This morning, speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Fabio Capello gave a personal commentary on Milan, focusing particularly on analysing the summer signings made by the Rossoneri management, which, to date, have been failures:
"Before questioning whether the decisions were right or wrong, let's ask ourselves two questions: who made these decisions? And above all, were the choices made in agreement with Paulo Fonseca, the coach? Understanding these answers would already help clarify things. My impression is that for certain signings, but also for some sales, no thorough football evaluations were made, and even less so were the needs of the Portuguese coach taken into account."
Capello added:
"When I talk about thorough football evaluations, I always think of Ariedo Braida, a director of extraordinary competence. Braida was not only exceptional at understanding a player’s level but also at knowing what it meant to play for the Rossoneri. I always remember his remarks: ‘He’s good, but is he fit for San Siro?’ It’s not the same as playing elsewhere; it has a different weight. For example, Emerson Royal doesn’t seem like a Milan-level player to me. I wouldn’t have made that signing because he doesn’t improve a part of the field where you already had Calabria, the young Jimenez, and, if needed, Kalulu, who could also have been useful as a central defender."
Capello continued:
"I also think a right-back was necessary, but if you’re buying one, you need to raise the level. And with the Brazilian, that didn’t happen. A similar argument applies to Pavlovic, although I’d be more cautious about the Serbian: he’s still young, and we’ve seen too little of him. Still, I wonder whether he was such a necessary signing and why, instead, Kalulu wasn’t kept. Kalulu already knew the environment and is performing well at Juve. The key issue of the transfer market should have been the striker since Giroud had left. Morata and Abraham arrived, but Rossoneri fans wonder why Milan didn’t sign a proper goalscorer, one who guarantees 20 goals. As if that were easy. The real question is: who could they have bought with the same budget? I don’t see any reliable and accessible goal scorers out there. Morata, on the other hand, is a complete player, a leader, and I don’t think Milan could have found better. And Abraham as a backup option is more than acceptable."
Capello continued to say the following about AC Milan:
"So, I wouldn’t point fingers at the management over the striker issue. Similarly, you can’t deny that Fofana was a great signing. So, where were the other mistakes? Since Fonseca has preferred Pulisic as a playmaker since the summer, I think having a high-level winger who could make a difference was essential. In recent years, Milan has always leaned more on the left side, and it would have been necessary to balance that with a similar player on the right. Unfortunately, Chukwueze has never taken off, and there isn’t a similar alternative with the same characteristics. At the same time, Musah is being used out wide today to give the team solidity. But in that case, wouldn’t it have been better to keep Saelemaekers, whom Fonseca himself wanted to retain just before the season started? It really seems to me that Paulo hasn’t been listened to much..."
