The dramatic summer overhaul at AC Milan continues. The astonishing and sudden departure of Paolo Maldini from his role as technical director was quickly followed by the shattering sale of Milan’s beloved boy Sandro Tonali to the nouveau riche Newcastle United. An unshakable sense of doom dominated the moods of millions, only to be swept aside by a flurry of signings that have elevated the spirits of fans all over.
A red and black revolution is truly underway in its full glory, redeeming the beleaguered owner Gerry Cardinale of his ‘sins’. Giorgio Furlani and Geoffrey Moncada have firmly hit the reset button, transforming the squad’s stature and depth in midfield and attack. Unfortunately, amidst this razzmatazz, the defense is left wanting.
In 22/23, Milan emerged as champions of Italy on the back of a sturdy, defiant defense. The team conceded 31 goals in the Scudetto-winning year before opening up the floodgates last season. As Napoli romped to their first league title in 33 years last season, Milan saw the back of their net ripple 43 times, a whopping 38.7% more concession than the previous campaign.
Interestingly, the attack remained relatively the same, with Milan having scored a mere five additional goals in the previous season. The team was again found lacking in attack, relying heavily on its latest superstar, Rafael Leão and eternal hitman, Olivier Giroud.
With Giroud growing a year older and running on fumes, the management rightly decided to invest in the attacking department, finally addressing the legacy concern at the right-wing by acquiring Samuel Chukwueze. Christian Pulisic, Noah Okafor and Luka Romero make up the rest of an instantly impressive roster of forwards.
The management has also made significant investments in midfield, restructuring the centre by signing dynamic, modern midfielders who will ensure Milan’s metamorphosis into a new-age European side. While the shiny toys embellish the rejigged squad, the management must look further down the pitch to establish balance.
Fikayo Tomori was an instrumental figure in Milan’s title triumph. He and Simon Kjaer formed an impermeable bond in the heart of defense, augmented by arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, Mike Maignan. Pierre Kalulu emerged as a promising young centre-back later in the season, displacing the ageing viking from the starting line-up, and further strengthening one of the meanest defenses in Serie A. When they resumed duty a few weeks later, they looked like a shadow of their impervious selves.
In a short span of time, Kjaer physically deteriorated beyond recognition. Kalulu’s form nosedived resulting in Malick Thiaw winning favour with Stefano Pioli. Tomori, Milan’s best central defender, also regressed, partially morphing into Kjaer’s role as a covering defender. His numbers plummeted as did his confidence. He wouldn’t press as aggressively and began to occupy deeper positions on the pitch, winning more aerial duels and making more blocks as evidenced by the numbers. This implied that Milan could not derive the best of the Englishman.
As per reliable reports, Milan’s solution to this problem appears to be Clément Lenglet. Another highly-rated defender in France’s neverending carousel of reputed centre-backs, Lenglet was signed by Barcelona five years ago. Remarkably strong in Sevilla’s colours, he fetched Los Nervionenses a handsome fee, over 5x of what they had paid AS Nancy to secure him. Since joining the Blaugrana, Lenglet failed to achieve the lofty standards set by the hype that preceded him, leading to his prompt banishment from Spain to England.
Lenglet is back at Camp Nou following an indifferent season in London, and Joan Laporta can’t wait to get rid of him for a reported 10-12 million euros, a throwaway price considering Lenglet has three years remaining on his contract. These signs should send alarm bells ringing at Milan. Toss in sirens for good measure.
The 28-year-old is at the peak of his career and is nothing like the defender Milan needs to compete with Tomori and Thiaw for a starting spot. He would become a high-earning, low-performing body in the squad – the very type of player Milan are shedding at the moment.
Demanding the acquisition of a superlative centre-back might seem preposterous given Milan’s generous outlay thus far, but it is arguably more meritorious than paying 20 precious million euros for a raw and unrefined Yunus Musah, who is presumably going to add value as a starter in a couple of seasons. That said, accusing the management of misplaced priorities may be harsh. There might be a slight sense of myopia, though.
A little over three weeks remain for the conclusion of an unpredictably marvellous transfer window for Milan. The new management deserves all the praise heading their way. But, the good work might be undone if they gloss over a glaring problem in the heart of defense.
Maybe, they have a trick up their sleeve, concealed from all. Remember Okafor?
Rajath Kumar is on Twitter @rajathkumar
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