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AC Milan were linked with several strikers this summer, but they did not sign a typical number nine like Massimiliano Allegri requested.
There was a lot of talk about a forward this summer. From the moment that Allegri arrived, it seemed that a new striker would join him through the door, but that never really happened. Instead, Christopher Nkunku joined.
Whilst he can play as a No. 9, he is better behind the striker, playing in the pockets and creating with the chance to score, rather than the other way around. Of course, he can also be the scorer, but this is not what Allegri had in mind.
His idea was rather simple: a confident, physical box operator who was able to score goals. Of course, these types are easy to find, but good ones are not, at least not for cheap.
Milan certainly found and had a few ideas before Nkunku, and even after him, but no one of that ilk actually arrived. So, did the Rossoneri dodge bullets in the mercato looking at these players, or did they miss gems? Let’s look at the stats of the 10 strikers who were linked in the summer.
Missing out
It is best to start with the ones that the Diavolo probably missed a trick with, after all, there are not really too many. Of course, it depends on how you view it, and we’ll get to that later, too, but these are players who have categorically started the season well.
It starts with Dusan Vlahovic, who was the man of the summer. The Serbian was to and from Milan, and the deal seemed to be on several times. However, he never arrived, with the club not willing to pay his massive salary.
Negotiations for that reason never really took off, but can you really blame anyone? After all, there is no point wasting time on a player that will almost categorically not arrive unless a significant change was made to the wages.
So, he remains in Turin for this season at least, but he started it on the bench. Despite this, the striker has scored four goals in Serie A and the Champions League, adding an assist as well in the eight games that he has played.
Quite a few of these goals have come from the bench, proving his quality. Whether the Rossoneri try again remains to be seen, but they almost definitely missed out this summer.
Another on the same line is Rasmus Hojlund, even if it was not as extreme. His situation at Manchester United quickly changed, so when he was made available, the Diavolo were at the door, waiting to get a chance.
They took Napoli to the wire, but a lack of guarantees pushed the young striker towards Naples, and this was only confirmed when other interests were sought in the mercato by Igli Tare and co.
Since his move, he has been fantastic with Kevin De Bruyne. In fact, there have even been comparisons to Scott McTominay’s story, how he has changed since leaving Manchester. So far, he has scored four goals in six games across Serie A and the Champions League, an impressive return thus far.
Then, it is debatable whether Mateo Retegui can be included on this list, given that he was more of an idea than an actual target. Nevertheless, it is worth looking at his situation a little. The Italian would have cost around €60 million, an impossible figure really. So far, he has three goals for Al Qadisiyah this season.
Masterplan?
Now onto the players that haven’t really set the world alight this season, and there are quite a few, indeed.
Whether Jean-Philippe Mateta can be included in this list is difficult, considering the links were never too concrete. It is also debatable whether he could actually be in the success category, too. Nevertheless, he has two goals in seven Premier League appearances this season. Not awful in fairness, but maybe not as hot as he has been in previous seasons.
To group them, the same could also be said for Breel Embolo and Tolu Arokodare, both of whom were suggested as possibilities, but never really became concrete options for Milan in the summer.
Though this seems to have been a good thing, with neither performing well for their new clubs, respectively. The Nigerian has not scored in any of his four appearances for Wolves, whilst Embolo has a singular goal for Stade Rennais in four games.
Nicolas Jackson was suggested as an option, and whilst there were brief talks about him joining the Diavolo, he moved to Bayern Munich with an extortionate loan fee, so it seems unlikely that a deal would have gotten over the line.
Again, though, it seems to have been a good thing, with him only providing one goal and assist in six games. Not the greatest value for money!
A similar case could be put forward for Goncalo Ramos, who was an option for the end of the window if his situation with PSG did not change. However, it didn’t, and the fee was too high to consider. Milan certainly have not missed out, with him only scoring twice in the seven opening games this season.
Moise Kean could, perhaps, fit into the next bracket. However, he was more of a dream than an actual tangible option, even if his release clause was there for the taking. So far, though, he has not been proving to be having the best season, with only one Serie A goal in six appearances.
Now we are left with three.
Artem Dovbyk, Victor Boniface and Conrad Harder and it would be fair to suggest that these were the big three names of the window, at least from a realistic perspective.
Deals were effectively finished for both Boniface and Harder, with the former even travelling to complete a medical. However, the deal was never finished, despite a €5m loan with a €24m buy clause being agreed upon.
It is probably a good thing, with the Nigerian failing to hit the ground running with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga. In four Bundesliga appearances this season, he has failed to score, and whilst he has provided an assist, it looks like a bullet dodged.
With Harder, he did eventually get a move from Sporting Lisbon, and he was picked up by RB Leipzig – which makes a lot of sense, considering his profile. Again, though, he has struggled in the Bundesliga and he has not scored in any of his four appearances in the German top flight.
The Rossoneri had a deal accepted, it seemed, for around €28m, but his move to Germany was finalised around the €24m mark, according to Get Football News Germany. A cheaper deal, but one not showing value so far.
Finally, we go to Artem Dovbyk, who was one of the most intriguing cases of the summer. If he was going to arrive, it would have probably involved Santiago Gimenez going the other way, but it never happened, despite extensive talks.
Maybe this was a good thing, though, with him only scoring once and assisting another in his opening seven games of the season. It could be argued that he would be more prolific in an Allegri system, perhaps.
Milan themselves
It is all well and good calling different strikers flops whilst not looking closer to home. Of course, Christian Pulisic has been the star so far this season, scoring four times and assisting another two for the Rossoneri.
However, the attacking lineup past him is not great. Santiago Gimenez is yet to score a goal in Serie A (for reference, none of the other players’ cup performances have been included, so this is not an anti-Santi thing) and has missed seven big chances, the most in the league.
Christopher Nkunku’s minutes have been limited, as have those for Rafael Leao, but both are also without goals in the top flight. It could be argued that the Frenchman should have won a penalty – which we would have counted as an assist had it been scored – and Leao had two big chances to score against Juventus. So, all is not terrible.
However, the workload needs to be spread. Whilst the targets have not shown impressive signs massively, those at home have not either. Time can change everyone’s situations; we will need to see how the times change for the Diavolo.
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