As Corriere dello Sport reports, both the additions made in the summer and the changes to the squad made in the winter are not bearing the fruits hoped for by the management. The investment was there with around €120m spent, yet few get even a passing grade.
A total of 10 players arrived, five in the summer window and five in January, but none have fully convinced. Emerson Royal, Strahinja Pavlovic, Alvaro Morata, Youssouf Fofana and Tammy Abraham were supposed to help build a new era under Paulo Fonseca, but only Abraham has impressed.
Morata was deemed a failure after just five months, going on loan to Turkey. Pavlovic has shown heart but has made mistakes, while Emerson became the ‘favourite target’ for some fans, given that the Brazilian has shown a lot of difficulty adapting to Serie A.
In the winter the decision was made to go be aggressive. Santiago Gimenez signed for €28.5m plus bonuses to reach €35m, and the striker did well initially but now hasn’t scored for two months. He has also been penalised by Milan’s way of playing and a lack of service.
The emblem of the ineffective window was instead Joao Felix, signed on loan from Chelsea with no option to buy. The Portuguese will certainly return to London after this brief spell in Italy, in which he has not scored or assisted in the league, only one goal on his debut in the Coppa Italia.
Kyle Walker has also declined after his arrival in January and will now have to stop due to a fractured elbow. Warren Bondo and Riccardo Sottil (the former costing €10m) have never been used consistently.
Ten purchases that have had little impact on Milan’s season, a strategy that will need to be corrected next summer with the arrival of a new sporting director who will have to manage incomings and outgoings.
