The days of penny-pinching are over: Gerry Cardinale intends to spend money on Milan. At least, that is what emerges from the statements made by the Rossoneri owner in recent interview with 'La Gazzetta dello Sport'. On paper, the new direction has been set. In order to compete with Europe's biggest clubs (and those in the Premier League), the American businessman no longer wants to be held back by a high asking price for a transfer target but wants to be able to buy him with the resources available. We have already seen some signs of this during the summer, and the fans hope it will continue, with greater precision and planning, during the January transfer window too.
Cardinale switches strategy
There is one passage in particular from Gerry Cardinale's interview that explains well how RedBird's approach to investment in Milan has changed. The American businessman said:
"I am doing everything possible to ensure that, when we want a player, nobody can tell me: 'You cannot sign him because you cannot afford him'. At present, only Premier League clubs are capable of investing such sums and securing top players. If I want to bring Milan back to the top in European competitions, not just in Italy, we must understand how we can compete with the most important clubs in the world."
These few sentences somewhat summarise the plan for Cardinale's new Milan. There are the objectives: bringing Milan back to the top in Italy and Europe, making the club capable of competing with the continent's top clubs. And there are the means to achieve them: investing significant sums in top players, without allowing financial restrictions to stand in the way.
Obviously, to make all this possible, Milan need financial sustainability, which can be achieved in various ways, first and foremost through the stadium:
"The driving force behind operations like this is to provide Milan with the financial power necessary to compete in the transfer market and secure the best players in the world. I will transform the club's financial profile with the resources that will come from the stadium, the arena in San Donato and the other activities we are working on, such as NBA Europe."
January's transfer window is an opportunity to turn words into action for Gerry Cardinale
During the most recent summer transfer window, Gerry Cardinale had already made it clear that he did not intend to sit back and watch. The transfer window had not even opened yet, and he had already spent over €100 million on Gonçalo Ramos and Mario Gila. Later in the window, he personally wanted to finalise the deal for Diego Moreira for over €50 million.
From this point of view, the atmosphere has changed, and some are wondering why the handbrake remained firmly on for four years, without Cardinale imposing his vision (which will have to be judged by the results, just as the approach of the last four increasingly disappointing seasons has been judged negatively).
The January transfer window represents an opportunity to turn words into action, writes Milan News, a chance to be aggressive in the market and provide Ruben Amorim with more players who can increase the squad's depth and raise its quality.
Milan need to find a striker who can compete with or complement Ramos, they have an obligation to sign a centre-back and to strengthen their options in the wide areas.
On paper, Gerry Cardinale's words offer plenty of reason for optimism. January will show whether these words will prove to be merely another empty promise or concrete actions that genuinely mark the beginning of a new cycle. This was reported via Milan News.
