Milan fans need a positive reaction in reaction to Inter’s 20th name in Serie A even before the end of the season. As plumes of blue and black smoke engulf the city, pressure mounts on head coach Geoffrey Moncada over a world-class replacement for striker Olivier Giroud.
Despite an inconsistent 2023-24 season, Giroud achieved the league score (14) in his 3 years in charge, a personal high since 2015-16 at Arsenal (16). It’s possible he’ll reach that score before the transition to Major League Soccer’s LA. FC.
A persistent heir to Zlatan Ibrahimović, the 37-year-old had a swift effect upon his arrival in 2020, helping the much-maligned Stefano Pioli give the heir to Il Diavolo his first Serie A name in nine years. The Frenchman has scored 26 goals in all competitions this season, leaving Moncada with huge boots to fill.
RB Leipzig hitman Benjamin Šeško can be that filler for the boots. Worth $43 million, according to Transfermarkt, the Slovenian has already scored 11 goals for his country in the senior category and 28 in the last two domestic seasons, all this at just 20 years old.
Physically, Šeško’s height of 195cm means that he is a replacement for Giroud, who has shown immense prowess on the ground while remaining a constant aerial threat.
Šeško, who has a contract with Leipzig until 2028, weighs 85 kilograms, which resembles the height of Gianluca Scamacca. Milan fans can dream of quick partnerships with Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao, Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze.
Šeško’s speed and mobility are astonishing for Giroud’s on the counter-attack, a tactic used in the Red Bulls against the big UEFA Champions League (UCL) groups and in the German Bundesliga, where Šeško scored against Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Joshua Zirkzee is a candidate to take the reins. The 22-year-old’s remarkable season (11 goals, four assists) at Bologna FC has fuelled hopes that he and Rossoblù coach Thiago Motta would be a one-shot solution.
Motta’s magical spell in Emilia-Romagna has transformed Bologna from perennial relegation contenders to Champions League material. If he manages to revitalize Riccardo Orsolini and Remo Freuler, they create what he can do in Milanello.
Zirkzee’s rise is admirable, ignored by Bayern Munich’s parent club, who sent him to Parma (before their relegation to Serie B) and then to Anderlecht. This new era of lending caught the attention of Bologna in 2022, for a reduced price of $9 million in hindsight. a bet at that time.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – APRIL 13: Bologna FC head coach Thiago Motta (R) talks to Joshua Zirkzee about Array. Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Adapting to the mentality of a big club can be seen as a hindrance for Zirkzee, who has gone five games without goals in UEFA club competitions, compared to Šeško’s two goals in the Champions League in 23 appearances.
In addition, Šeško knows what it means to win trophies, having led RB Salzburg to three Austrian Bundesliga titles before the ranks of the Red Bull food chain. However, since it seems to be heading towards the sky, it is too early to be presumptuous. .
Lessons can be learned from current Milan striker Luka Jović, evidence that preconceived notions don’t necessarily work for the best. The Serbian won trophies in Germany and racked up two more at Real Madrid. Los Blancos paid $67 million for theirs after scoring 36 goals. at Eintracht Frankfurt at the age of 21.
Jović never adapted to the spotlight and scored just three goals ($22 million per goal) in three seasons in Madrid, a warning that stars may peak too soon. Milan are expected to pay a similar fee for Šeško, while Zirkzee is the cheapest option. at about $55 million. The signing of any of the players can break Milan’s $53. 3 million move record set in 2019 when Leao bought Lille.
Milan are keen that European pedigree is in their DNA, a somewhat true claim if you go back to the eras of Carlo Ancelotti and Arripass Sacchi. In reality, the club missed seven consecutive years of UCL football until the 2021 resurgence.
Milan’s unlimited demotion from the UCL to the UEFA Europa League in 2024 is no laughing matter, they wasted goals against Slavia Prague and failed to beat Roma with ten men. Beyond the prestige, where is the charm of Šeško and Zirkzee, who are in the fight to play?In the UCL while you’re at RB Leipzig and Bologna respectively?
The protesting Milanists believe it is time for a change. After spending $120 million last summer, the team doesn’t want a general rebuild, but a facelift. If the grunts are louder than ever in the red and black aspect of the city, they are not categorical enough to drown out the chants of the Interistas in Piazza Duomo.
MILAN, ITALY – MAY 5: AC Milan fans protest against AC Milan’s Serie A company fit TIMArray. . . [ ] between AC Milan and Genoa CFC at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 5, 2024 in Milan, Italy. Image: Photo/Getty Images)
Inter’s good luck is hard to accept. After the Nerazzurri’s atrocious victory in the Derby-Scudetto, Milan’s six-game winless streak amplified the angriest voices from the Curva Sud where, on Sunday, the fans walked away when former Milan striker Alberto Gilardino and newly-promoted Genoa scored three goals in front of Pioli’s fragile defence. .
That’s 11 goals conceded in the last six games and a demoralising way to look back on a fairly successful campaign. He went from “Pioli on fire” to “out of the frying pan and on fire” in two years. Fate is almost decided and he may not be the only protagonist to leave.
While enthusiasts don’t find a transparent movement strategy that preserves their stars easy, Rafael Leao is in the crosshairs to upgrade Kylian Mbappe at PSG and La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Theo Hernandez needs to leave for Bayern Munich. or Milan can buy.
With Ibrahimović and Giroud bringing glory to Milan in their final 30 years, Moncada could opt to recycle some other old but clever one. This could provide the time needed to expand the young prodigy Francesco Camarda and would be suitable for Pulisic. His most productive career was alongside the experienced Giroud, unlike young stars like Kai Havertz in his Chelsea years.
Undoubtedly, the synergy of the Milanese front is about to change. Should Milan reuse Leao in central spaces as they did against Inter?Is Šeško a ready-made goal machine?Zirkzee is the safest option given his experience in Serie A.
It’s possible that Milan enthusiasts will have their say in the coming weeks.
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