In Milan's transfer market, Massimiliano Allegri represents the threshold that every negotiation must pass through. Unlike recent years, especially under Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceição, Milan now once again has a coach who plays a key role in choosing the players who will make up the squad he will then be tasked with coaching.
Yes, Allegri may be labeled a company man, the type who doesn’t shout his frustrations to the world during press conferences, but his corporate attitude should not be mistaken for passive acceptance of others’ decisions. Not at all. Max returned to Milan knowing he would have a strong voice and global credibility, which allows his technical opinion to carry significant weight.
His partnership with Igli Tare is solid and growing stronger by the day, which in turn strengthens his position in the eyes of the club's top executives — who are now trying to meet his demands.
No to Marc Pubill, Green Light for Pervis Estupiñán and Ardon Jashari
The deal for Samuele Ricci had already been set up back in January and could no longer be undone. But for the other recent negotiations, Allegri has had a clear influence through his technical evaluations, as pointed out by those at Milannews.it.
Take Marc Pubill, for example — Allegri wasn’t convinced by him even before the preliminary medical checks on the player’s left knee that Milan carried out last Friday. Even after the doctors gave the green light, the Spanish full-back still didn’t earn Allegri’s full approval. Instead, the coach prefers profiles like Guela Doué and Wilfried Singo, who remain on the shortlist for the right-back position.
Meanwhile, the club is pushing ahead decisively for Brighton’s Pervis Estupiñán, with the deal expected to be finalized this week.
And then there’s Ardon Jashari. Since his first days working with Tare, the Bruges midfielder has been circled in red. Milan is staying glued to this deal because the Swiss player is a top priority for Allegri.
Offload the Surplus as Soon as Possible
Max also has no intention of working with an oversized squad. He made that clear during his unveiling, and the stance hasn’t changed. He only wants players who fit into the new technical project. Therefore, the club must speed up its efforts on player sales.
Tommaso Pobega has been loaned to Bologna with an obligation to buy for €8 million. Emerson Royal has opened up to a move to Besiktas. Also on the list of possible exits are Ismael Bennacer (there are approaches from Saudi clubs, though nothing concrete yet), Yacine Adli (with Sassuolo and Torino interested), as well as Noah Okafor, Yunus Musah, and Samuel Chukwueze — all players with an open departure gate.
Things need to speed up, both in terms of arrivals and departures, in order to fully focus on Dusan Vlahovic — who more and more appears to be the big market opportunity for Milan’s attack.
