After a poor display as defending Serie A champions last season, AC Milan is tying its loose ends ahead of the 2023/24 season. One glance at our AC Milan season review is enough to understand that the Rossoneri should definitely do better next season, and their moves in the transfer market align with that. Let’s have a look at what’s in store for AC Milan next season.
BIG DEPARTURES, SMART ENTRIES
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic hanging his boots, Paolo Maldini sacked and Sandro Tonali shipped off to Newcastle for a purported €65m fee, it would be putting it lightly to say that AC Milan had some work to do. What’s more, other departures from Ante Rebic, Matteo Gabbia, Brahim Diaz and others meant that this was to be a revolutionary transfer window for the Rossoneri, the fate of which would only be decided at the end of the upcoming season.
Thus far, AC Milan has made the following signings:
- Marco Sportiello (free)
- Luka Romero (free)
- Noah Okafor (€14m)
- Ruben Loftus-Cheek (€16m)
- Tijjani Reijnders (€19m)
- Yunus Musah (€20m)
- Samuel Chukwueze (20m)
- Christian Pulisic (€20m)
On paper, AC Milan has undoubtedly reinforced the forward areas, namely, the right-wing and the central attack. With Pulisic a suitable alternative for both Rafael Leao and Chukwueze, it is safe to say that the Rossoneri have their attacking woes sorted; it’s up to Stefano Pioli to concoct the winning remedy now.
Despite the trove of midfielders brought in, AC Milan’s midfield still needs some work. With Ismael Bennacer’s return from injury set at the end of the year at best, Pioli’s new 4-3-3 midfield needs some stuffing. Injuries under the Italian tactician are almost a formality, especially during the turn of the year, which is why a couple of backups would be very handy. It remains to be seen whether the AC Milan club board anticipates as much and adds on a few last-minute signings.
NEW SEASON HOPES
Last season was all but plain sailing for Pioli’s men. AC Milan got knocked out of the Coppa Italia by 10-man Torino, got trashed in four out of five derbies and only qualified for the UEFA Champions League thanks to Juventus’ financial mismanagement.
The pre-season tour in the USA didn’t net much enthusiasm for the preoccupied AC Milan fans, even if it did elate American Rossoneri. AC Milan lost 3-2 to Real Madrid, drew 2-2 to Juventus and lost to Barcelona 1-0. For a newly assembled team that is yet to be gelled together, we wouldn’t exactly deem the tour a disaster. Moreover, players like Okafor and Chukwueze were signed during the tour and thus weren’t featured.
Adding so many players to a team can definitely inject enthusiasm into the fanbase, but forging a winning path is all the more complicated. With players coming from different football cultures, formations and nationalities, Pioli has the tricky task of meshing everyone together. Furthermore, the sacking of Maldini and Ricky Massara sent a clear message to the Italian tactician: failure to deliver results and work in synchrony with the board will result in the axe. The sporting area has provided Pioli with enough firepower to achieve the basic objectives of qualifying for the upcoming UCL and even battling for the Scudetto. Scraping by was last year’s mantra, not this one’s.
SERIE A PREDICTION
AC Milan’s eternal rivals Inter remain the favourites to claim the Scudetto at 2.75, with the Rossoneri priced 6.00 to beat Inter to their 20th Serie A victory. We remind you that both AC Milan and Inter are tied at 19 Scudetto wins and that 10 titles deliver a star on the club’s logo. Will it be Stefano Pioli or Simone Inzaghi to lift their team’s 20th Scudetto? The race is on.
Make sure to visit the LV BET Sports Blog for more information about the upcoming seasons, we are going into detail on the Serie A, Premier League, Champions League and all the major tournaments coming your way.