable following his arrival and has since pushed captain Alessio Romagnoli out of the starting 11 to partner Simon Kjaer at the back. On a consistent basis, he has shown many of his qualities including his pace, strength and tenacity to win the ball off opposition attackers and in my view is quite underrated on the ball also. At 23 years old, the skys the limit for Tomori who I can see progressing into a world class defender for years to come. As it is rumoured that Milan managementare looking to negotiate Chelsea’s €28 million fee, it is highly unlikely that Chelsea will let Tomori go for anything less especially considering Tomori’s current form hence why Maldini and Massara must capitalise on the opportunity to activate the €28 million buy option.

(Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)

Looking at the flip side of the coin, there are players currently in the Milan squad that Maldini and Massara must look at dismissing to enable further improvement within our squad, whether it is based solely on their ability or to improve the financial situation in order to allow further spending during the summer transfer window. An example for both scenarios are Castillejo and Romagnoli. Castillejo is a player who I’m sure many Milan fans are sick of seeing. He’s very weak on the ball, offers no attacking threat and consistently ruins Milan’s counter attacks by slowing the play down. For a team who likes to move the ball quick and counter attack when the opportunity is there, Castillejo is not the player Maldini and Massara should be looking to keep. His stats don’t do him any justice either only contributing to 3 goals and 3 assists in 42 appearances for Milan this season. Last season, many would’ve considered Romagnoli as an untouchable figure within the Milan squad and crucial to Milan’s future, however due to many poor performances this season, he is no longer looked at as an integral figure within the squad. The question that is raised among many fans is should the Milan Management cash in on Romagnoli? An answer that would be somewhat split amongst the fanbase, some would say that he must be cashed in now before it’s too late as he doesn’t fit in Pioli’s system due to his lack of pace therefore being exposed when playing a high line opposed to those who are being patient with Romagnoli and are still confident of his ability and think that he will reach the top of his game at some point. Similar to Donnarumma, Mino Raiola yet again has a big role with Romagnoli’s future. This is due to his recent demands of €6 million per season for Romagnoli, a €2.5 million increase from his current contract. Many fans based on his current form feel he does not deserve such an increase, including myself. If the Milan Management cannot come to an agreement regarding his wages, the summer window would be the perfect time to sell. A fee that you would imagine be around the €20-25 million mark for Romagnoli, would be a big help for Milan’s summer window.

CONCLUSION

Since Pioli has arrived, there have been many players that have contributed to Milan’s positive performances in particular after the COVID-19 restart. To name a few, players like Zlatan, Kjaer, Kessie and Bennacer. These players are an example who have consistently performed well and have improved the side dramatically. However, with saying this, there is still room for improvement where upgrades are required within the squad to enable a stronger starting 11 and to create competition within the squad.