The winter transfer window in Italy is closed. AC Milan finished a very quiet one with the Rossoneri making just one signing. The team is still alive in the race for the Scudetto, but also in the middle of a fierce race for the top four. Considering the injuries in the squad, as well as other Serie A clubs making moves, Milan decided to stand put for the most part.
AC Milan Transfer Window Not A Busy One
The Lone Signing
The one signing for Milan was Marko Lazetic from Red Star Belgrade. The young striker cost the club €4 million, although Red Star also owns ten per cent in a future sell-on fee. The move flew under the radar and appeared out of nowhere before any rumours came out.
Milan made this move after they failed to reach an agreement with AS Monaco for Pietro Pellegri. The young Italian striker was on loan at Milan and rarely found time on the pitch. He remains in Serie A, although with Torino this time around.
Lazetic will be in Milan’s first team, although it’s difficult to see him finding time, similar to Pellegri’s situation. This is because Milan has a number of forwards including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Olivier Giroud, Ante Rebic, and Rafael Leao. Lazetic comes in after scoring one goal in 14 appearances in the Serbian Super League.
Milan, however, made a late attempt for Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches but the move never materialised. This would’ve been a marquee deadline day signing that could’ve pushed Milan over the hump in ensuring a top-four finish, especially considering the club’s relationship with Lille over the past few transfer windows.
Defensive Crisis Not Addressed
The past couple of months has shown flaws in Milan’s defence, which was actually one of their strong points to start the season. Veteran Simon Kjaer went down with a season-ending injury, which severely hurt the defence. Kjaer is arguably the team’s top defender, but more than that, he’s also a major leader and presence.
Fikayo Tomori, last season’s miracle January signing, is currently injured as well.
Due to these injuries, it comes as a surprise that Milan did not make moves in this department. They were rumoured to be interested in Schalke’s Malick Thiaw, a regular for the German club as well as the Germany U21 team, although that move never materialised either. From the outside looking in, this could’ve been a wise move for both the future and the present for depth. This leaves Milan’s healthy centre-back options as Alessio Romagnoli, Pierre Kalulu, and Matteo Gabbia. Romagnoli is a veteran, although quite injury prone. Kalulu and Gabbia are both young and inexperienced. Milan is anxiously awaiting Tomori’s return.
Milan was, however, able to sell previous transfer flop Andrea Conti to Sampdoria. His tenure at Milan was disappointing considering his transfer fee, and it allowed Milan to clear up wages as well as add to the transfer chest for the next window. The right-back was no longer needed in Milan due to the club having Davide Calabria and Alessandro Florenzi.
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