AC Milan Club Focus: No Club For Old Men

Date: 14th January 2013 at 4:29pm
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The average age of AC Milan’s attack against Sampdoria on the 13th of January, 2013 was 20 years. That is correct, 20 years. Bojan Krkic (22), Stephan El Shaarawy (20) and M’baye Niang (18) formed the trident of Milan’s attack.

I can’t recall the last time Milan had an attack this young in a competitive fixture, against an away side which recently defeated the league champions. The situation was forced due to the suspension of Giampaolo Pazzini and Robinho’s lack of match fitness, but it implied a positive step forward.

Milan, since 2007, have aged ceaselessly with the management snsapoozing at the helm of affairs. Painful measures had to be taken right after the Champions League triumph in Athens, but Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani were far too besotted with the romance of the team’s core, delaying the inevitable decision of building a new, vibrant generation of footballers to lead the club into its new era. In the summer of 2012, a glorious exodus left Milan bereft of any foreseeable quality, with the replacements merely masking the problem.

The majority of Milan’s summer recruits in the summer were young players with a promise to shine in the near future. Some of the others were in the prime of their careers. Milan signed no ‘champions’, plodding the road of solidity instead.

The transfer strategy since has witnessed a shift. Milan have secured 50% of Riccardo Saponara’s contract, the highly rated 21-year old winger/second striker from Empoli, branded as the ‘Kaka of Serie B’. The club is expected to sign the remaining 50% from Parma in June, 2013. Milan have paid in the region of €4 million for his services, although the transfer value is expected to rise when they begin negotiations with Parma.

There are rumours in the papers about Milan chasing Bari midfielder Nicola Bellomo (21) and Verona’s Jorginho (21). Approaches were made for Nuri Sahin (24) this winter, but the genius-pass machine opted to return to Borussia Dortmund instead. Berlusconi has openly admitted that Mattia Destro (21) interests him, with an alleged bid of €15 million for the Roma striker being turned down by the Giallorossi. Pablo Osvaldo (27) and Didier Drogba (34) were swiftly written off as being ‘too old’ for Milan.

These are positive indications of a ‘project’, one the club appears to be backing wholeheartedly. Previously, Milan signed young players, irrespective of quality. But Milan’s scouting network has clearly been notified of the requirements. Berlusconi, at his vocal best, admitted that Milan are scouting the planet’s top 100 talents with the view of signing at least 15 of the prospects.

The summer could also see two of Italy’s brightest protégés, Mattia Perin (20), the superhuman goalkeeper of Pescara, and Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna (24) arrive at the Milanello. In short, the youth being targeted are ‘Da Milan’.

Milan’s youth set up is supposedly another feeder system for the first team. Galliani in a recent interview stated that Andrea Petagana (17, striker) and Bryan Cristante (17, midfielder) will be promoted to the first team next season. Cristante is the youngest Milan player ever to have played in the UEFA Champions League, making his debut in the 2-2 draw against Viktoria Plzen on 6th December, 2011.

Many questioned the very existence of a project. I was one of them, cynically thinking that the ‘project’ was a lazy excuse to prevent expenditure. But the project is taking shape. A distinct direction is seemingly in place, a route map is being drawn. Trophies might be hard to come by, at least for the next few seasons, though a drought is more acceptable than annihilation. Milan fans need not worry about the future, because recent tidings would suggest that there is, indeed, a future.

Follow Rajath Kumar on Twitter: @rajathkumar. You can read his work on his AC Milan blog titled Milan and Me; The Love Affair.

 

2 responses to “AC Milan Club Focus: No Club For Old Men”

  1. AP says:

    I have been waiting for Milan to start using young players for years now. It took a financial crisis, but they are finally doing it. And Ogbonna and Perin would be perfect for the new squad.

  2. Silvester says:

    Looking forward to watch Haschim Mastour play – I believe he turns 16 this June… great potential from what I’ve read. Forza Milano!