4 AC Milan Players Who Would Benefit from a Loan in 2016/17

AC Milan are a club undergoing a real change. After three consecutive seasons of missing out on qualification for European football, they recently appointed a new coach in Vincenzo Montella, while alterations to the playing squad are underway.

Gianluca Lapadula and Leonel Vangioni have already signed in this summer’s transfer window, and as soon as Rossoneri president Silvio Berlusconi finalises an agreement with a Chinese consortium regarding the club’s sale, more additions are likely to follow.

In such circumstances, several individuals within the Milan squad could struggle to obtain first-team football in the near future. Some of them, particularly those in the relatively early stages of their careers, would be well served by temporary spells elsewhere.

What follows is a look at four Rossoneri players who would benefit from loan deals.

Davide Calabria

Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

Davide Calabria emerged as a genuine prospect last season under the auspices of Sinisa Mihajlovic and Cristian Brocchi. He made his first start for Milan in the 3-2 win away to Udinese last September in the absence of Ignazio Abate and impressed, winning four tackles, making one interception and contributing one clearance, per WhoScored.com.

At 19 years of age, the right-back then played in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus. And far from being overwhelmed by the occasion and the pressures of such an important match, he thrived. He attacked down the flank with purpose and speed and defended doggedly.

On the back of such a promising season, Calabria could reasonably have expected to earn more game time in 2016-17. But because of the events that have unfolded thus far during pre-season, this may not be the case.

The signing of Vangioni has led to increased competition for places in the full-back area. The 29-year-old Argentinian is a natural left-back, meaning he is likely to compete with Luca Antonelli for that berth.

As a consequence, Mattia De Sciglio—who can play on either side—will likely also compete with Abate on the right going forward. And considering the 23-year-old appears to have rediscovered his form and confidence, judging by his displays for Italy at UEFA Euro 2016, he may even move up the pecking order in the position.

This leaves Calabria in a difficult situation. He is behind two vastly more experienced players in the race for the right-back spot. As such, a temporary move would make sense.

On the basis of his six league outings last term, he is already capable of playing regularly at Serie A level, and he has been attracting interest from other clubs such as Cagliari. The Sardianian club’s director of sport, Stefano Capozucca, told MilanNews.it (h/t Football Italia): “Calabria is a defender I admire a great deal. That is all I can say, because as of now there are no negotiations on-going with Milan.”

Calabria is an important player in Milan’s long-term future, and a loan spell would allow him to continue playing games and further his development.

Gabriel

Alik Keplicz/Associated Press

Gabriel spent last season on loan at Scudetto contenders Napoli, though he failed to make much of an impact under Maurizio Sarri’s tutelage. He was restricted primarily to a place on the substitutes' bench, making three of his four appearances in the Europa League.

The Brazilian’s sole Serie A outing for the Neapolitan club was not a positive one. Starting between the sticks for a trip to Udinese, he saved and conceded one penalty apiece in the first half. But with the score tied at 1-1 on the verge of half-time, he made a costly mistake.

Receiving a simple back-pass from left-back Faouzi Ghoulam, he failed to trap the ball correctly. And having given away possession to Duvan Zapata in a dangerous area, he proceeded to chase the opposition striker, following him outside his own penalty box. Inevitably a cross came in and Bruno Fernandes put it into an unguarded net. Napoli went on to lose 3-1 in a defeat that severely weakened their title hopes.

That particular display can’t have convinced Milan to keep the goalkeeper, but at 23, he still has potential.

In 2012, he overtook Juventus’ Norberto Neto to become Brazil’s No. 1 at that summer’s Olympic Games in London, aiding his country to a silver medal.

He joined Milan on the back of those performances, and after making seven league appearances in 2013-14, he signed for Carpi on loan. In what proved to be a historic season, he performed well as the unheralded Modena-based side won promotion to Serie A for the first time.

There have been rumours the Rossoneri’s second-choice 'keeper, Diego Lopez, could be on his way to Chelsea. Indeed, the player’s agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, told Calciomercato (h/t Goal) that an offer “ has not yet been made, but the interest is real and concrete.”

If the Spaniard moves on, Gabriel could remain as backup to Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, should the transfer not happen, it would be in the Brazilian’s best interests to move on loan, both to gain further Serie A experience and to prove his worth to Milan.

Rodrigo Ely

Fabrizio Giovannozzi/Associated Press

One of the enduring images of Milan’s 2015-16 campaign was the sight of a disconsolate Rodrigo Ely being helped off the floor by Riccardo Montolivo after the young centre-back had put the ball in his own net to increase his side’s disadvantage to four goals in a 4-0 home defeat to Napoli last October.

That night, the 22-year-old found it impossible to get to grips with the away team’s attack of Jose Callejon, Gonzalo Higuain and Lorenzo Insigne; his own goal only added to his woes.

Ely didn't appear for Milan in league action again last term, meaning he only made three Serie A appearances during his debut campaign in the first team. In each of those outings, it was clear the Brazilian was struggling; he was consistently drawn out of position and red-carded against Fiorentina and earned poor WhoScored.com ratings of 5.9 and 5.39 out of 10 against Genoa and Napoli respectively.

His confidence was damaged, having been thrown in at the deep end, and it remains unclear if he has a future at the top level.

Ely played in Montella’s opening game in charge, the 2-1 friendly win over Girondins de Bordeaux on Saturday, though he is likely to be the team’s fourth-choice centre-back behind Alessio Romagnoli, Cristian Zapata and Gabriel Paletta. That, of course, assumes new signings aren’t made in this area.

Rather than sitting on the bench, a loan spell away from Milan would prove useful in helping to gauge exactly how good a player he could be.

Manuel Locatelli

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

Manuel Locatelli couldn’t have asked for a tougher game in which to be handed his full Milan debut. The 18-year-old was pitched into the fray for the Rossoneri’s final game of the 2015-16 league season, at home to Roma, and he found it difficult to make an impression in a 3-1 defeat.

Playing at the base of a midfield diamond, he spent most of his time trying to figure out the interchanging movement and fluent passing of the Giallorossi. On the rare occasions he did receive the ball to feet, he was too flustered to use it effectively. Consequently, he misplaced several passes on his way to a disappointing 6.14 rating from WhoScored.com.

He is undoubtedly a sound technician and, considering his age, has plenty of promise. His style could even suit Montella’s short-passing philosophy, but with the emergence of Andrea Bertolacci as an option for the regista role, he could struggle to gain a foothold this coming season.

Locatelli is a vital component in Milan’s future, but a six-month loan spell would give him much-needed first-team experience.