Is There Time To Save The Summer?

Late last summer, Milan made some major moves at the end of August, adding and subtracting from the squad. Milan sold Kevin Prince Boateng to Schalke but of course, Kaká returned back to Milan for what would be his final season with the Rossoneri. But with Milan supporters pleading for a revamped squad that can contend, can Galliani and the Berlusconi's save this disappointing summer transfer window?

Earlier this week, Milan were busy trying to regain the respect from the Milan faithful as they made some key subtractions with a few additions as well. Kevin Constant was sold to Trabzonspor for a fee north of €2mil and to fill the void, Pablo Armero has been brought in from Udinese on a season loan. Perhaps the most important move was the deal to send Robinho on loan for the season to Santos which could help get the ball rolling for Milan to address some areas of need this summer. Milan are also in heavy talks to bring in Real Madrid keeper Diego Lopez. Lopez is a player Milan surely need as Abbiati is nearing the end of his career and Agazzi already showing to be a disappointment in just a few friendly matches. Diego Lopez is a very good goalkeeper who would be welcomed with open arms unless of course his wage demands exceed what Milan is willing to pay.

The three areas Milan need to address before their first league match v Lazio on August 31st are the midfield, goalkeeping and of course, right wing. Milan appear to be getting close to securing Lopez but what about the midfield and right wing? Let's take a look.

Starting with the midfield, its quite clear that an upgrade is needed. The projected 3 midfielders to start for Inzaghi are Poli, de Jong and Saponara. Of course, Cristante and Muntari are options with Montolivo not expected to return until the winter months. In all honesty, I doubt this area gets addressed. Inzaghi will have to get creative and understand how his former Primavera players fit into the squad.

As for the right wing, Milan remain a suitor for Alessio Cerci with Atletico Madrid also courting him. With Robinho out, the time is now to pursue Cerci as he is the prototypical option to play right wing in Inzaghi's 4-3-3 formation. However, Niang has been showing signs of quality in the past few weeks particularly in the match v Chivas earlier this week where he scored the first Milan goal of a 3-0 win for the Rossoneri. The Frenchman is still a young 19 years of age and his better years are certainly ahead of him but perhaps this year isn't the year to become a starter for Milan. Honda is also an option outside although most would say he is playing out of position. Milan could also look to bring back Adel Taarabt who played well under Seedorf last season when he made the loan move to Milano.

Here is the bottom line: Cerci needs to be acquired. He is left footed and has tremendous pace which is just one of his many skills. Robinho is out on loan, making the move more likely. But will Milan dish out the €18-20mil for Cerci? Will they look to match the asking price for Taarabt? Or will they find the solutions from within the current squad? The final month of the transfer window could either be disappointing or enjoyable. Stay tuned. Forza Milan.