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Alright, as we all know our legendary captain Paolo Maldini will retire at the end of this season. Surely this summer our main target will for after a very long time, be a defensive player, and more specifically, a defender.
Add the fact that the recurring injuries that Nesta is suffering is not helping the team as well as also the inconsistent performances of Kaladze, a central defender should be the number one priority for the summer.
Who do you want Milan to sign? Can someone add a poll by the way?
In order of preference, this would be my list:
Cristian Zapata, 22, Udinese
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Now this player seems to be (on these forums at least), the main Serie A defensive prospect. His main attribute to me would be his speed and also how he is comfortable on the ball. His style would remind one of Lillian Thuram, and I would not disagree. I'm not quite sure but he is able to play as RB as well, which could be handy. His current contract supposedly expires in 2010, so if he does not renew, he might leave this coming summer but expect all other Serie A clubs to be after him as well. Arsenal have also supposedly had a bid of €12m or so rejected for him last summer. The fact that we are never linked to him sort of worries me though.
Fabiano Santacroce, 22, Napoli
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I admit I have rarely seen him play, but after seeing him play last Sunday, I believe the hype surrounding him has been justified. I would say his style is similar to that of Zapata's, in that they are comfortable on the ball and have a commanding presence in the backline. Considering also Lippi just gave him his first call up, he seems to be the real deal. Italy is seemingly lacking a good defensive prospect, and if Fabio proves to be one, I would like Milan to have him. Signing him could be a bit difficult though, as Napoli seem serious in rebuilding their reputation, and also because they just signed Fabio last January. But with money, anything goes.
Philippe Mexès, 26, Roma
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We seem to be linked the most with Mexes and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he ends up here at Milan as he seems the most likely target, also because he supposedly has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for about €12m or so, I forgot the exact figure. I think he is a defender that has the potential to be great, but he seems to have a few bad games here and there, a bit inconsistent. His pretty-boy image would also probably suit Milan (Do you realize we almost always sign only good looking players?
.. okay Ronaldinho..). Signing him would also directly weaken a rival in the league, which is a reason I would think Roma would be reluctant to sell. They also always sell to Inter, and not us.
Alex Costa, 26, Chelsea
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We have always been linked with Alex even since before he signed for PSV a few years ago. I think he would suit our team real nicely, even if his style of play is more of the bulldog type of defender instead of the elegant defenders we are more used to. Convincing him to sign for Milan shouldn't be that big of a problem I would assume. He isn't a guaranteed starter for Chelsea and only plays when Terry or Carvalho are unavailable. The fact that he is Brazilian is also a major pulling point. But convincing Chelsea is another matter. Even if someone like Ivanovic was so difficult for them to let go of, Alex would be harder. The power of the player is of course very strong, so if in the end Alex himself pushes for a transfer, we could see him here.
Sergio Ramos, 22, Real Madrid
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Now I know this is a very unrealistic target, but if they can talk about Kaka, why can't we talk about Ramos? Anyway, supposedly he's having trouble at Real recently because of his contract and all. Berlu and Galliani have also spoken of Ramos a lot, and Ramos himself has spoken of Milan's interest with the customary "I'm proud to be linked with Milan but my mind is only for Real Madrid" kind of reply. His problems with Schuster lie with the fact that he is asked to operate on the right flank all on his own, and gets blamed when there are gaps after he doesn't return to his position quickly. If he joins Milan, he would be preferred as a CB I would assume, but considering he isn't even solid in the Liga, I wouldn't know how he would handle Serie A. But he is smooth on the ball, so maybe he can adapt himself to the league. Whatever it is, I still rate any possibility of signing him as close to nil.
Other possible targets:
Branislav Ivanovic (24, Chelsea)
Thiago Silva (24, Fluminese)
Add the fact that the recurring injuries that Nesta is suffering is not helping the team as well as also the inconsistent performances of Kaladze, a central defender should be the number one priority for the summer.
Who do you want Milan to sign? Can someone add a poll by the way?
In order of preference, this would be my list:
Cristian Zapata, 22, Udinese
Now this player seems to be (on these forums at least), the main Serie A defensive prospect. His main attribute to me would be his speed and also how he is comfortable on the ball. His style would remind one of Lillian Thuram, and I would not disagree. I'm not quite sure but he is able to play as RB as well, which could be handy. His current contract supposedly expires in 2010, so if he does not renew, he might leave this coming summer but expect all other Serie A clubs to be after him as well. Arsenal have also supposedly had a bid of €12m or so rejected for him last summer. The fact that we are never linked to him sort of worries me though.
Fabiano Santacroce, 22, Napoli
I admit I have rarely seen him play, but after seeing him play last Sunday, I believe the hype surrounding him has been justified. I would say his style is similar to that of Zapata's, in that they are comfortable on the ball and have a commanding presence in the backline. Considering also Lippi just gave him his first call up, he seems to be the real deal. Italy is seemingly lacking a good defensive prospect, and if Fabio proves to be one, I would like Milan to have him. Signing him could be a bit difficult though, as Napoli seem serious in rebuilding their reputation, and also because they just signed Fabio last January. But with money, anything goes.
Philippe Mexès, 26, Roma
We seem to be linked the most with Mexes and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he ends up here at Milan as he seems the most likely target, also because he supposedly has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for about €12m or so, I forgot the exact figure. I think he is a defender that has the potential to be great, but he seems to have a few bad games here and there, a bit inconsistent. His pretty-boy image would also probably suit Milan (Do you realize we almost always sign only good looking players?
.. okay Ronaldinho..). Signing him would also directly weaken a rival in the league, which is a reason I would think Roma would be reluctant to sell. They also always sell to Inter, and not us.Alex Costa, 26, Chelsea
We have always been linked with Alex even since before he signed for PSV a few years ago. I think he would suit our team real nicely, even if his style of play is more of the bulldog type of defender instead of the elegant defenders we are more used to. Convincing him to sign for Milan shouldn't be that big of a problem I would assume. He isn't a guaranteed starter for Chelsea and only plays when Terry or Carvalho are unavailable. The fact that he is Brazilian is also a major pulling point. But convincing Chelsea is another matter. Even if someone like Ivanovic was so difficult for them to let go of, Alex would be harder. The power of the player is of course very strong, so if in the end Alex himself pushes for a transfer, we could see him here.
Sergio Ramos, 22, Real Madrid
Now I know this is a very unrealistic target, but if they can talk about Kaka, why can't we talk about Ramos? Anyway, supposedly he's having trouble at Real recently because of his contract and all. Berlu and Galliani have also spoken of Ramos a lot, and Ramos himself has spoken of Milan's interest with the customary "I'm proud to be linked with Milan but my mind is only for Real Madrid" kind of reply. His problems with Schuster lie with the fact that he is asked to operate on the right flank all on his own, and gets blamed when there are gaps after he doesn't return to his position quickly. If he joins Milan, he would be preferred as a CB I would assume, but considering he isn't even solid in the Liga, I wouldn't know how he would handle Serie A. But he is smooth on the ball, so maybe he can adapt himself to the league. Whatever it is, I still rate any possibility of signing him as close to nil.
Other possible targets:
Branislav Ivanovic (24, Chelsea)
Thiago Silva (24, Fluminese)
