By: Oliver Fisher
AC Milan’s policy of getting the accounts in order being prioritised over making the right investments to succeed on the field has left fans with a right to feel frustrated, according to one journalist.
Some Milan fans and pundits have become frustrated with the Rossoneri’s decision to have a low-cost January window, because plenty of them believe the team needed the reinforcements most out of the top five teams given the problems with injuries and absentees.
Instead, it is Inter and Juventus – both of whom registered losses over €200m in the last financial year – who have made the biggest moves along with a struggling Roma side, which does give the feeling that while others strengthen Milan are standing still.
The well-known journalist and Milan fan Alberto Cerruti has written and impassioned column for Calciomercato.com revealing his feelings and concerns about the path that the Milan ownership and management have chosen to go down, and how it may end up in a lack of success compared to rivals.
“Juventus signs Vlahovic, 21 years old, after three and a half seasons with Fiorentina. Inter take Gosens, 27, after four and a half seasons with Atalanta. AC Milan, on the other hand, signs Lazetic, 18, the promise of the Red Star for his Serie A debut,” he said.
“Who is right? If we look at the figures spent and the balance sheet certainly Milan, but we do not remember any carousel of fans to celebrate the balance sheets in order. The fans want to celebrate the victories and the managers should think about winning, preferably with the balance sheets in order of course.
“The goal of the Milan managers, on the other hand, is above all to reduce losses, or better still present balanced budgets, if not in surplus and then sell the club, earning a profit, to new owners.
“Thus we can understand the disappointment of the Milan fans who in these hours do not feel in second place, albeit on a par with Napoli who won at San Siro, but much further behind in the standings than those of the other teams that are strengthening to win immediately.
“Juventus, in the first place, has taken on a great striker who is not a promise, but a certainty like Van Basten was in his heyday, with a great future ahead and not behind him like Ibrahimovic or Giroud himself.
“Even if they do not finish in fourth place, Juventus with Vlahovic secured the best striker in the Italian league for the next ten years, showing that they want to get back to winning as quickly as possible.
“Inter did not fall asleep on the laurels of their Scudetto (and a half), with the addition of the Italian Super Cup, and the certainty of having reached at least the knockout stages of the Champions League, and by taking Gosens, waiting for Caicedo, they showed their will to be even stronger.
“Milan, on the other hand, continues with the policy of young players at low prices, of eternal promises that then have to gradually enter a league they do not know, with all the unknowns of the case.
“It is the politics of those who are content to participate, like Percassi’s Atalanta who have their balance sheets in place and participate in the Champions League but have never won even a Coppa Italia and since they do not have the glorious history of Milan, this deserves the applause of all.
“Even more than Atalanta, given that Gazidis is the operational representative of the Elliott fund, AC Milan’s model is the policy of Arsenal from where the Rossoneri CEO comes. Despite the beautiful new Emirates Stadium, which replaced the old Highbury – and therefore the higher revenues – Arsenal have not won a league title since 2004 and their highest European milestone was the 2006 Champions League final, which they lost to Barcelona.
“If this is the model for creating a winning team, the Rossoneri fans are right to complain. Because it will also be true that this is no longer Berlusconi’s AC Milan, but neither is Inter Moratti’s anymore.
“Yet Handanovic and his team-mates won the last Scudetto and two seasons ago they reached the Europa League final, despite playing in a stadium that does not produce wealth and also for this reason it risks being knocked down to make way for a more modern stadium, hopefully with better grass. Meanwhile, Juventus celebrates Vlahovic. While Milan have to settle for another Serbian whose name ends with ‘ic’.”
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The post Journalist: Gazidis’ past and Elliott’s modus operandi a cause for concern – “Fans are right to complain” appeared first on SempreMilancom.
