Scouting Bayern Munich Transfer Target Mattia De Sciglio
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have already been active in getting their summer business underway, with deals completed for central defender Mats Hummels and midfielder Renato Sanches in a €70 million plan to ensure continued domestic dominance and the chance to land big European silverware next season.
Bayern's summer transfer business might not yet be done, though, with Gazzetta dello Sport linking them (h/t Gazzetta World) with AC Milan full-back Mattia De Sciglio.
With incoming boss Carlo Ancelotti set to put his own stamp on the team, we identify what De Sciglio could bring to the team and whether Bayern are right to pursue him.
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Role and style
A 23-year-old full-back who has come through Milan's youth programme to make over 100 appearances for the first team, De Sciglio has been heralded through his formative seasons as a professional as a potential long-term, top-class leader of the Rossoneri.
It hasn't quite gone that far for him yet, as he seems to struggle with inconsistency and errors at times despite having plenty of talent.
Capable of playing on both sides of defence, De Sciglio has operated as a full-back in a back four and also as a wing-back with the national team, for whom he has played 22 times.
Comfortable in possession and at ease driving forward, De Sciglio has good pace without being lightning quick and is strong in one-on-one situations without being a powerhouse defender.
He's a diligent defender in terms of staying with his man and attempting to make challenges, but he can be caught out of position—just like most offensive-minded full-backs—and suffers lapses in judgement with his decision-making.
Going forward, De Sciglio is certainly a better outlet for the team on the right than the left, especially with his delivery from high upfield.
2015-16 season
De Sciglio fell out of favour at Milan over the second half of the season, playing only three games in Serie A between mid-January and late April.
He made a return at left-back toward the end of the campaign, playing 22 times in the league and every minute of the seven Coppa Italia fixtures as Milan reached the final, losing to Juventus in extra time.
Despite seeing considerably less game time than his rival full-backs in the squad, Ignazio Abate and Luca Antonelli, De Sciglio recorded comparable offensive statistics, per WhoScored.com: 0.8 chances created per game to Abate's 0.7 and Antonelli's 0.6, with one assist apiece, along with a pass success rate of 77 per cent, marginally below the other two.
Defensively he made fewer tackles and interceptions per game, but none of the three made a defensive error over the course of the season, per Squawka.
Although it would have been a disappointment to De Sciglio not to feature prominently under former boss Sinisa Mihajlovic, he has nonetheless been picked as part of Italy's provisional UEFA Euro 2016 squad—an indication of how highly he is rated.
Bayern prospects
A transfer to the Bavarian giants does not always equate to a dream move. When the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Mario Gotze and Javi Martinez have struggled to be regular starters, through injury, loss of form or competition for places, it's an indication of just how good players must be to become first-choice picks.
At full-back specifically, Pep Guardiola (as well as others before him) has shaped the squad to be incredibly versatile. Although Philipp Lahm and David Alaba are two of the world's finest in that role, they also feature elsewhere on the pitch, opening up gaps for Rafinha and Juan Bernat to get game time. The suspicion must be that the signing of De Sciglio would mean at least one of the latter two will depart the Allianz Arena.
Rafinha would be the most likely choice, at 30 and with a year left on his contract, meaning De Sciglio would essentially be Ancelotti's back-up for Lahm. That's not a bad place to be, but there's little scope for first-team action if the German maintains fitness.
The Italian full-back would add to the overall strength of the squad, but it's difficult to see him being a Bayern regular any time soon unless he is prepared to be patient—just as he has had to be this season at Milan.
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