AC Milan Transfer Rumors: 5 Players To Buy Over the Summer
With only eight games left in 2010-11, the particular off-pitch thrill of the transfer market creeps once again to the fore of the footballing consciousness as fans, journalists and club directors debate the merits and necessity of various players.
With a Champions League spot all but assured, and with a firm grasp on the Serie A title going into Saturday’s critical derby, AC Milan’s Adriano Galliani will be looking to reinforce the rossoneri side with a few key injections of youth and experience to ensure an equally successful 2011-12 season.
Here are five possible candidates rumored to wear black and red next season:
Taye Taiwo
1 of 5
Thanks to the impermeable partnership of Nesta and Thiag Silva at the heart of the defense, Milan enjoys the most parsimoniously rearguard tandem on the peninsula, having conceded only 22 goals in 30 games.
But a dearth of class in the fullback department has hamstrung the Italian giants, whose reliance on the 4-3-1-2 requires a swashbucklings pair of wingbacks.
The slow atrophy of Oddo and Zambrotta on the right has left the pacey, but inexperienced, Abate the sole viable option, while the fragile Antonini and Jankuloski have only played intermittently due to a series of injuries.
The primary candidate to bolster the left hand side is Marseille’s Taye Taiwo, an attack-minded fullback whose strength and speed makes him adept on both the front and back foot.
He is a physical athlete, and coupled with experience at the international and European levels, makes the Nigerian an attractive package, and with Taiwo's contract expiring in May, Milan may acquire his services on a free Bosman transfer.
Such an opportunity has seen Taiwo linked with a myriad of different clubs, but he has listed the seven-time European champions as his “first option.”
Gregory van der Wiel
2 of 5
In keeping with the rejuvenation of the back four, AC Milan has also been heavily linked with Gregory van der Wiel, Ajax’s 23-year-old right-back.
Over the course of 12 months, van der Wiel has become a bastion of the Dutch national team, putting in an impressive stint at the World Cup in South Africa that cemented his place in the starting line-up.
A marathoner of a player, van der Wiel continues to make lung-busting tears down the flanks throughout the 90 minutes, leaving his less tenacious opponents gasping for air in the dust.
His passing and crossing is first-rate, though the tackles leave a touch to be desired. That said, he is frugal with his fouls, and hasn’t received a red card in over two years.
Plenty of high ordnance competition will make this a difficult transfer, as Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal are also prepared to duke it out for the Dutchman.
Mats Hummels
3 of 5
Rounding out the trio of necessary defensive injections is the 22-year-old Mats Hummels, currently in force at Bundesliga chart-toppers Borussia Dortmund.
One of Dortmund’s stand-out players, Hummels combines aerial power with an impeccable reading of the game and has contributed immeasurably to the team’s unstoppable title run, not only with prodigious defending but an unusually high tally of five goals, testament to the center-back’s dominant heading ability.
Currently ranked at No. 8 in the Castrol Rankings, Hummels guarantees consistency as well as longevity, and will prove equal to replacing Alessandro Nesta, whose retirement creeps ever closer.
Bayern Munich, who sold Hummels to Dortmund, and are painfully aware as to who got the better end of deal, have plunged once again on their ex, and will do whatever they can to lure the Hummels back to Bavaria.
Andrea Poli
4 of 5
Hampered by a superannuated midfield dominated by tooth and nail grunts like Mark van Bommel and Gennaro Gattuso, and with the midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo at the doorway after the club refused to meet his pricey wage demands, Milan will need a player with the vision to dictate the ebb and flow of a full 90 minutes.
Andrea Poli has been one of the few bright spots in a lackluster Sampdoria side still reeling from the one-two punch of Pazzini’s and Cassano’s January exit.
A tough midfield holding player, he compares himself most often to Steven Gerrard, in terms of tenacity and ability to play from box-to-box.
He is, however, a gamble, having yet to play in Europe or for the senior national side.
Both his ex-coaches Mazzarri and Delneri have stated that Poli has what it takes to become a premier player in Serie A, thanks to his technical first touch and the grit of his play.
Buttressed by Flamini’s winner-take-all challenges and Kevin Prince-Boateng’s dynamism, at Milan Poli could fulfill the potential he has evinced since his initiation at Treviso.
Ganso
5 of 5
The headliner. The showstopper. The name that will stop traffic.
Ganso, along with Santos teammate and compatriot Neymar, has captured the imagination of their home fans and kindled intense speculation across Europe as to where they will truly make their mark.
A natural-born fantasista with a velvet left-foot and an embarrassingly large bag of tricks, Ganso seems the natural heir to the trequartista throne vacated by his predecessor and prototype Kakà, connecting the dots between midfield and attack.
Ganso is heavily rumored to play at the Meazza next term, but whether it be for AC Milan or Internazionale is yet to be determined.
Regardless, either one will have to rifle through their coffers to produce the 30 million euro necessary to prize the 21-year-old away from Santos.
