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Home of AC Milan, Official Thread

Tammy Abraham is a popular figure in the dressing room, but his performances have often fallen below the level needed for AC Milan. It is slowly changing though.

In his first days at the club, Abraham seemed to be heading towards a position not often attached to an end-of-mercato move. He played a huge role before he had even been properly media unveiled, and in his media duties, he revealed his dreams of a Derby della Madonnina winner.

Goals in the first half of the season did not come as often as hoped, and minutes came in spells rather than a prolonged period leading the line. Under Sergio Conceicao, the pattern remains, but he is proving to be valuable.

In the Supercoppa Italiana, he scored the winner against Inter, combining with Rafael Leao in the last seconds to complete an unimaginable comeback. Then, as Milan News recalls, the striker got the assist for Leao against Como.

It is two goal contributions in his last three appearances for the Rossoneri, and they have both been pivotal. With a decision about his future yet to be made, if he continues to impress, especially with his contribution rate staying the same, a decision may be made for Milan.
 
Real Madrid are suffering from a lack of depth at right-back and they might look to bring Alex Jimenez back to the Spanish capital, a report claims.

Diario AS are reporting that Lucas Vázquez’s performances while covering for the injured Dani Carvajal are not causing concern, but the lack of a deputy to him is. Lorenzo Aguado and Jesús Fortea are considered interesting talents but more for the future than the present.

Following Sunday’s heavy defeat to Barça, the debate over whether or not to sign a right-back in January remains. Plan A remains Trent Alexander-Arnold, with Madrid pushing to sign the Liverpool star as much as possible, though without a big fee a winter deal will be ‘impossible’.

A more short-term solution is being pondered therefore while Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayern Leverkusen) and Denzel Dumfries (Inter) are considered too expensive. Two names stand out: Álex Jiménez and Reece James.

Jimenez is a former Real youth player that was loaned then sold to Milan permanently in the summer, and Los Blancos could try to bring him back. The 19-year-old is the most expensive youth player in Real Madrid Castilla’s history having departed for around €5m.

Guarantees on the fitness of James would be needed, while another very appealing option is Sevilla right-back Juanlu Sánchez, who isn’t currently guaranteed a starting spot with the Andalusian club. The 21-year was already viewed as an option for the summer if the Alexander-Arnold deal became complicated.

Rayo Vallecano’s Romania full-back Andrei Ratiu is a similar type of player and has been monitored, although he isn’t Madrid’s preferred option. A third LaLiga option is Jon Aramburu of Real Sociedad.

Veteran players like Inter’s Benjamin Pavard are being though about even if he would command a high fee, while Serge Aurier is a free agent but the 32-year-old has struggled for fitness in recent seasons.
 
What is Leao like?

“Rafa is a wonderful boy, very sensitive and kind-hearted. He needs to be encouraged and helped, but what I see is that in football, criticisms and praise are excessive.

“I see Rafa continually growing. I don’t know if he can win the Ballon d’Or, but I told him he can do it. He will always be a player like this, continually growing and improving.”

Where will your career go from here?

“In 2035 I will continue to coach, I think that when I am 70 we will see each other again.”
 
🚨 Pioli discusses time at Milan, Leao and Theo, De Ketelaere, Conceicao and arguments.

Stefano Pioli has spoken once again about his time with AC Milan, recalling the famous chant that circulated during the Scudetto season.

Pioli joined Milan during the 2019-20 season and went on an almost five-year journey with the club despite originally being hired as an interim of sorts. With results and an entertaining style of play, he forced the directors to abandon the idea of hiring Ralf Rangnick to replace him.

Everything culminated in the 2021-22 Scudetto-winning season, ending the 11-year wait for a league title, but at the end of the last campaign the decision was made to move on. Thus the Rossoneri turned to Paulo Fonseca, who didn’t last long before being replaced by Sergio Conceicao.

Pioli had the opportunity to meet the squad again in Riyadh where he now lives and coaches Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and where Milan played and won the Supercoppa Italiana.

Radio Serie A interviewed him and he spoke about his time with the Rossoneri and the memories that it left him with, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.

What led you to this new opportunity?

“As soon as I left Milan I had opportunities and offers in Italy and France, but Saudi Arabia won me over with motivations, including economic ones. I wanted to try something different after 20 years in Italy.

“I will definitely return. I liked the way they contacted me, they were super professional. I have always chosen based on the feelings I had in the interviews. In football everything changes quickly.”

You are among the 8 coaches who led both Inter and Milan…

“If they had told me that we would have done everything we did… I am not looking back, I am thinking about the future. One day I will look at what I have done, between Milan’s Scudetto and the various salvations.

“And now I am in Riyadh. In a journey there are many negative situations, even if you think you are working with criteria and seriousness. Sometimes there is perfect chemistry, other times the relationships quickly collapse.”

Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao are among the most used players in your career…

“Theo and Leao are special because we grew up together. I love them dearly, they have a sunny disposition, sometimes a little indolent. They are two players who can influence the game in a positive or negative way. I met Rafa when he was very young, Theo already had experience.

“Helping them doesn’t mean pampering them, but giving them the carrot and stick. I feel like the footballing father of all the players I’ve had. For me and my staff, the goal is to ask ourselves ‘how many players have grown up with us?’. To improve the player, there’s more than just the pitch.”

Who didn’t manage to develop?

“I think it’s more the players who have improved than anything else. Now everyone’s talking about De Ketelaere, but I think it’s a situation that arose from various episodes. With Gasperini he’s doing great things.”

How did transfer operations work?

“With Ricky and Paolo I always gave my assessment, then they tried to close the circle. Nowadays it is common to call the players first, and I have rarely been wrong. After meeting him, after having spoken to him, I understood that my feelings about the man turned out to be right.”

Did you have any arguments?

“Coaching means discussing. I invited my players to express themselves, to have clear ideas and because they are the ones who go on the field. There have been conflicts.

“I seem balanced, but when I am on the field I demand work and for this reason there have been arguments. It is for the common goal of winning, then the next day we start from scratch.”

You got a tattoo to mark the Scudetto…

“The tattoo is very heartfelt, it was natural. With Milan I felt no regrets. I gave everything and I received a lot.”

Who did you ring after the title win?

“My mother was the first person I called after the Scudetto with Milan. Then I thought of my father, he always lived my career between compliments and criticisms, suffering too much. He would have been so happy.”

The fans chanted ‘Pioli is on fire’…

“‘Pioli is on fire’ must be something linked to that moment at Milan because it was too beautiful to experience but I think it’s wrong to continue it. And I hope that ‘on fire’ will be my players of the moment, of the future, my teams of the future

Pioli was ‘on fire’ there because we all became in that environment – I’m talking about players, staff, club, fans above all – and he must stay there, I think it’s the right place. Now I am Bioli as they call me here (laughs) and we move forward.”

Reijnders and Pulisic have really grown…

“I already knew Tijjani, his intelligence and class. He had many chances to score, even in training, but he didn’t finish. The first year in Italy is always difficult. Reijnders is a champion.

“Pulisic’s first interview was full of positive things, he was already focused. He has the mentality and he was a pleasant player to coach.”

What do you think about Milan’s coaching change?

“You don’t have to know anything about what happened before. You have to be yourself and believe in what you do, don’t ask how they attacked or defended before. Conceicao is aware and will bring his way of approaching Milan. He’s an excellent coach, I wish him the best .”

What is Leao like?

“Rafa is a wonderful boy, very sensitive and kind-hearted. He needs to be encouraged and helped, but what I see is that in football, criticisms and praise are excessive.

“I see Rafa continually growing. I don’t know if he can win the Ballon d’Or, but I told him he can do it. He will always be a player like this, continually growing and improving.”

Where will your career go from here?

“In 2035 I will continue to coach, I think that when I am 70 we will see each other again.”
 
AC Milan seem to currently be in a phase of exploring various January opportunities, and they made an offer to Barcelona for Frenkie De Jong.

That is according to El Nacional (via Calciomercato.com), who report that the Milan directors presented to Barca’s sporting director Deco should be recorded a proposal of €25m as a fixed fee plus €10m in potential bonuses.

It was an offer rejected for now by the Catalan side, who are asking for at least €45m to sell the Dutchman. De Jong is admired because he can play either in a deeper midfield role – allowing Tijjani Reijnders, his compatriot, to push up – or even a bit further forward himself.

This season, the former Ajax man has made just 16 appearances, only five of which were starts. Barca paid a whopping €85m to sign him from Ajax in 2019, but he does not seem to be a big part of Hansi Flick’s plans.

In fact, the coach has not been satisfied with his performance for some time but yesterday evening – after the 5-1 victory over Real Betis in the Copa del Rey – he said the following: “It was a step forward in the right direction for him, I’m happy he played well.”

There has been talk of De Jong leaving for some time, also thanks to a contract that runs until 30 June 2026 and therefore less than 18 months left to run. The fact Barcelona are trying to make room in the squad to complete new signings could be an important factor.
 
When Christian Pulisic dropped to the floor and asked to be substituted last night against Como, everyone feared the worst with a big game up next.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport write and as we reported this afternoon, Pulisic’s scan today have ruled out a muscle injury like a strain or even a tear, which is a relief. He has however suffered from some fatigue, and this his presence against Juventus on Saturday is far from guaranteed.

Milan plan to ‘proceed with caution’ after Pulisic left the field at half-time in Como, replaced by Alex Jimenez. The precedents show that the former Chelsea man suffered a low-grade lesion to the soleus of his right calf on December 6 against Atalanta, which caused him to miss 20 days.

When he was ready to return, at the end of the year, a problem with his left ankle prevented him from playing the last match of the year against Roma. In other words, it is almost a basic necessity to tread very carefully.

Thus, the coaching staff will not risk him, because in a situation like this the repercussions can be far more grave. They will evaluate Pulisic in the next two days and will be cautious. The current feeling is that a spell off the bench is more likely than starting the game, the report adds.
 
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